The Du-WHOA-mo

I’m back at school after an eventful weekend! First off, my bag FINALLY arrived on Wednesday afternoon. Phew! I was starting to get nervous, but once it arrived I could focus on my weekend plans! Friday after class me and my friends took a bus to Florence, and I fell in love. I thought Venice was nice, but I was amazed when I saw how beautiful Florence was! It’s in the middle of Tuscany, and the drive to get there was so amazing with little towns all through the hilly valleys along the highway. The town is so clean and all the streets and sidewalks are cobblestone, it’s actually pretty cool! Friday night, we went to an Irish pub called The Lion’s Fountain. It’s an American bar that has all the college t-shirts pinned to the ceiling, and you sign your shirt when you go! It was really cool to sign the Iowa shirt and be a permanent part of Hawkeye history in Florence.

Saturday morning we got up early and took a trip to Cinque Terre with the group Walkabout Florence. It was INCREDIBLE. Cinque Terre is such a unique and beautiful place tucked away in the mountain coast of the Mediterranean, and it literally means “Five Lands”. It’s made up of five little towns that go up through the mountains (in order): Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. Our trip was a tour through all the towns, including an hour and a half hike from Corniglia to Vernazza through the rocky mountain terrain. The weather has been cold and rainy, so we were nervous when we left Florence in the pouring rain at 50 degrees. Thankfully, when we got to Cinque Terre it cleared up and got a little warmer! It only rained on our way up 33 flights of stairs from Manarola to Corniglia. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Ristorante Cecio in Corniglia where the owner hand makes pesto sauce from the fresh ingredients grown in Cinque Terre. Hands down, BEST PESTO I’VE EVER HAD. It was unbelievable how fresh ingredients make such a huge difference in taste!! We also got a seafood platter that had different types of fresh fish from the Mediterranean that was delicious as well. We continued through the rest of the towns, of course taking tons of pictures along the way. It’s hard to believe the towns were built up  hundreds of years ago and are still thriving today! I highly recommend going there for a great beach trip (if it’s warm, of course)!

Sunday we dedicated our last few hours to explore the rest of Florence. We spent some time (and a whole lot of money) in the market place where they sell tons of leather products, scarfs, purses, and jewelry. Everyone tries to give you a deal, it was so hard to resist! We were going to go see The Statue of David, but when we got there the line was wrapped around the entire building! We didn’t have much time, so we decided to skip out on that one. We did, however, make it to The Duomo. All I can say is WOW. What an incredibly beautiful piece of history and architecture. The detailing on the entire outside of the building is so ornate and precise, I can’t believe someone did all of that without tools! It’s so massive and breathtaking, it will definitely cause a few minutes of staring with your mouth hanging wide open. The inside, of course, is just as beautiful and detailed. The mural ceiling is absolutely amazing and it just shows how much hard work and love went in to creating that entire building. We also went up the bell tower to the very top (414 steps to be exact) for a gorgeous view of all of Florence!

So far, Florence has been my favorite part of my entire experience here in Italy. It’s a much more modernized city, but it’s old architecture and cobblestone streets maintain it’s historic feel. The people were so nice and I really enjoyed everything we did! I’m ESPECIALLY excited for this weekend though because I’m going to the Amalfi Coast! It’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of the Italian coast on the Mediterranean Sea. We are taking a tour that goes to the island of Capri, Positano, and Pompeii and takes us on a private boat tour to go to the Blue Grotto cave and cliff jumping. I can’t wait!! I feel like I have grown so much as an individual already, it’s hard to believe I’ve only been here for a week and a half! 3 more to go!

Ciao!