Sienna

In my contemporary Italy class, we have been learning about the PALIO... which is a century old tradition in Sienna. It is a horse race that takes place two times every summer. It is rich in tradition and history. The town is divided into Contrade, which are teams and are determined by where a person is born.... elephants, unicorns, eagle...The piazza where the race is held is amazing with the campanile and cafes surrounding it. We also saw the basilica of st. catherine... and inside her head!!

It was really interesting. We visited a museum of the palio and saw uniforms worn by the jockeys, banners, and pictures of past winners. The race only lasts one and a half minutes... but preparation starts months before. I had lunch in the square while watching students meet by the fountain and admiring the beatiful architecture! ... the lasagna was amzing too :) I really had a good time with my class!! Sienna was beautiful!!

Orvieto

Orvieto is a beautiful town close to Perugia. We took a fenicula to the center of town and were dropped off in a garden overlooking the region.

The view was incredible and we saw an etruscan well and door to the city. We finally had a sunny day without rain, which made it even better.

The duomo of Orvieto is breathtaking... very colorful and large. It was built over the course of three centuries resulting in a mix of architectural design. As the sunset, all the colors of the basilica were brightly illuminated. Not far from the church, we walked through the medieval quarter and saw many little streets filled with small churches and stores. Near the medieval quarter, was another point of view... which was phenomenal! Olive trees, grapes, lavendar, beautiful houses stretched out for miles. We couldn't get enough!! Later that day, we had a nice dinner and had a cafe at a pretty bar near the duomo...

Orvieto is a beautiful place!! It was a really nice day : )

Carnivale- VeNEZia, Italia

Feb 1, 2008

With luggage and cappucino in hand, we headed to Perugia's train station at 5:30 AM..... The promise of more coffee and carnivale masks keeping us going....

We arrived in Venice around noon and immediately fell in love with the city. The mist made our trip down the Grand Canal MAGICaL.... nearing St.Mark's Square masked figures appeared dressed in lavish costumes with feathers, glitter, jewels....confetti covering the ground and filling the air.

It did not seem real! Even babies and dogs were dressed up in fancy costumes!! A huge stage was set up facing St. Mark's Basilica where people gathered to dance and drink Bellini. The Theme of Carnivale was Sensations... so each area of Venice was a different sense....

tonya,kate,olga,shanel,nicoledanielle,erica,nicole olga, danielle

On Friday, we walked around taking lots of pictures! We walked to the Rialto Bridge, where we spent a lot of time at a market nearby. We grabbed fresh fruit for lunch and had fun looking at all the MIRANO glass, leather purses, scarfs, and masks. That night, we ate at a restaurant at the base of the bridge along the grand canal. It was a beautiful place and the seafood was amazing! After dinner, we went back to St. Mark's Square where we watched an acrobat show!

Saturday we again made our way through the winding streets of Venice..... doing some shopping... getting cappucino... and enjoying the beautiful city. WE all had fun wearing our masks around town!! Saturday night, St. Mark's was completely full of people dancing and singing... we had so much fun!! The piazza was lit up different colors...St.Mark's was PINK... and lights were hung through all the streets!!

Carnivale is something we will never forget!!!

olga,danielle,confetti:)

PeRugiA- My mEdiEvAL ciTy

Jan. 4, 2008

After months of applications, meetings, packing, saying goodbyes, 9 hours of flying, one last starbucks, lugging lots of [broken] luggage from one gate to another, and wishing the dollar wasn't so weak, we finally made it to

PeRUGIA......

My three roommates and I were driven to our apartment in a very small van with our very own 'tour guide' who didn't speak any english...... driving by the Etruscan Arch, University for Foreigners, Gelaterias.....

Carrying luggage up three flights of stairs, not made for our big luggage, was very interesting! Our apartment is very Italian, with a tiny kitchen, and two very small bathrooms, garden, low ceilings.... My Roommates, Nicole, Erica, and Casey are all really nice! I share a double with NIcolE, and we have had a blast so far. She is from the Virgin Islands and attends Vilanova University. Casey and Eric both attend Elon University in North Carolina.

My apartment is on Corso Garibaldi, which is a main street in Perugia. At one end is the etruscan arch[which we walk under everyday to go to class] and

L'Universita per Stranieri and the other la porta di Sant Angelo [which has a beautiful view from the top!].



Our first week, my roommates and I went to a pizza place nearby where we had a meter of pizza with a free bottle of wine! We've never had such a big... or tasty pizza.
Intensive Italian classes kept us very busy this first week as did getting to know our way around Perugia. We found the Mercato Aperto, which sells purses, clothes, and antiques and has the best view of the city..... Cappucino at Lavazza, tortellone at Cafe Concerto, the best panini at Parma, Free WiFi at Coffee Break, meeting at la fontana maggiore on the steps [le scale], Grocery Shopping at Margerita, Bata Shoe Store, cioccolato caldo and live music at Cafe Morlachi... .and fabulous shopping all along Corso Vanucci......


Week two, classes began. I am taking Roman Empire, Italian, Leonardo DaVinci, and Italian Culture and Society. Classes are held in three different buildings that are scattered around the city center. Giampiero discusses the Roman Empire in broken english, often pausing to say 'Allora Ragazzi' and 'How you say.....' . He is a lot of fun and a good teacher. The first day of Leonardo DaVinci, we were all asked if we had read or seen Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. Afer the majority of the class raised their hands our professor, with a straight face and serious voice, said 'Get Out. You have offended me, my country, and the pope'. : )


Speaking Italian in class and with friends has been fun and we try to only speak Italian together..... Every wednesday "Tandem" takes place in the evening, where we have to chace to talk with Italian students. The first week, we had a nice dinner at Eden with our new Italian friends! This will be a great way to learn Italian...

It has been a lot of fun getting to know other kids in the program!! My favorites so far being Liz, from NYC attends Fordham University.... Hannah, from Denver attends CU..... Shanel, Arcadia University... Damien, Elon University.... Jeff, Penn State....Tanya, Arcadia University.... Olga, Univ. Pittsburg....Chris, Penn State....Dana, Penn State.... etc. : )

Ciao Ciao....