My Final Week in Italy

FLORENCE
After leaving Rome I had about a week to do some final traveling around Italy before flying back home to the US. My first stop was Florence to stay with Pepe and his CEA friends and see more of the city. I spent my time with Pepe discovering different parts of the city, having delicious meals, and talking about how Europe has changed us for the better. Some things I wish to bring with me back to the U.S. are the traditions of apertivo (having a drink such as wine in the evening with a snack such as bruschetta, honey and cheese, etc.) and digestivo (grappa or limoncello, drunk after dinner). My time in Italy has also changed me in the way that I am slightly less frugal (I spend a little more now to enjoy myself), I have a better sense of fashion and style and have a nicer wardrobe, and I eat slower in order to savor the flavor of my food. It was nice to have Pepe show me around Florence for several days because it allowed me to get to know the city fairly well. I particularly love the Renaissance architectural style of Florence. The main difference between Florence and Rome is that Rome is a much bigger and busy city with Roman ruins and fountains everywhere. Both places are beautiful however. When I first arrived in Florence from Rome, I stepped outside the train station and saw and heard large flocks or rather swarms of birds that filled the sky till it was nearly black (there were literally thousands of them). I commonly saw large flocks of birds like this near Trastevere and the Tiber River in Rome. I walked a short 10 minutes to the Duomo where Pepe lives and called him. He told me he was getting a cup of coffee but that I should still be able to get into his apartment by buzzing in and telling one of the other CEA students who I was. I met Pepe’s actual roommates , who were about to leave to fill a jug of wine for that night’s Christmas party, so I quickly threw my bags in Pepe’s room and joined them. I saw Pepe on the way to the wine shop and he told me to meet him at the apartment after I and his roommates were done. The shop was interesting because it had large jugs of wine (as big as a huge cauldron) which were tapped with their tubes ending at the bar. We were able to sample our own tapped wine and pick our favorite to fill the jug up, for only 20 euro. We each paid 5 euro, which was a great value considering we were each receiving about one and a half bottles worth of wine each. The girl filling our wine at the bar was extremely friendly and would politely correct our Italian while speaking to her (what a great way to improve our language skills). The wine we chose was Vino Rosso Montepulciano. We headed back to the apartment, had some of the wine for apertivo, and then went to a restaurant where I had ravioli and gnocchi. Pepe showed and explained a bit more of the city to me before we headed back for the Christmas party. The next day we spent most of our time shopping. We went to an open air market where I bought a deck of cards showing different sites in Italy, and I touched the wild boar (which guaranteed my return, similar to tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain in Rome). In another piazza (with medieval buildings and a cathedral) there was a Christmas festival and market where I had some strudel and hot wine. That night we had one of the nicest meals… probably THE nicest meal… while in Italy. I was in a castle restaurant resort in the hills outside Florence and Pepe heard of it from a shop owner he befriended who knew the owner of the restaurant. It was a four course meal with champagne and red wine, fresh (very moist and mushy) mozzarella with meat slices, pasta, pork and potatoes, an assortment of desserts including tiramisu and chocolate with dessert wine, and finally a digestive of grappa, mandarincino, and two different kinds of wine spirits. The next day we slept in, went to Pepe’s school to use the internet, and at night we went ice skating. I did surprisingly better than I thought I would… I didn’t fall once. I can only remember going ice skating once before several years ago and I remember falling frequently and not having much fun. I guess my motor must have developed over the years, and in good fortune to because I had a blast. For dinner at a restaurant I had spaghetti Bolognese. I took my time walking back to Pepe’s to enjoy the sights, especially the view of the Ponte Vecchio from another bridge. Florence and other Italian cities such as Rome are decorated with Christmas lights etc, creating some beautiful sights. The next day I headed to Civita di Bagnoregio, between Florence and Rome.

CIVITA DI BAGNOREGIO (Tuesday)
I am on the train from Orvieto to Florence. It is 6:45 pm. I just was in Bagnoregio to see Civita, and I think it is one of my favorite places in Italy. To visit Bagnoregio I had to take a blue Cotral bus which arrives outside the train station at Orvieto. It is amazing how efficient public transportation is in Europe. You rarely have to wait more than an hour for a train or bus to where you want to go. My bus from Orvieto to Bagnoregio was filled with Italian high school students to the point where I had to stand up at the front of the bus for 15 minutes until enough students got dropped off at their houses and there was a free seat for me. The bus was loud with boys and girls shouting and laughing like any American high school bus would be, but it is interesting to hear only Italian accents and language. When I neared Bagnoregio I could see Civita and it stunned me with its beauty. I looked back at it with awe just like I did with the Colosseum when I first saw arrived in Rome. The bus stopped at an inconspicuous place on a road circling the central area of Bagnoregio. The bus driver gave me some brief directions and I started walking towards Civita. Much of Bagnoregio has medieval style architecture, with large stones around the doorways and plaster on the façade that is faded and worn. The main road on the upper terrace (near the center and bus stop) is lined with medieval style buildings, and I walked down the street to get to Civita. I asked for directions when it looked like I was leaving the main part of the city, took a right down a small road, and eventually when I turned a corner Civita appeared in the distance. I have seen Civita in pictures, but nothing can prepare for the joy you feel when you see it in front of you for the first time. Civita is a small medieval village located on a plateau sticking out in the middle of a valley. There is a small, long bridge that connects Civita to Bagnoregio, and when you first see it you think that you are looking at some sort of fantasy castle which would only exist in a Disney movie. I took some pictures of myself in front of it (gotta love the timer setting on modern digital cameras) and saw a man walking down the bridge and asked him to take a picture of me as well. Now that I am finished with my beginning level Italian class I can speak Italian fairly well and have few problems asking questions and understanding responses in Italian. It was cloudy out but it didn’t detract from the beauty of the moment. The valley and hills surrounding me were lush with green vegetation and Italian homes and farms/vineyards were sprinkled throughout. I finally reached the plateau and entered the main gate of Civita. The small town is an amazing step into a medieval experience, with buildings of the style composing the entire village. Parts of the plateau are gradually eroding, leaving ruins and single facades with nothing but scenery behind them. Once you first enter Civita and look at the facades behind you, the windows above the doors show the sky instead of the inside of a building). Civita is so small that less than 15 locals reside in Civita year long, and they mainly make a living by catering to tourists. I only saw a couple locals during my visit, including a lady in the church at the main square, and I only saw 5 other tourists. It is extremely pleasant to walk in a village with no cars, only a few people around, small plants, and buildings built several hundred years ago. The combined effect made me feel as if I were a medieval villager, and seeing a stray cat meandering around and hearing the bell chime from the church’s tower completed my fantasy/illusion. When I entered the main square it started to rain but it didn’t bother me the slightest bit. I explored every nook and cranny of the village, taking in the rough stone walls and paths and tile roofs. Stairs, facades, and windows were covered with plants and ivy, and I saw many heavy wooden doors with bronze attachments. I especially like the door knockers depicting animals holding the hoops in their mouths, torch/candle holders bolted to the stone walls, and curved metal railings of balconies (which I have seen all over Italy). Near the opposite end of the village I saw a young Italian couple (about my age) taking pictures and saw a rainbow peaking out of the hillside in the distance. I also saw an old small space which must have once served as a stable. The main square is dominated by the church and its tower, and there are a couple other large buildings lining the piazza. There are only one or two main paths running from Civita’s main gate to the end, and all the other side paths have beautiful views of the valley below near the plateau’s edge. There are still inns, restaurants, and especially shops that sell and or serve wine, olive oil, and bruschetta. Virtually all these places were closed, but I saw Rick Steves’ video of when he went into one of them, saw fresh olive oil be pressed, and had bruschetta with olive oil and tomatoes. I first heard of Civita by watching his video. After about an hour of exploring Civita, I decided to start heading back to Bagnoregio in order to catch the last Cotral bus back to Orvieto. While walking down the bridge I was greeted by the sunset ahead of me so I stopped to take a few last photos. I walked back to the bus stop and had some time to spare so I grabbed a café (small strong espresso) at the bar while standing up (the Italian way), grabbed some snack food at a nearby shop, and waited for the bus to arrive at the stop (it came shortly after 17:25). Civita was an incredible experience, and is right up there next to Capri as one of my favorite places in Italy. It find myself to be very happy and peaceful whenever experiencing a small, peaceful town/village without the bustling disturbance of cars or lots of people, walking down peaceful, small paths and every corner I turn being surprised by another amazing site. The scenery of both of my favorite places in Italy (Civita and Capri) is also extraordinary because they provide opportunities to look down at the environment below. There is something about man to want to build high and look down at the world below him and experiencing this phenomenon is one of my greatest passions. My train will arrive in Florence (or Firenze as the Italians say) shortly, where I will visit with Pepe one last night and prepare for my journey to Vicenza tomorrow.

AFTER CIVITA
After I got back to Florence from Civita, I took a picture of the Duomo and the nearby statue of Brunelleschi (the famous Renaissance architect of the dome) and entered Pepe’s apartment where they were having apertivo. After apertivo Pepe and I took a short walk outside to reflect on our journey. Some of us wanted to go out, and after convincing the rest of them that they should (I knew how important it was to live every night up the last week since I already knew it how hard and sad it is to leave everyone and the city your last night), we went into a bar where there was a Beatles cover band playing. We spent the entirety of our time there playing beirut/beer bong (although we were a little rusty since most of us haven’t played for over half a year back at college. The next morning I packed and headed to the train station where Pepe met me (he was there already saying bye to another friend), showed me how to catch the bus to the airport, and we said our final goodbyes in Europe. I caught a train north to Vicenza, known for its famous architect Andrea Palladio, where I would stay at the next 3 nights and also visit Venice (Venezia) the next day.


ARRIVING IN VICENZA
I arrived in Vicenza late at night after a long day’s travel from Florence. I got off at the train station and walked all the way to my hotel, checking the map and directions periodically to make sure I was going the right way. It started drizzling a little bit and was cold outside, so I walked quickly. Vicenza is a pretty small town, and I walked from the southern end of town (where the train station is) to the east and north until I got to my hotel. I was a little wet when I tried to check in, and my reservation wasn’t on the hotel computer so it took a little while before I was able to get my room. Once I got the keys to my room I got settled in and went outside to explore the town at night and find a place to eat. I discovered how to get to the main part of town, looked at a few sights, and found a nice restaurant recommended in my Lonely Planet Guide located a little north of the center of the town. I ordered pasta and enjoyed a basket of various types of bread and a glass of red wine while taking in the ambiance of the restaurant. Then I headed back to my hotel to go to sleep.
I woke up the next morning and walked to the train station with my backpack to go to Venice.


VENICE
As the train approached Venice (Venezia), the strip of land for the train tracks were surrounded by water on either side, so it was somewhat like approaching an island on a road. It was a cloudy and slightly drizzly day unfortunately, but it didn’t take much away from the excitement and atmosphere of Venice. Once I stepped outside of the train station I saw the “Grand Canal,” which is the main canal of Venice and curves through the entire city in an “S” shape. Across the train station, right next to the canal, there were a couple tourist booths where I bought my boarding pass for the taxi ferries which stop at various points along the Grand Canal and other main points of Venice. Rather than boarding a taxi ferry first, I walked to the right along the Canal from the train station and crossed a modern bridge to check it out and get a better feel for the area I was in. The bus station was across the bridge, and I kept walking south and through the city hoping to come to an intersection again of the Grand Canal. I decided to take Rick Steeve’s advice of getting lost on purpose, so that I could see how the Venetians really live without too many tourists ruining the ambiance. There were many small arched bridges to cross the small canals, and small boats docked all along the canals. The city is like Amsterdam except much more compact and smaller canals, creating a busier feel to the city.
I found a taxi ferry stop along the Grand Canal (after working my way around some dead ends along it), and hopped on. I rode it all the way down to the end of the Canal, to St. Marks Square, the main part of the city and the biggest tourist spot. St. Mark is Venice’s city saint, his symbol, the lion, is shown many of the big landmarks of Venice, such as St. Mark’s Basilica, the Clock Tower, and a staute of a lion on a freestanding column next to a similar statue of st. Mark himself in human form, all located in St. Mark’s square. Along the dock of St. Marks Square where I got off the ferry taxi, there numerous gondolas docked next to a “Servizo Gondole” sign and men waiting around for customers. I heard gondola rides were somewhere around 100 euro usually so I didn’t even try to go on one, especially since I had my boarding pass to get myself around, and I thought a gondola ride would be something better to do with a girl. There was a large cathedral on its own island across the canal from the dock. In St. Mark’s square itself there were numerous pidgeons, well known to be part of the scenery in the square. The main building which I came to see was Doge’s Palace, which I learned about in my architectural history class. The Doge was the lord of Venice, and the palace was his residence and the location of government practices. I paid for a tour of it, and walked around its various halls and rooms, and even saw the dungeon and armory rooms, where I saw a chastity belt on display (the first one I’ve seen in my life). The Doge’s Palace is built in the Venetian Gothic style, which is distinct because the Italians have always been very proud people and didn’t want to adopt the Gothic style of the rest of Europe, so they put their own twist on it with more ties to it. The pointy arches is Gothic, but the curvy, ornate designs such as the 4 leaf clover like openings on the second story arcade are definitely unique to the Venetians.
It was getting dark when I left the palace so I walked around more of the city just outside the square and looked for glass shops. Venetian glass is very well known and there are a ridiculous amount of glass shops. I bought a colorful shotglass and a colorful, spiraling wine stopper for a good price after looking in various shops for a bargain. There were Christmas lights up, giving a nice touch the city. I had to go to the bathroom, and ended up going to the same McDonalds just to use the restroom twice that day because finding a restroom was surprisingly hard. I saw another Bavarian styled group of huts selling Christmas trinkets and food, next to a park and nice college building. I walked all around the city, took the ferry and took pictures of famous sites along the Canal, and stopped at a Bar next to the Casa d’Oro (Golden House) to have Sushi with a glass of red wine. I took a picture of the Casa d’Oro across the canal next to the fish market. I also walked on the famous Rinaldo Bridge, the most famous and cherished of the many large bridges crossing the Grand Canal. Earlier I went to another nearby bar for appertivo munched on the food they had there with a glass of wine. Then I took a ferry back to St. Mark’s Square and had a beer at Aurora, a place recommended in my Lonely Planet guide. It was funky with neon lights and paint, and weird posters on the walls. I stayed extra late in Venice because I was only there for the day, so by the time I got on taxi ferry to go home it was already around 11. I enjoyed the views along the canal at the front of the boat, even though it was cold, while heading towards the train station. Apparently Bono from U2 owns one of the buildings along the Grand Canal. I arrived at the train station, made one of the last trains back in the direction towards Vicenza, but missed the last train actually going to Vicenza so I was stuck in town between Venice and Vicenza. They were closing the station for the night and it was very cold outside so I certainly wasn’t going to sleep out there, plus there were bums and other sketchy people outside the train station so I decided that a hotel right next to the train station would be the best idea. It ended up being a decent and cheap stay. I woke up early the next morning and caught one of the first trains back to Vicenza.


VICENZA
I wanted to visit Vicenza partly because I wanted to spend time at a place in Italy that is not very well known but mainly because I wanted to see works by Palladio, specifically the Villa Rotonda, and see where he lived. Palladio is a famous architect, and most of the buildings in Vicenza,Italy and a good portion of Europe are of his "Palladian" style. He used classical motifs, and studied many of the ancient ruins in Rome. He helped to revitalize classical architecture, and was one of the key figures who jump-started the Reniassance, at least for architecture.
My first sight-seeing goal in Vicenza was to see, the “Villa Rotonda.” I learned about the Villa Rotonda in my history of architecture class. It is basically a square plane, symmetrical on both planes (identical every turn of 90 degrees), with a dome on top, and temple styled base and steps up to the entrances on all 4 sides. It is considered among many to be the quintessential Renaissance building. Thomas Jefferson even based the design for his home, Monticello, after it. I bought two tickets for the bus there at a coffee shop next to the stop, boarded the bus, and was surprised that it actually could have been walked to within half an hour. I followed the street up the hill and looked left at the gate of the Villa. The gate was locked, and apparently it was off season for visitors so I was contempt looking at the villa through gate. It was an amazing feeling to see a building for the first time that I learned about and knew how much it had influenced the field of architecture, with I style that I admire. I walked to the right of the street, directly across from the Villa Rotonda and walked up another road lined with stone walls of other villa sights, looking back to see if I could get a better view of the Villa Rotonda. I tried scaling up a wall to get a better view of the villa and take a better picture without trees in my way, but it was wet so I decided it wasn’t worth the effort after a couple tries.
I continued walking north up the road, and passed by another well known villa (mentioned in my Lonely Planet Guide), with Dwarves lining the stone walls. I kept walking further North up the road until it curved and let out onto the main street cars use to get up the hill, providing an awesome lookout over the city. I snapped some photos, sat and admired the view for several minutes, and tried to pick out some of the major monuments of the city. Then I started walking down the hill next to an arcade running downwards with the slope of the hill. I reached one of the main roads I passed when had first arrived, and walked through the park just North of the train station next to the entrance of the center of town. I ate at a popular sizzler-like chain restaurant and had spaghetti, pizza, and a small personal bottle of red wine. I heard the voices of some American girls, and I thought of how I would be hearing English on the regular only a few more days.
After lunch I continued walking around with my Lonely Planet guide and looking at more of Palladio’s buildings. One of his Villas even had an exhibit dedicated to him in it so I spent a couple hours there, learning about him and his work. I learned how he had studied the ancient monuments in Rome, and I saw some of his original drawings/plans. When I left it was starting to get dark, and there were lights strung on the streets (as is common throughout Italian towns because it was around Christmas time). Practically every building of downtown is in the Palladian style, so I enjoyed looking at every building. I walked around for a little longer, had a Spritzer with an appertivo (of olives and chips if I remember correctly), and walked back to my hotel room to sleep.


LAKE COMO
I checked out of my hotel in Vicenza in the morning and walked with my luggage towards the train station, snapping a picture of the triumphal arch dedicated to Palladio along the way. My first train stopped in Milan and I had to wait about 40 minutes for my next train. Milan’s station is extremely nice, with its large semicircular steel frame and glass forming the main part of the station. I spent most my time with the many other waiting passengers guarding my luggage and looking up at the schedule of departures to see what gate my train would be departing. Eventually I boarded the train, and as it approached Como the scenery began to get more mountainous since we were heading towards the Alps. Once I arrived I walked out of the train station and followed my directions to where my hotel was. While out of the train station I thought of how George Clooney had probably been here many times since it is the main train station of the Lake and he lived in one of the many small lakeside towns, Laglio. On my way to the hotel I tried finding an internet point which I read about in my Lonely Planet Guide, but the shop seemed to no longer be there. My hotel was closed temporarily but I read a sign outside its door to talk to someone at the restaurant next door, so I did and waited there while having lunch until the hotel opened up and one of the ladies working at the restaurant gave me my key and showed me to my room. The hotel and restaurant must have been owned by the same person. For lunch I had a sandwich on a French roll and an Augustiner beer, an Oktoberfest beer. I was also given two codes to punch in order to get into the main door of the apartment complex and the door into my particular hall of the complex. The key was just for my particular room. It was a nice room because it was along the front side of the building on the second floor (or first in European standards because they call our first floor zero) and I had a somewhat nice view of the lake. After getting settled in I walked outside to the Lake where I saw many different flocks of birds (ducks pigeons and geese) waddling around and picking up the bread that people were feeding them. Next a walked down a path along the lake with Christmas lights strung above in the tree branches to the main square along the lake where there was an ice rink and stands next to it with people watching the crowded skaters. On the other side of the rink there was a Bavarian styled Christmas festival, with logged huts covered in pine tree branches. I walked more into the center of town (which is the main town of Como, from which Lake Como gets its name) and I found another open air market, although this one just had umbrellas over tables instead of huts. I continued to walk around the center of the city and saw most of the main sites including a couple cathedrals and the old city wall, along the outside of which was a vast market. I also went into a shop recommended by my Lonely Planet guide and bought two nice skinny silk ties (Como is known for its silk). At the end of the night I walked further along the lake to towards the outskirts of the city where there was a ferris wheel (although then closed because it was late), a monument to Alexandra Volta (the Como local who invented the electric battery and who the “volt” is named after I believe), and a fascist style building which was very tall, plain and imposing. I sat on a ledge near the water for a few minutes and enjoyed the tranquility of the silence and the lights gleaming off the dark water, then walked back to hotel and slept.
The next morning (Sunday, December 21st) I woke up at 8:30 AM, took a shower and got ready for the day. Then I went to a nearby bar where I had a cappuccino and a croissant (joined with some other Italians, it’s how we start breakfast) followed by walking down the opposite side of the lake that I walked to the other night (this one was closer to my hotel) to find the train up the mountain. However, I discovered that I walked too far so I back-tracked until I discovered that the small station was in a wooden building. It was actually pretty close to the bar and my hotel. I bought my ticket and boarded the train, and after a few minutes it started heading up. I stopped once momentarily while heading up and then the track eventually split into two as it passed a train heading down. There were no drivers in the trains so it must have been controlled from the station below. The tracks up the mountain were steep and it reminded me of the train ride up to Capri a few months before. When I arrived at the top I got out of the train and saw a breathtaking view of the lake and town below. I walked around a bit for a clear view (with no trees in front of me) to take pictures and saw a band wearing Santa hats and playing Christmas music. The sun was to the south since it was winter and I was at the south of the lake since that is where Como is located, plus I it was morning and I was on the east side of the lake looking west so it was an opportune time to take pictures. I wasn’t able to see any snow on the peeks of mountains from below, but once I got up to the top I could see them north in the distance… beautiful! Eventually I found the actual look-out spot (with coin-activated binoculars). The whole city of Como could be clearly seen below. It was an amazing way to get my bearings with what I had seen the day before (and I’ve already talked about how wonderful it feels to look down at the environment below). I took the train down and went to “Port 2” to buy my ticket for a ferry over to Bellagio but found out it would leave at 2:00 instead of 1:30 so I spent the next half hour meandering around the Christmas stands surrounding the ice-skating rink in the main piazza. I bought a gelato and some almond taffy with pistachios in it. The stands were Bavarian in style (with warm wine served, German food like wurtzel and strudel. The stands were similar to the ones I saw in Florence earlier in the week. I went back to the port and boarded my ferry. Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down “Y.” The lake is huge, so with only a few brief stops at comparatively major towns between the two cities, the total trip took about 50 minutes. Some of the noteworthy sites I saw along the way to Bellagio were the most fancy and expensive hotel of the Lake Como (the lakefront Villa d’Este), George Clooney’s hometown of Laglio, a waterfall, the villa where the ending scene of Casino Royale was filmed (where bond shot the enemy with a sniper rifle), and several awesome views of snowy Alps ahead. It was surprisingly warm today and when I was on the mountain earlier taking pictures I took off my jacket. The skies were clear and beautiful. Bellagio itself definitely lives up to its fame (it’s what the Casino in Vegas is named after). It is a very small, comfy town with few cars, stone steps, beautiful and colorful narrow tall buildings connected to each other and balconies filled with plants sticking out… all of this with the beautiful combination of a terraced/sloped building site and the scenery of the mesmerizing lake and snow capped mountain in the distance… che bello! I only had 2 hours at Bellagio since the last ferry to Como would leave at 5, so I headed north to the very tip of the crutch (the northern most part of Bellagio, since it is located at the crutch of the upside down “Y” shape of the lake). The area is a port with a small park next to it to sit on benches and gaze at the scenery. I walked out to the end of the dock and took pictures… from this point I could see somewhat well down the 3 arms of the “Y,” although the most impressive was the main body of the lake straight ahead to the north of me with the snowy Alps in the distance. After taking in the memorable view, I noticed that the sun was getting low so I headed back to the center of town and explored a little further south. When I only had a little over half an hour before the ferry would arrive, I walked back to the main port. While I waited for the ferry to arrive I watched the sun set. As I was soaking up one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen (pink clouds, glimmering water, snow peaked mountains, a beautiful Italian town and a sole ramp stretched out over the water before me), I contemplated the end of the last new destination that I would explore in my 5 months in Europe… I couldn’t have asked for a better scene for that moment. I boarded the ferry when it shortly arrived, (although I had to quickly buy another ticker because I mistakenly thought that the one I bought back at Como was round-trip). The ferry ride back was also beautiful, with the lights of the different towns shining like stars in the dark and casting wavy reflections on the surface of the lake. I arrived back at Como about 50 minutes later, stopped by my hotel quickly to drop off my bag, and strolled down the lively and festive streets of the city (lit by Christmas lights). I bought a nice white scarf at the outdoor market lining the old city wall. It only cost 5 euro… what a deal! After buying my scarf and walking around a few minutes, I heard the “Last of the Mohicans” theme being played so I followed my ears to find a few Native Americans playing the music. They looked like real Native Americans by blood and were dressed up in Indian outfits. They performed extremely well and the music touched me because I knew I was leaving back home for the US in two short days, so I bought their CD as a token of my appreciation and so I could listen to it when I got back home. I ended the night with an apertivo at a bar crowded with locals. I had a glass of vino rosso (red wine) with an assortment of snacks, including black and green olives, fruit, thin and small pizza slices, and bread with choices of spread. I walked down a couple more streets and peaked into some shops, then went back to my hotel. I am spending the last hours of my night writing my experiences down. Tomorrow I will head back to Florence… it will be my last day in Europe!

SOME OF MY THOUGHTS
I have mixed feelings about going home, but overall I feel content with what I have seen. I would still like to see San Gimignano, see Pompeii and Capri again, and see the only town of Cinque Terre I missed (Vernazza). However, these are all reasons for me to come back to Italy! After travelling around Europe and living in Italy for a while, I have become used to seeing new and amazing sites… it just doesn’t have quite the same effect as when I first arrived and started exploring. I am looking forward to coming back home, seeing my family and sharing with them all that I have seen and learned, and to see just how much I have really changed (since I have heard, somewhat experienced from my short time in Scandinavia 4 years ago, and believe that the greatest culture shock I will experience is when I come back. I don’t feel as if I need to come back… I don’t feel the slightest bit homesick and haven’t this entire time, but it is for the best in order to keep progressing with my schooling and other goals. It will also be fun to experience the transition in America first hand when Barack Obama becomes President. I wish I could have been there on election night but it was also amazing to experience the overnight change of Europeans’ perspectives of Americans for the better. I am not looking forward to working hard again, and not having much free time or opportunities to explore new places, but nothing in life is easy. I’ve had an amazing time but it’s time for me to get back to work again… and I can look forward to more European trips like this in the future, just not perhaps as long as my 5 month experience that I am about to end. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study abroad, especially in a country as beautiful and as majestic as Italy. It is amazing to look at a map of Italy now and to think of how I’ve been to most of its main attractions and most of Rome’s as well! I know that I will miss cobblestone streets, gelato and thin, delicious pizza available everywhere, al-fresco dining with tables filling streets, exploring amazing Roman ruins, hearing a multitude of different languages that I can’t understand, seeing everyone around me dressed nice every day, being able to visit some place nearby filled with history and/or art, being able to go into just about any bar in the early night and have apertivo, many little things including using euro instead of dollars and round prongs instead of flat ones in outlets, using a clothesline instead of a dry to dry my clothes, and seeing Italians break petty laws that Americans would usually follow (such as J-walking, parking on curbs, etc). Perhaps what I will miss most besides the beauty and architecture of Italy is the feeling of being free and able to go on a journey and explore someplace new without the worry of too much schoolwork holding me down. The things I want to take from Italy back home are a new sense of pride in dressing nice, slowing down to enjoy my food and the scenery, learning how to cook delicious Italian meals, and partaking occasionally in Italian routines and traditions, such as apertivo, breakfasts of cappuccino/café with a cornetto, digestif, and taking my time to enjoy my meals. I will miss paying for something and not having to worry about the tax or tip, and will at first be slightly annoyed at waiters bothering me to see if everything is alright instead of leaving me alone until I let them know I want something =). Truthfully, it hasn’t really hit me yet that my time abroad is over. I see myself coming back soon. Overall, I would still choose to live in California because it has the best climate in the world in my opinion and has a lot to offer. What I love about Italy (the sights, food, etc.) gets dull after living there awhile. The grass is always greener on the other side, so why not build a gate in the fence and visit the other side once in a while =). Alora, it’s been amazing Italy, thanks for a wonderful journey that I will remember for a lifetime!

BACK TO FLORENCE FOR MY LAST DAY IN ITALY
I woke up early, checked out of my hotel, and walked back to the train station to catch a ride back to Florence. On my way to the station I snapped a photo of a statue of Alexandra Volta. When the train finally arrived in Florence, I walked to the hostel that I was planning on staying at but saw that it was closed, so I went to a nearby internet point and used a computer there to find another place to stay. I found a nice place just a block away, and when I checked in it turned out that the place I would stay was actually an apartment right next to the train station, which is where I needed to be the next day in order to catch a bus to the airport. It was a nice place and cheap… even nicer than my apartment in Cinque Terre, but I like having apartments to stay in… it makes for a pleasant experience. After getting quickly settled in I headed for Michelangelo’s point… I wanted to see all of Florence during sunset. Along the way I took pictures of Palazoo Vecchio, my favorite building in Florence, and the statues of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci along the path of the Uffizi Gallery. I eventually made it to the top of Michelangelo’s point and saw an amazing sunset… just like the night before at Lake Como but overlooking the city of Florence… it was truly and unforgettable experience and a perfect symbolism for the end of my journey. I could see the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio dominating the skyline of the city, against a backdrop of pink sky. I took a picture of a copy of the statue of David, which was there since Michelangelo’s Point is clearly a place dedicated to the artist. Another copy of the David stands outside the Palazzo Vecchio where the original once stood, and the original itself is now inside the Academia museum. I walked back down and walked back into the center of the city to do some last minute souvenir shopping and a place to eat, while enjoying the scenery around me. I bought some Marzipan (a sweat, marshmallow-like candy that is glazed on the outside and tough) for Jon because he wanted to serve the family it for Christmas, and I bought a nice p-coat like all the other Italians wear. I dropped off my bags at my apartment and walked towards the Palazzo Pitti area (past the Ponte Vecchio) where I heard there were many nice restaurants. I found a place that looked good along a piazza and went in. I ordered one of the best meals I had: gnocchi with tomatoes and in a sauce topped with parmesan cheese, a side of bread with oil and vinegar, red table wine and a bottle of water. I spent another hour or so walking around Florence and taking some last pictures of sights, including the Ponte Vecchio, a statue of Machiavelli along the path of the Uffizi Gallery, some statues in an open covered area outside the academia , the door of the baptistery of the Duomo, and the Duomo itself. As I walked away from Point Vecchio and Duomo for the last time I looked back at them several times, knowing that they were the last main sites I would see in Europe. When I got back to the apartment I met the only other person staying there for the night, about a 30 year old man who was living there for a couple of months while writing a book on a new philosophical perspective he wanted people to know about. We talked about philosophy for a little bit and then I went to sleep. The next morning I woke up early, bought a ticket for the bus to the airport at the train station, and waited for it to arrive outside. It was nice that the train station was only a minute walk down the street from where I spent the night. The bus came and I arrived at the Florence airport about a little less than 2 hours before my flight. I checked my bags and went through the security checkpoint, and then bought some wine, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to bring home and show my family. I had a window seat while flying to the next airport Frankfurt (and had window seats for the other 2 flights back to San Francisco luckily) so I had a nice view of the Alps while flying over them so I took pictures. I had to pick up my tickets to Chicago at the check in desk and had to go through security again, but the wine, olive oil and balsamic vinegar that I bought was allowed to go through even though it had the duty free wrapping and tape on it, so I bought a small suitcase and checked it in. When we arrived in Chicago it was snowy. I had to recheck in my luggage and when I took my wine bag off from the luggage claim and opened it up I noticed that one of the wine bottles had broken. The suitcase was soaking so I threw it away (oh well, at least it wasn’t too expensive) but everything else I bought was ok so I packed it into my 2 original check in bags and went to the check in desk area of the airport. At the security point where they check incoming international passengers they had a new technology where they scan the fingerprints of non U.S. citizens and take mug shots of them. At the check in area the lines were huge because of the bad weather, plus it was the night before Christmas Eve, and the Chicago O’hair even made national news (I saw a CNN camera there and my family told me that they saw it on the news). The lines were extremely long, over an hour wait, so I missed my plane and slept on one of the cots that the airport provided for the many people who missed their flights. I was able to get on the first standby flight the next day (scheduled for around 10 AM but really leaving over an hour later), and the snow had started to clear up as well. As I approached SFO I had a great view of the Bay Area… it was nice to see it again. I landed at SFO and when I exited the terminal Jon and my Dad were there to meet me. It didn’t feel too weird to see them again, and I didn’t experience much shock. Mainly I was excited to see my family again and enjoy the winter break. When we drove back to my house I saw the rest of my family. I caught up with them and enjoyed our usual Christmas Eve traditions, then eventually went to sleep because I was somewhat jet lagged and didn’t sleep much the night before. I was finally home.