Spannochia and Florence

The Duomo in Florence

Julia, me, Kylie, Laura, and Ellen in front of the Duomo...

Me on top of the Duomo in Florence (430 steps up. Whew!).

MOM I GOT A PICTURE OF DAVID'S PERFECTLY CHISELED REAR. JUST FOR YOU!

View from the Uffizi Galeery's window

Farmer's Market we stumbled upon

Ellen and Laura in Siena

The salting room

Desiree and Laura foraging for chestnuts!

Ellen and I at the Monastery

A Cinque Sinese pig!!!!!!!!!!! Delicious prosciutto :(

The old villa we stayed in

Carmen showing us the garden. She was so cute!!

Desiree warming up her olive oil at the tasting

Me at the Castle "only know to God"

Last week our class took a trip to Tuscany and spent 5 days on a farm. Instead of having class, we went on tours of the farm which taught me more than anything a classroom is capable of. Included in the tours, we got to taste cured meats, honey, wine and olive oil and then eat 4 course meals that were made with food fresh out of the garden. On our free time we were able to hike to a castle that was "only known to God" and ruins of a monastery that burned down hundreds of years ago. Me and my friends Desiree and Laura spent 2 hours foraging for chestnuts that we are going to shuck and make chestnut flour out of this week. The following weekend 8 of us went to Siena and Florence. Siena was a day trip so we mainly wandered around the city, had lunch and went into the Duomo, which is the most spectacular Renaissance cathedral I have seen yet. In Florence, we went to see Michaelangelo's "David" at the Accademia, Botticelli's "Spring" at the Uffizi, we climbed the Duomo and went to all of the open air markets we could fit in. Busy busy busy but in the best way possible!

The Best Weekend Yet!

This weekend was by far the best weekend I have had yet in Italy! Friday, my roommate Desiree and I took off for the Amalfi Coast. We stayed in Sorrento, which is a small coastal town on the Mediterranean Sea. Sorrento is where Saint Antonio was buried, so I dedicate this weekend to Grandma Tank. Friday night we had an amazing dinner in a small fishermen village where we found a boat builder (the old man in the picture is what I imagine Conor to be like 50 years from now haha kidding.. kind of). The next day, we hopped on a public bus that drove all along the coast and lucked out with an absolutely beautiful day. We stopped in Positano and Amalfi where we wandered around the quiet streets, since tourist season is officially over. We even ran into a man making his own paper in a quiet artisanal shop. Sunday we went to a lemon orchard and tasted some limoncello (not a fan) and then headed off to Pompei (the city that was buried in ash from a volcanic eruption for over 1500 years and was refound in the 1700's). This archeological site was 100% mind blowing. The houses were decorated in mosaic tiles and beautiful paintings that put modern art to shame. I will post more pictures soon, but I am off to a farm in Tuscany for the week with class and then Florence next weekend!