Finally in Florence

Buona Sera!

This is just a quick update to let you all know I am now in Florence! YAY! I already love it here.  It's a little more city-like than Siena.  There are actually sidewalks, different types of cuisine, and even other Americans... Lots of other Americans.  There are other study abroad programs in the city, so about 3000 American students are in Florence at this time every year.  It was rather weird to hear a language besides Italian spoken on the streets.

I moved into my apartment on Saturday, which happens to be a 10 minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio (which I had been told I MUST visit before I left for Florence). My roommates are great, and I think we're getting along really well so far.  We had a bit of a cleanliness issue with our apartment, as it didn't seem like the last girl fully moved out.  We actually had her razor, her hairbrush, her louffa, and a lot of other stuff of hers that had been left in the apartment.  We do not really think the apartment was cleaned well before we got there, so we have been trying to clean it before we really settle.  The program has helped a lot, and was very concerned when we told it about the condition of our apartment.  Once the room is clean, pictures will follow.

I went on a quick art history tour of Florence today, and it was very enjoyable even though it was VERY cold out (this is their coldest time of year in Italy).  My favorite part was going into a church (the name of which has slipped my mind) that had original statues by Donatello and other famous sculptors on one level, and then a beautiful panorama of the city could be seen through huge windows on the top level.  The Duomo was also spectacular on the inside, and I am looking forward to climbing to the top of that tower.

Since I've had very limited access to internet in the last few days, I have not had time to get my pictures together for this post, so pictures will follow soon.  We do not yet have wi-fi set up in our apartment.  I start classes tomorrow, so I will write more soon!!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me (emurray@mail.smcvt.edu), tweet me (LittleLizzie33) or formspring me (lizmurray3).

Ciao!