Arrivederci a Firenze!

Our last day in Florence has been a full one. We started out at the Uffizi, took a break for lunch, and then visited David in the Accademia. Then some of us went to the Archaeological Museum to visit some fantastic Greek, Roman, and (especially) Etruscan antiquities, while others went to see the Bronzino exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi.

The day was somewhat marred by the fact that three students (who shall, so that their crime shall not be attributed to them) purchased ice cream from a Ben and Jerry's store right in front of the Duomo. Now, there's nothing wrong with Ben and Jerry's--I'm a fan of Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream, myself--but when one is in Italy, one should not eat at Ben and Jerry's. One should only eat gelato. I will take suggestions here for appropriate punishment for this horrible infraction.

We depart early tomorrow morning for Venice, where the weather (according to the forecast) will be clear but cold. We have enjoyed beyond words our stay at the Hotel Bellettini. For anyone looking for a clean, comfortable, friendly, affordable, well-located hotel in Florence, you could do a whole lot worse than the Hotel Bellettini. A big shout out to Elton whose hospitality knows no limits, and to all the other friendly staff here who have let us take over their lobby, and who have plied us with free hot chocolate and fantastic restaurant recommendations. Here's hoping that our hotel in Venice is as hospitable as the Hotel Bellettini!

A dopo.....

A cold and rainy and, did I mention, cold day.

Many of the students have been keeping you updated about our doings, kind blog readers, so there's little for me to say but to confirm that we've been having a fantastic (and busy!) time. Today was the first free day and we scattered to the four winds. People went to Bologna, Siena, Cortona, San Gimignano, Arezzo, and Perugia. Everyone encountered cold today, but some had some sun. They all had adventures, and I'll let them tell you about them in more detail. Amy and I went to Bologna, and despite the cold there, enjoyed a few hours in the city. It was crowded with Christmas shoppers, for the most part, but we visited the medieval museum, the Archiginnasio (site of the original university) and Duomo.

Tomorrow there is interest in going off to Pisa, and if the weather turns a bit warmer, maybe we shall venture up to Fiesole--a hill town just outside of Florence--that promises fantastic views of the surrounding countryside.

Check out my pictures, linked on the top of the left column of the blog. These are just mine--somehow I'll figure out how to get some of the students' pictures up here as well.

Ciao!

Our first full day in Rome...and a full day it was!!!

We're at the end of our first full day in Rome, and a full day it was! It started with an early morning metro ride to the Vatican Museums, where we spent a fantastic few hours: we had the Sistine Chapel pretty much to ourselves (though the overcast skies made it not as bright inside as we would have liked), and then wandered in and out of the Raphael Rooms, the collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary, and the hall of tapestries. We ambled over to St Peter's square and went inside the Basilica. We climbed the many hundreds of steps to the dome of St Peter's for amazing views of the (wet!!) city below. After lunch, we walked across the Ponte Saint Angelo and took in the Christmas market at the Piazza Navona, saw the Pantheon, the amazing ceilings at San Ignatio, threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, climbed the steps of the Quirinale Hill to see the residence of the President of Italy, took a brief rest at the hotel before heading over to the Spanish Steps....and all this before dinner!

Take a look at the pictures (link on the left hand side of the blog) for some evidence of what we were up to!

Tomorrow, we head off to Assisi for a few hours before laying our heads at our hotel in Florence. It probably will be a day or two before we have reliable internet access again, so enjoy the pictures in our absence. And thanks to the Hotel Aberdeen in Rome for free wifi! If you're ever in Rome, do consider staying at the Hotel Aberdeen!

Ciao a tutti and buona notte!