If you’ve been consistently reading this blog, you’ve probably noticed by now that I typically only talk about my weekends. That’s honestly because during the week I don’t do much other than go to class, do homework, hang out with my roommates, and cook. Weekdays here are pretty much the same as they are at home. I have homework and studying to do, just like at home, and I’ve been applying to internships and interviewing, which takes up a decent amount of time too. So the weekends are really the most interesting part of my time here.
Two weekends ago, I went on a school-organized trip to Tuscany. We went to Pisa, Florence, and a vineyard in Siena. Tuscany is a region of Italy north of Rome, and it’s absolutely beautiful. We got on a bus at school super early on Friday morning, so that we could spend most of Friday in Pisa.
Pisa’s a great place to spend a day. We started our afternoon with a guided tour of the town for about an hour and a half, and then we had a few hours of free time. Obviously we took our touristy pictures holding up the Leaning Tower, and then we grabbed sandwiches and gelato and ate out on the grass. It was nice and relaxing, the weather was beautiful, and the views were incredible.
On Saturday, we spent the day in Florence. Florence is an amazingly beautiful city, and I wish we could have spent the entire weekend there. We started with another guided tour, which was great. We got to see so much of the city, and we saw things I never would have thought to look for, like Dante’s house. The one thing that you absolutely have to do if you go to Florence is to climb the Duomo. The views from the top are breathtaking. We also saw the David, Michelangelo’s famous statue, and the Ponte Vecchio, which is also incredibly beautiful.
On the way home on Sunday, we stopped at a vineyard in Siena. We started our tour with a cooking lesson, where we learned to make homemade pasta. It was a lot of fun and I’m excited to (try to) make it for my family when I get home! Then we took a tour of the vineyard and learned about how they make wine. We had a wine tasting, which was great, and I sent a few bottles home to my parents for us to have when I get home. We had an amazing 5-course lunch, and then we got on the bus and headed home.
It was a great and super busy weekend, and I’m so glad I got to see more of Italy! I’m really excited, because during BC spring break, my boyfriend is coming to visit! I’m excited to show him around Rome and spend time with him; it’s a nice way to break up my time here and make home seem a bit closer. Check back next week for another article!