Blogs from Perugia, Umbria, Italy, Europe

In Perugia we met other friends called Christine, Daniele, and Greta. We have done lots of shopping here because there has been lots of SALES for us girls hahha. We went to Florence wich was beautiful and we also saw the leaning tower of Pisa wich was amazing we didn't really now it leant that much. We climed up that to. It was all twisty twervy. We went out to dinner nearly every night and also went swimming and diving in the local pools and our friends have been very nice. Next place we are going to is bologna for 2 nights then Milan then marsille, then Paris. We Re halfway through see ya soon!!... read more

On our last day in Umbria and Tuscany, Fiona finally managed to get a photograph of a field of sunflowers. Fiona and Toby left Harriet in bed for the second day in a row. Today it was to go back to the Prada outlet and buy a handbag. For the second time Fiona didn't see any she liked and left disappointed. Toby, however, found a t shirt and a cardigan and is now a Prada fan. We picked Harriet up and went into Purugia for the last time. This time we were headed slightly out of town to the Purigina Chocolate factory. This is where all chocolate Baci are made. Wherever you buy them around the world, they are made here. We joined a tour and learnt about the history and the process of making Baci. ... read more

Pilgrimage to Orvieto to see the cathedral. Incredible but a bit too colorful for Mark's taste. North to castiglione del Lago, an old fortress town on a peninsular jutting out into lake trasameno. Walked around the palazzo and adjoining fortress walls. Around the top of the lake toward Perugia and found our next farmhouse at Casale Della Staffa, an old farm building for housing the stock and coaches on the ground level and the farm worker families above. Again a fantastic two storey suite in the bell tower. Sitting room on first level and bedroom and en suite above. Entire wall facing the bed was made up of four windows that gave us a panoramic view of the Umbrian landscape as we woke up each morning. Beautiful breakfast each morning in enormous salon with antique furnitre ... read more

Welp, 8 days later, I swear I am alive. School work is getting legit and midterms start next week. Not to mention, I have a giant Italian test on Thursday that I really need to study for tonight or there will be a problem... Everyone who says study abroad classes are "fluffy" and "GPA boosters" and "easy A's" did not come to Umbra. I do more homework here than at Bonaventure. This week has been pretty busy homework-wise. Last weekend we stayed in Perugia but made the most of it in every way possible. We went to a different club every night and got a meter long pizza on Saturday. The earliest I got home over the weekend was 4:30am Sunday. This, and the STILL miserable weather are most likely the reasons for the surprise head ... read more

Complete change of plans! I decided not to go to La Spezia because, since I've been there many times, I decided to save the money for something else. I also decided not to go to Budapest because the flights became very expensive and I did not want to go badly enough that I was willing to pay extra. This past weekend I went to Florence with one of my roommates and a girl in my Human Development class. I had a lot of fun. The hostel that we stayed at, Luna Rossa, was very nice, which had been my main concern. I bought two bags for myself and one for my mom. I knew I was going to spend a lot of money, which is why I am kind of glad that Budapest didn't work out. ... read more

This post won't be long since I'm getting ready for class, but I thought I'd update before my trip to Florence this weekend! Tuesday evening I was in class and looked outside and couldn't believe what I saw...little flurries of snow! My professor promised us that it never snows in Perugia. Hmm, guess he was sadly mistaken. Well flurries are harmless, when I woke up yesterday morning and looked outside, I didn't know if I was in Italy or back in Buffalo. Except it was clear that I was definitely not in Buffalo because they were enjoying 50 degree weather yesterday. I walked to school in inches of snow...I guess next time I'll have to pack my snow boots. And I thought this was my year without a winter, ha wishful thinking. Today, there's less snow ... read more

I'm not doing a blog entry every day anymore. I have classes Monday - Thursday, so those days I usually don't do anything and have nothing to write about. I'll try to write once a week. This weekend I'm going to Florence and La Spezia! I can't wait!!! Two places that I love. Then in about two weeks I'm probably going to Budapest, which will be awesome! I need to buy a dictionary though because none of us speak the language. Hopefully the hostel won't be too sketchy, that (and getting lost) are my two biggest fears. But I really can't wait! I also am trying to convince my friend to go to Sicily with me, and have to figure out when we would do that. If we don't go over spring break, I am going ... read more