Let me briefly cover some of the events since last time!
My friend Emily and I dressed up like Black Swan and walked around town. We're crazy. We also had to throw a dead pigeon off of her roof because it started to smell so bad. Gross.
Later that week, Emily and I hiked 5 km (approx 3 miles) to this town, named Peglio, up a nearby mountain. The views were great, but our feet killed because we both wore pretty flimsy shoes. Bad decisions.
Peglio from afar
The view down into the valley from Peglio
Last weekend, we took a trip to Verona and Venice. It was SUCH an amazing experience!! There's an old Roman arena in Verona, in which operas are now performed during the summer. After taking a tour of the city, we all grabbed some pizza and wine and headed into the arena to grab our seats, which were on the steps of the arena. It was mind-boggling to think that real Romans had once sat there and watched gladiators, slaves, convicts, and animals fight each other for entertainment. As we sat, I listened to a mixture of English (with varying accents, including British and Australian), Italian, and German floating through the crowd. The set was beautiful and the singers absolutely magnificent. It was so inspirational to see these professionals perform.
Enjoying pizza and wine before the show started
The set to La Traviata
The Act 3 set for La Traviata
After about only 6 hours of sleep, we all got up on Sunday and had a nice breakfast at the hotel and headed out for Venice. We had to take a bus and then a boat ride into Venice. We took a tour of the Gran Teatro in Venice, in which Verdi often worked (La Traviata and Rigoletto were debuted there!). After, we spent the day exploring the city on our own. It was a great day, but we were all exhausted by the end of it!
Emily and me on the boat to Venice
One of the many canals going through Venice.
Just a few days ago was 4th of July and all of us made sure to celebrate it while in Italy. We had a barbecue at one of our houses, sang as many American songs of which we could think (including "Colors of the Wind"), and set off fireworks. It was a great time and a nice little taste of home (and by that I mean hotdogs and hamburgers...mmm).
We somehow managed to find firworks here in Italy
This is probably my last blog post from Italy...I can't believe it's already time to come back to the States. Our last concert is tonight, I took my final Italian exam, my train ticket to the airport is purchased...it's all wrapped up. I've learned so much while being here in Italy. I've learned to not stress out so much in my life and to enjoy the little things. I've also learned so much in my Italian classes and my music coachings. I am so excited to take these lessons back to the States and Uni and see how I continue to grow.
I can't even explain how thankful I am that I came here for this summer. I've met so many amazing people, learned so much, grown a lot, and discovered a lot about myself.
Until next summer, my beautiful Italia. You'll always be my home away from home.
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