Our last group dinner on Thursday night was amazing. The villa staff cooked us home-style food, including mashed potatoes, pasta with meat sauce, and fried vegetables. Since Dana’s 21st birthday was the next day, we celebrated with cake, champagne, and a frozen, alcoholic, Italian treat. At the end of our meal, Curt and Cynthia talked about how much they enjoyed the trip, and then everyone hung around for at least an hour just to chat. Mallory and I gathered our luggage and were driven to the train station at 10:30. We got to the station and eventually figured out that our [View Full Entry]

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We were served breakfast from 8 to 9 this morning. At 9:45 our group departed and walked down the hill to catch a public bus to the Perugia city central. After a transfer, we got off and took the mini metro the rest of the way. As a group we went to a contemporary art exhibit called, "DaCOROT aPICASSO daFATTORI a DE PISIS." There were several paintings I loved, including a Manet and a Van Gogh. It was a great museum to end the trip with. Once we got through, Dana, Mallory, Courtney, Jessica K, and I went and got a [View Full Entry]

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We had an early breakfast and by 8:30 we walked out of the Florence hostel for the last time. We walked a few blocks, with all of our luggage, to get on a charter bus. Then we made the 2 hour drive to Perugia. Our first stop was the Nestle Chocolate Factory. We had a guided tour of the facility, and snagged some free chocolate. Although brands such as KitKat are made there, there are also some local brands as well. I plan to bring some samples home. After the tour we got back on the bus and drove for about [View Full Entry]

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Last night we went to eat at The Cat and the Wolf for our fourth time. I will never forget the bread there, or the steak… amazing. I woke up around 8 this morning. After breakfast we had a little gathering to show our art work from the past few weeks. We set all of our work out on a long table, and spent time walking around it to look at various sketchbooks and pictures. The rest of the day was set aside for any last minute things we needed to do in Florence. At 10:30 Dana and I headed to [View Full Entry]

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After breakfast we had our 9am meeting. Our instructors gave us free time for the majority of the day. I spent my first few hours getting my notebook together. At 11:30 we left the hostel and went to get some lunch before meeting up with the group at 1. At 1:20 our group took a bus up the hillside to see an ancient ruins site and museum. It was so cold today, so I was back to the hostel soon after. The high was probably only 60 degrees. I have not felt very well today. Everything is beginning to catch up [View Full Entry]

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I slept in until 9:45 this morning and looked outside to see more clouds. Dana and I went to the Magi Market to get some fruit and yogurt for breakfast. By 11:30 we left the hostel, and went to a few Sunday markets. We also stopped by the train station to see about getting a refund for two of the days on our train pass. After eating a panini for lunch, we decided to go see the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum. Casey, Dana, and I saw shoes Marilyn Monroe wore, and the shoe fittings for Drew Barrymore, Henry Ford's wife, and Audrey [View Full Entry]

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I slept in until 9:30 today!!! I can't say today was too exciting though. It was raining most of the day. At 10:30 some of us went out for an American style breakfast. Then we had to wander around and find places to stay out of the rain until our hostel opened back up at 3. We spent the last few hours at an Irish Pub watching soccer games. When I got back I watched some of Across the Universe with Dana. Then I spent time dinking around on the computer and found an awsome internship on craigslist. I applied for [View Full Entry]

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I woke up around 8, and at 9 we had a brief meeting. At 9:30 we left the hostel and walked to the Santa Croce Church. The church was very large and had less decoration than most of the other churches we have visited. It was special though, because it houses the tombs of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo. After spending some time in the church, our group went outside to draw and paint in the piazza. I sat out in the center, and within thirty minutes I was way too hot to draw anymore. I found some shade, where some of [View Full Entry]

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After a quick breakfast our group walked to the train station to catch the 9:12 ride to Sienna. By 11 we were standing in the city's central, where the old town hall building is located. Located in the Palazzo Publico, the first thing we did was climb the 400 stairs to the top of the building's tower. I had an amazing view of the city, which is surrounded by medieval walls. By the time our group had climbed down we were ready for lunch. After looking around we settled on a pizza place. Then we returned to the hall to see [View Full Entry]

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Our day started with a meeting at 9, where we talked about tomorrow’s day trip to Sienna. At 9:30 I had my individual meeting with Cynthia and Curt. We talked about the program and what my plans for the next year are. By 10:30 our entire group was headed out to see the National Archaeological Museum. On the way we stopped by a church which is usually closed. The girls covered their shoulders with shawls and we all went in. A few of us were wearing shorts and/or skirts. Dana was the first person to get singled out by a crotchet,y [View Full Entry]

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