Ciao bellas e bellos!
I feel like I write this every time I sit down to write a blog but WOW did this week go by fast. It is nice to have finally settled in and established into some type of regular routine: Class, computer time, back home for a break/nap/lunch, classes, homework, dinner, out to enjoy the evening. Even without readily accessible internet, or television I seem to find plenty to keep myself occupied. Now that classes are in full swing, we finished our first full week of classes Thursday, I have an idea of the work load I have this semester. While it is not as packed as my semesters at Stonehill I know it will keep me busy. While I love traveling on the weekends it is definitely not the most conducive to studying. Although I did manage to get some work done on the trains this weekend…mom and dad are you proud? It is just really nice to have finally settled into my life here in Italy.
I’m sure you are glad I had a great week but I’m thinking I should also share with you my amazing weekend. Any guesses? Well if you were thinking FLORENCE you got it right, and it might also mean we are facebook friends and you read my status Thursday when I left. One thing that is so great about so many study abroad programs is that they give you Fridays off from classes so you have more time to travel. This being the case my roommate Chelsea and I left after classes Thursday and caught a late train into Florence. Lucky for us, my friends Kristen Clark and Kait Mendall are studying in Florence this semester and let us stay on their pull out sofa. I do have to say that their apartment is WAY nicer than mine, it’s right on the Ponte Vecchio! but I’m only slightly bitter ;-) Florence was great but I am glad I live here in Perugia.
First of all there are hoards of tourists everywhere! While I realize I myself am a tourist, it is rather annoying when there are millions of people everywhere all the time. Everything is a little more expensive and a little dirtier than here in Perugia. Of course I’m not saying that I had a bad time, it was GREAT! On the Friday morning after we arrived it was raining so we decided to hit the museums. We got up and got inline to see David (Michelangelo’s famous work if anyone is wondering). He is big and beautiful, as is the rest of the Galleria dell’ Academia. We also did a walk-by of Dante’s house and church. We also visited Santa Croce church, it’s beautiful inside and out and holds the tombs of Galileo, Dante, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. We wrapped up out sight seeing for the day at St. Johns Baptistery. When you fist walk in it seems rather plain and simple and then you look up. The ceiling is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. Having a busy morning inside museums and hotels we decided it would be a good idea to take a break and hit the market. 
Saturday morning was sunny and beautiful so we decided it was the perfect day to check out the Duomo. Now you can just go in and have a look around, OR you can walk up and down about 500 stairs all the way to the top of the dome. So far I would say this is my favorite thing I have done. The frescos are beautiful beyond words, and the views from the outside the top of the dome are breathtaking.
Since we had gotten to the Duomo before it was actually open, we had some free 
time to just wander the streets of Florence. We saw the Uffizi Gallery, one of the three fake David’s (not nearly as cool) and the Loggia Dei Lanzi (an outdoor sculpture gallery). Once again after a busy morning we headed back to the market, where I spent too much money, but what can you do when you’re in one of the best leather markets in the world? By the end of the day my feet were so sore that we decided to have a nice relaxing evening inside, although we did make our way out to the pub for one birthday drink, HAPPY 20th Kristen! Bulmers Cider Beer is now officially my favorite.
We didn’t have a train till late Sunday so we took advantage of our relatively free day by walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo. It is one of the most popular spots in Florence because of the views.
It’s set further outside the main city and sits on top of a hill. You have to make the treck up to see some beautiful scenic views of the whole city. I also really liked being able to see out into the Tuscany countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We ended our sightseeing with a stop at Palazzo Pitti. Inside there are a ton of museums and the Giardino di Boboli (public gardens). Don’t be fooled by the name like we were, the gardens and everything at Palazzo Pitti is kinda expensive so we passed and just enjoyed the architecture. We spent the rest of the day just milling around. There are a lot of cool places, shops, and sites you can find by allowing yourself to just wander. Somewhere in our wanderings we landed up back on the Ponte Vecchio doing a little gold shopping. It’s a world famous spot for quality gold and I have to say someone is getting a very nice Christmas present! This is a picure of me taking a break on the Ponte Vecchio. 
By the time we picked up our stuff from my friends apartment we were broke, tired and ready to go home! I’m happy to report that as our train pulled into the Perugia station Sunday night we had successfully made it there and back without getting on a single wrong train!
The weather has finally cooled off and I’m ready to start another week!
Ciao!
I feel like I write this every time I sit down to write a blog but WOW did this week go by fast. It is nice to have finally settled in and established into some type of regular routine: Class, computer time, back home for a break/nap/lunch, classes, homework, dinner, out to enjoy the evening. Even without readily accessible internet, or television I seem to find plenty to keep myself occupied. Now that classes are in full swing, we finished our first full week of classes Thursday, I have an idea of the work load I have this semester. While it is not as packed as my semesters at Stonehill I know it will keep me busy. While I love traveling on the weekends it is definitely not the most conducive to studying. Although I did manage to get some work done on the trains this weekend…mom and dad are you proud? It is just really nice to have finally settled into my life here in Italy.
I’m sure you are glad I had a great week but I’m thinking I should also share with you my amazing weekend. Any guesses? Well if you were thinking FLORENCE you got it right, and it might also mean we are facebook friends and you read my status Thursday when I left. One thing that is so great about so many study abroad programs is that they give you Fridays off from classes so you have more time to travel. This being the case my roommate Chelsea and I left after classes Thursday and caught a late train into Florence. Lucky for us, my friends Kristen Clark and Kait Mendall are studying in Florence this semester and let us stay on their pull out sofa. I do have to say that their apartment is WAY nicer than mine, it’s right on the Ponte Vecchio! but I’m only slightly bitter ;-) Florence was great but I am glad I live here in Perugia.
First of all there are hoards of tourists everywhere! While I realize I myself am a tourist, it is rather annoying when there are millions of people everywhere all the time. Everything is a little more expensive and a little dirtier than here in Perugia. Of course I’m not saying that I had a bad time, it was GREAT! On the Friday morning after we arrived it was raining so we decided to hit the museums. We got up and got inline to see David (Michelangelo’s famous work if anyone is wondering). He is big and beautiful, as is the rest of the Galleria dell’ Academia. We also did a walk-by of Dante’s house and church. We also visited Santa Croce church, it’s beautiful inside and out and holds the tombs of Galileo, Dante, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. We wrapped up out sight seeing for the day at St. Johns Baptistery. When you fist walk in it seems rather plain and simple and then you look up. The ceiling is ABSOLUTELY beautiful. Having a busy morning inside museums and hotels we decided it would be a good idea to take a break and hit the market. Saturday morning was sunny and beautiful so we decided it was the perfect day to check out the Duomo. Now you can just go in and have a look around, OR you can walk up and down about 500 stairs all the way to the top of the dome. So far I would say this is my favorite thing I have done. The frescos are beautiful beyond words, and the views from the outside the top of the dome are breathtaking.
Since we had gotten to the Duomo before it was actually open, we had some free 
time to just wander the streets of Florence. We saw the Uffizi Gallery, one of the three fake David’s (not nearly as cool) and the Loggia Dei Lanzi (an outdoor sculpture gallery). Once again after a busy morning we headed back to the market, where I spent too much money, but what can you do when you’re in one of the best leather markets in the world? By the end of the day my feet were so sore that we decided to have a nice relaxing evening inside, although we did make our way out to the pub for one birthday drink, HAPPY 20th Kristen! Bulmers Cider Beer is now officially my favorite.We didn’t have a train till late Sunday so we took advantage of our relatively free day by walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo. It is one of the most popular spots in Florence because of the views.
It’s set further outside the main city and sits on top of a hill. You have to make the treck up to see some beautiful scenic views of the whole city. I also really liked being able to see out into the Tuscany countryside away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We ended our sightseeing with a stop at Palazzo Pitti. Inside there are a ton of museums and the Giardino di Boboli (public gardens). Don’t be fooled by the name like we were, the gardens and everything at Palazzo Pitti is kinda expensive so we passed and just enjoyed the architecture. We spent the rest of the day just milling around. There are a lot of cool places, shops, and sites you can find by allowing yourself to just wander. Somewhere in our wanderings we landed up back on the Ponte Vecchio doing a little gold shopping. It’s a world famous spot for quality gold and I have to say someone is getting a very nice Christmas present! This is a picure of me taking a break on the Ponte Vecchio. By the time we picked up our stuff from my friends apartment we were broke, tired and ready to go home! I’m happy to report that as our train pulled into the Perugia station Sunday night we had successfully made it there and back without getting on a single wrong train!
The weather has finally cooled off and I’m ready to start another week!
Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment