Arrezo

Today we went on a trio to Arezzo which is only a 20 minute bus ride from Castiglion. The city is really great because it is smaller then Florence which is very large and crowded but bigger then our little town. We got in pretty early and of course got coffee first. San Francesco cathedral was our first stop and it was very beautiful. The architecture on the outer facade was neat in that it had 3 rows of columns with each row getting smaller as you went up. And each column on all the rows was decorated differently, so it really looked great all together. Then we checked out the Pieve Saint Maria which has the True Cross Fresco which is very beautiful. It basically tells a fictional story throughout the different panels but its really elaborate for fresco painting. That was all we did officially as a group. We got some pizza by the slice from a little shop that was great and a lot better than the food in Florence. We window shopped a little and then went up to this beautiful park that had panoramic views of the countryside. In the park there is an old medieval fortress that we explored and sketched at for a while. The church right at the end of the park was probably my favorite we've seen so far. It was massive and everything in it was so stunning. The entire vaulted ceiling was painted with fresco and there was an amazing alter piece as well.

As you can probably tell, I didn't bring my camera today cause I was afraid it was going to start raining.. which it did. I'll be going back to Arrezo on Sunday though for the Antique fare so maybe I will bring my camera and try and get some of the better shots I saw today. Tomorrow is my birthday and another trip to Florence so I'm very excited! Until then, Ciao!

Ciao from Firenze!

So Firenze, aka Florence, was such an amazing city. I prefer to show you with some pictures instead of trying to describe it all, because it would be impossible! The main spots we hit were the San Miniato Al Monte which is a cathedral at the top of a hill in Florence. It has beautiful views of the city and is also beautiful on the inside. I took tons of pictures and we spent about 2 hours there sketching. I have to admit, I'm getting a tad bit better than my first day.. which was really terrible! Then we went over to The Doumo and the Cathedral which are amazing buildings that are right in downtown Florence. I don't think I've ever seen something that massive in both height and area. We went to the top of the Doumo which is a huge dome that is one of the tallest points in the city. It was another amazing view and we spent a lot of time up there just sitting in the shade and enjoying the breeze. The only drawback was that the food was kind of pricey. And apparently there is a heat wave in Italy right now so it is wayy hot. Oh, and the tourist. There were a lot and they were very annoying! So I guess a few drawbacks, but wonderful none the less. Now to the pictures!! Ciao!

Me and my roommates on the hill at San Miniato Al Monte, The Duomo from San Miniato Al Monte, One of the many original statues in the Piazza del Duomo, The Cathedral, Moi at the top of the Duomo, The ceiling of The duomo.




















I have tons of pictures so I think I might tray and make a flickr page for them, so you all can see more. Ill keep you updated!

2nd Day Here

I am finally in Italy! It was about a 26 hour trip including all the trains we had to catch, but we've now been here for about a day. It is just as beautiful as I expected. The school we are staying at is right near the historic sort of downtown of the city. There's 'bars' which serve coffee and food and other stuff everywhere. There is also lots of Gelato. It's way more popular than I thought. There's all kinds of things going on in the city right now to. A Medieval festival, a carnival, and a city market... all today! Stuff here is much more expensive than back in the states because the dollar is so weak, so that makes it hard to buy much of anything without buyers remorse. I'm budgeting though and we have two very large free meals a day so that helps. Classes start tomorrow so I will be much more busy after that. I'm pretty nervous about having to draw with all these really good artists, but hopefully I'll learn a lot. Our first trip is Wednesday and we'll be going to Florence so I will probably get to see Holly while I am there. I plan on going to Florence this weekend as well for my birthday, which is Saturday, so that should be fun. I'm going to try to start sending postcards, but stamps are pretty pricey here so I don't think I'll be able to send as much as I wanted to. Well I'm off to explore the city more. Ciao for now!

Kayla

Oh yeah, the first picture is the view from our bedroom window. The second is the street our school is on. The school is the second door on the left.

Day 0!

I am currently at Intercontinental airport waiting for my first flight out. I'm about 15 hours away from arriving in Rome and am hoping for no delayed flights. Preliminary feelings are mostly scared, pretty excited, and definitely tired. Hopefully by the time I arrive it will only be excitement, but we shall see.

Ciao