Ciao Bella!

Well, I have now been home for about a week and am settling into Westport living. It has been so nice reuniting with my family and friends, but I do miss the constant activity of Florence life. Around 10 pm each night I find myself walking in circles trying to figure out what to do with my night. And when I get home from doing one thing, I'm already ready to go on to the next. I realized how accustomed I became to going out, exploring and trying new things 24/7.

I ended my time in Florence studying for my two final exams (which is why the lack of blog posts) but also soaking in every ounce of culture I could...

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I went to the beach at Viareggio for a relaxing day in the sun
...ok, not so cultural, but it was a nice study break! However, these beaches are tourist traps where you are charged 7 euro to sit on the beach and people walk over to you every 5 minutes trying to sell you bracelets, hats, and henna tatoos.

I saw the famous "Il David" by Michelangelo, toured the Boboli Gardens (owned by the founders of Florence), and saw the Birth of Venus (among many other Botticelli paintings) at the Uffizi museum

At the Boboli Gardens

I ate outside at a restaurant on the Piazza della Republica while a jazz band entertained my friends and I

Cooked one last "family dinner" with my roommates

Ate at a restaurant we went to quite frequently where we know the owner, Antonio (who cooked us food that couldn't be ordered off the menu!)

Had a 6 course, true Italian dinner
(proscuitto and melon, bruschetta, 3 pastas, chicken and spinach, chocolate cake, dessert wine, biscotti, limoncello)

Inside the restaurant

Chocolate cake like none I've had before...

Biscotti!

...clearly we did a lot of eating....

Watched fireworks over the Ponte Vecchio Bridge in honor of San Giovanni (Saint John the Baptist)

Beautiful light show before the fireworks began!

Went to an all-white party where I ran into the Jersey Shore cast

Bought leather souveniers at the outdoor market

Had Bellinis (again!) at a rooftop restaurant with a friend of mine

Watched the sun set from the Ponte Vecchio with my roommates on our last night

Danced at a night club called "21" until 3:30 am with my friends...
Then found Florence's "Secret Bakery" at 4:00 am....
(its a regular bakery by day, but if you go at 4 they sell you the freshly baked goods that are just-out-of-the-oven. I had a warm nutella croissant fresh out of the oven and it was SPECTACULAR!)

And lastly, watched the sun rise on the balcony of our friend's apartment around 6 am.

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 It was, all in all, a truly magical end to an incredible 7 weeks. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Taking the time to write about these experiences in words only reaffirms how unique this time abroad has been. When I applied for this trip in January, I never could have imagined doing some of the things I got the chance to do, traveling to the places I did, eating the foods I tasted, learning what I did, or meeting the interesting and fun people who made my trip all the more exciting. I got to meet my Italian relatives, cook with a chef in the hills of Tuscany, visit museums and famous monuments, go to bars and nightclubs (and drink legally), wine taste, indulge in pastries and gelato daily, cook for myself, ride in a gondola, experience living on my own in a city, and so much more.

While it may sound cliche, I'm truly thankful to my family and everyone who made this trip possible. ...Especially those who helped coordinate my visit with my relatives, an experience that I am so appreciative of and will not soon forget.

I hope I've given everyone whos been keeping up with my blog a detailed account of all I've done and seen and tasted! Thanks for reading!