Oh what a wonderful world...

This weekend was fantastic. Friday night a group of us from the ACM headed to a local bar called The Joshua Tree. It had a really relaxed atmosphere and the bartenders were hysterical. It was a good way to unwind after the first week of Italian class.

Saturday began bright and early at 8:00am with a trip to Cinque Terre. It's about 2 1/2 hours northeast of Florence on the coast of the Ligurian Sea. Cinque Terre, which means "5 villages", is probably the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. We took a 45 minute hike along the Via dell'Amore to get from Manarola to Verannza. Along the Via dell'Amore, we came across a guy playing his accordian. So as we strolled, we heard "What a Wonderful World." We didn't have much time to explore Manarola, but the walk to Veranzza made up for it. The weather was perfect. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot. The breeze off the sea was refreshing. While in Veranzza, we went swimming in the sea. We ended our time in Cinque Terre with a stop at the local gelateria. Yum!

Sunday, then, we went to Fiesole. It is a little town just outside of Florence up in the hills. There is so much history in that small town. It has both Etruscan and Roman roots. We went with one of the professors, Ed Burke, and his wife Maureen. They took us to the see the Roman ruins which included 3 Roman baths, the foundation of a Roman temple, and an amphitheater. I loved getting to explore. Ed could answer just about every question we could come up with. Studying history first hand is so much better than simply reading it in a book. While in Fiesole, we also went up to the church San Francesco. It had a gorgeous view of the city, but the hike up the hill was a killer. I felt like such a wimp climbing up it. In the end it was totally worth it. On the way back down, we met a jewelry vendor who is in Fiesole everyday. He makes all his own pieces for fairly cheap. The were very funky and fun. I got a sweet ring for Euro 2,50. I want to go back up there to get some other pieces.

This coming weekend we are heading to the beach again after a day trip to Pisa! :)