Until next time, Italia...

Last week was super busy with finals and wrapping up the study abroad program. We had an oral exam and a written exam (one Italian essay and one in English about the Florentine culture). I can't say I'll miss studying, but I will definitely miss our instructors from the Accademia del Giglio. Cecilia and Eleanora were the best teachers we could have asked for. Eleanora even surprised our class on the last day and took us on a field trip around Florence. We saw the Basilica di San Michele and the Chiesa dei Santi Apolosti, ate some focaccia bread, and visited the site where the mafia bombed the Uffizi in 1993.

Class picture with Eleanora

Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli

Rebuilding after the bombing

Olive tree planted as a symbol of peace and strength through hardships

The KU girls went out together one last time before us one-month session people had to leave Florence. It was a really fun night. I am going to miss all of the girls from the program so much!

 

The next day was definitely an emotional one; we had to say goodbye to our host family and leave Florence. Saying goodbye to Paolo and Marisa was really tough. They were the best host parents I could have asked for! Not going to lie, I cried the entire taxi ride from their house to the bus station.

Madeline and I took a bus from Florence to Pisa and stayed the weekend there. The city was having their annual Medieval festival, so there were parades a lot like the one we saw in Florence for the Festa di San Giovanni. Of course, we visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa and took the cliche tourist pictures of us holding it up! It took a lot of tries to get just the right picture, but in the end, I think we nailed it. We also saw the inside of the Duomo di Pisa and the Baptistery. It was really interesting to see how much the architecture differs from Florence to Pisa! After the Piazza dei Miracoli, we wandered around the city, but honestly there wasn't much else to see.

Piazza dei Miracoli 

The Leaning Tower

Baptistery

Duomo di Pisa

The cute robes we got to wear inside the church!!

Sunday night, we headed to the airport to fly to Barcelona. It was definitely a sad moment, realizing we were officially leaving Italy! I've only been gone for 2 days now, and I already miss it so, so much. I'm hoping someday I will be able to return to Italy again. Spero e prego! Ciao, Italia. Mi mancherai!