Day Trip to Siena

This Friday I took a day trip to Siena. It was a short bus ride from Florence, and the scenery through Tuscany was beautiful, even in January! Visiting Siena was a nice change from the bustle of Florence- it has smaller streets, more hills, and very few cars. The major sights include: Il Campo, the sight of the famous Palio horse race, and the ornate gothic Duomo. The church was never completed, so visitors can enjoy a great view of the city by climbing to the top of the unfinished nave.

Daily Life in Firenze

Now that I am falling into a schedule of classes, the next task is to plan trips! Since I am fortunate enough not to have class on Fridays, I get a three day weekend, every weekend! This weekend, I plan to travel to Siena by bus and get a taste of the Tuscan countryside.

Arrival

Well, after being delayed in Chicago, and missing my flight into Italy, I finally arrived in Florence, or "Firenze" as it is said in Italian.

I live in a cozy apartment with three other students on Via dei Rustici, very near to the famous Santa Croce. It is small, but warm, and complete with all the necessary amenities, except a dryer; however, since electricity is much more expensive in Italy, few people have them.

This past week here has been a blur of intensive Italian language classes, orientation sessions, sightseeing, and cooking. A highlight so far was definitly eating gellato as I admired the view of the city from the Piazza Michelangelo.

This week I have started the rest of my classes, so I am attempting to become accostomed to a new schedule as well as the new culture.