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I AM HOME! 


Finally home after a solid 3 day delay! Nothing beats being home. 

December 20th

Ciao famiglia! Unfortunately I will not be arriving in i Stati Uniti until Monday. Italy got 5 inches of snow last night and are so very poorly inefficient with handling these situations so as a solution, they close every major airport. Sadly I can't get on a flight until Monday. Everything possible that could go wrong has gone wrong and this ragazza needs a nap. Ci vediamo il Lunedi!

Anticipation

This past weekend, our last full weekend(!), we went out for a nice dinner at Napoleone. Delish and they had the most gorgeous waiters! Best combination ever. Firenze is decorated marvelously in Christmas attire. So many sparkles it's hard to pay attention to everything. It is unreal to think I will be back by the end of this week. I am anticipating the snow a little too much!! A presto!

Napoleone

Hanging out by the Duomo

My favorite girl.

Finals Week

Starting to get antsy with all of the work that has bombarded me. Finally I have projects due and presentations to perform. Yikes. I hate to say it but I will be extraordinarily happy once this week is over (tomorrow!). I thought it would never come. In one week, all classes and finals, for me, will be over! Then I will have a few days to regroup and enjoy the last bits of Firenze and Sesto! 

Just a sneak peak at my painting book!

Getting carried away in the studio

Italian Christmas...A Little Bit of Home

The villa got a Christmas tree and we decorated it with all sorts of goodies. Only one broken ornament so far. Alita and I have been laying under the tree anticipating the holidays. Only 13 more days left!

Sicilia

Over Thanksgiving, we went to Trapani in Sicily. Unfortunately it was in the off season so there wasn't a whole lot to do. We did however bring our own fun and still had a great time! The ocean and the sky were so calm and peaceful it was a good reminder of appreciation for this trip, for this life. For Thanksgiving, I was thankful for my family, my great new friends, my great old friends, this trip, and for growing into more than I thought I would. 

Alita, just hanging out in a tree

Went to an Irish pub with my great friends

Unreal.

Vado a Poggio a Caiano

We had an optional day trip to Poggio a Caiano (19/11), a Medici villa, and a wine/olive oil making farm. It was a bit rainy but I immersed myself in the Tuscan landscape. We went to a still life museum in Poggio a Caiano (the villa where Cosimo I di Medici and Eleonora di Toledo were married). After the villa we went to an extremely old wine cellar...they had wine from 1925! So crazy. We got to sample warm bread with delish olive oil (yes, I'm bringing some back) and wine (yes, I'm also bringing that home). It was a great day.

Medici Villa at Poggio a Caiano

Another Medici hunting villa

Wine cellar tour

Grapes used for Vin Santo

Sampling!

Romaaaaaaa

The whole villa took a trip to Rome (11-13/11). We went to the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Vatican and St. Peters. Just a whole mess of places. Rome was one of my top five favorite cities. So much history in one city, one can barely know it all. We went out for dinner both nights and scoped out the nightlife. This trip is definitely worth talking about when I get home! Only 20 more days from this post!

Not Constantin but Marcus Aurelius

Romulus and Remus doin' their thing

Site of the burning of Caesar

In pure bliss

Carol and I

Colosseum

Inside the most glorious building

St. Peters and the Vatican

Alita, the Ascension and I

The School of Athens--Raphael

Inside St. Peters

Michelangelo's Pieta

Lacoon and his Sons

Dead things

Trevi Fountain!

We will be back

Me, Boomer, Alita, Matt at the Trevi

Laura, Alita and I at the Ice Bar

Munchin'

Pantheon

Final resting place of Raphael