Buon giono! I'm still in Florence, but I thought I'd give an update on what I'm doing in case my parents aren't the only ones reading this. Yesterday we visited the Accademia, home of Michelangelo's David. And last night I went for a hike with some of our study abroad group and we wound our way across the Ponte Vecchio to the south side of the river, where the wealthy Italians live. We walked up past the Piazzale Michelangelo to the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.


Here is a picture of the Ponte Vecchio. Although it doesn't look like it, we are walking across Florence's most famous bridge--famous for its gold and silver.


While walking, we passed the house where Galileo lived when he was in Florence.


One of the views on our walk.


The Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.


We stopped by the Piazzale Michelangelo on our way down. Here's me pinching the Duomo!


And this morning we climbed up all 463 steps of the Duomo. This picture gives you an idea of what that was like: steep and cramped.


But this view made it all worth it.


 After the Duomo, I visited the Laurentian Library, next to the Basilica di San Lorenzo, which I visited yesterday (sorry, no photos allowed).


Here's a close up of one of the old books in the library.


And some of the materials that were used to print books.



And, on a side note, here's a picture of a bracelet I bought in the market. The price started out at 24 euros, but I bartered it down to 7. Bartering is an interesting part of the market in Florence and one that I was uncomfortable with at first, since I'm used to shopping in stores where all prices are fixed. But here, bartering is expected. Just don't offend them by offering too little!



Ciao!

My head is spinning trying to comprehend the myriad beliefs held by the Maya! Just get me to Belize already! I am currently studying Maya Cosmos: Art and Architecture in lieu of this trip. I am excited to see how I can apply some of the things learned in this class on the trip. Hopefully Professor Stanton speaks Spanish! Rosseta stone anyone?!?

I'll try and be on good behavior....I hear sacrificing is a common thing down there:/

This is my first time blogging, so we'll see how it goes! I am studying abroad in Florence this summer. I arrived on Monday and will be here until the end of May. I've been getting settled into my apartment, which I share with three girls from Maryville University in St. Louis.

Below are some pictures of our apartment.







And here is the view from my bedroom windows.



Last night (Tuesday) we hiked up to the Piazzale Michelangelo. It was quite an uphill walk, but the view was definitely worth it. Here are some pictures of the view (and me), including a panorama.






And here is my first glance at the Duomo, which we will be climbing to the top of on Friday. That's 463 steps give or take a few.



Here is the most famous bridge in Florence: Ponte Vecchio.



And, of course, this post about Italy could never be complete without...Gelato! The first flavor I tried was chocolate hazelnut and it was fabulous. In this picture the flavor is passion fruit. It was absolutely amazing! But then, is it even possible to have bad gelato? I think not.

Greetings travelers, and fellow travelers!
We are about to launch off into a new adventure--later this month, we will be headed for Belize and Guatemala, with a small but brilliant group of students, faculty and friends.  Belize, for those of you who are slightly geography-challenged, was once called British Honduras.  It's a not-huge slice of land on the Caribbean coast of Central America, just south of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.  Parts of it look like this:
while over on our brief sojourn into Guatemala, we will see one of the more famous Mayan ruins, at Tikal:
Well, more soon, and hopefully some new voices, as well.

Later, bob

     I am very lucky to have visited Turkey and Greece this year. I have learned very much from my Professors and from my peers that attended the trip with me. I am grateful to you all.
     I think what I learned about the most is the enlightening nature of Islam. I enjoyed very much hearing the call to prayer throughout the day and I found most Muslims to be very jovial and willing to engage in conversation about their faith. I think that there is much spiritual health to go around in the country of Turkey. There was definitely a peaceful and open kind of vibe there. i will be returning to Istanbul in the very near future.

 M. Calabrese

                          The two picture above show some of the ceiling in the beautiful Blue Mosque.
                                                      Above is the Church of the Holy Apostles.


 These two mosaics were from the Church of the Holy Apostles at the Aghora in Athens.
     Here is a statue of Emperor Hadrian with his head missing.

     M. Calabrese