All settled in Firenze

I have been on the go 24/7 since arriving in Italia that I have yet to sit down and write. I spent the first few days in Rome and then took a 4 hour bus ride (that made me completely sick with all the twists and turns) to Florence. I am in ABSOLUTE LOVE with Florence. This is probably the prettiest city I've ever been to. I'm in love with everything. I am so happy that I am spending my 4 months here in Florence and not in Rome. Rome was cool and the Vatican and Sistine Chapel and the Colosseum were amazing but the city itself wasn't anything to spectacular. I definitely made the right choice choosing Florence.

My apartment is amazing as well! A lot bigger than I assumed that it would be. Karyssa and I definitely lucked out with the best bedroom. (We drew numbers to see which girls would be in which room). The only thing that I have to complain about is the HEAT!!! It has been so hot in the city and in our apartment. We have a small air-conditioner but it is really expensive to run so we try not to turn it on so often (only when we are DYING of heat) and since we have to walk up four flights of stairs to get to our door, we seem to be "dying" of heat quite frequently.

I start school tomorrow which I'm nervous about, but I'm excited to have a set schedule and feel like I am actually living here, rather than just on vacation (which the past week has felt like).


Here are some of my favorite photos of the past week:

 

 My first pizza in Rome! So delicious! and HUGE

 We were lucky enough to do a walking tour of the Colosseum and got to see the inside (for free)!

 Throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain and making my wish :) This was on my bucket list so I'm so happy I got to do this while in Rome. The fountain was so crowded with tourists but it was absolutely gorgeous

INSIDE THE SISTINE CHAPEL!! They were very strict about not taking pictures but I managed to take this one! The inside was beautiful. It was a lot smaller than what I was picture but still amazing. There were also guards inside telling people to be quiet. They would YELL "SILENCE" it was a little scary but kind of funny. 

 GELATO!! I have had gelato almost everyday that I've been here. It is absolutely delicious. We found a gelato place by our apartment that is one euro for a big cone. This is dangerous for me :)

 A picture of the Duomo in Florence. This church is absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to take a tour of the inside! It's huge!! (the third biggest church in the world. The Vatican is number one)

 YUMMY carbonara! I got this at a restaurant called Dante. This restaurant gives FREE wine to college students. I had some of the best white wine that I have ever had here. Also, the owner of the restaurant really liked us so he gave us free lemonchello shots as well. Needless to say we went out dancing after this meal ;) hahah

 All the roommates on our way to the club after dinner

Kat, Devin, Lexi, Ashley, me and Karyssa

A beautiful view of Florence! We hiked up to this gorgeous spot Saturday morning. It was a little steep of a hike (definitely after all the wine and lemonchello the night before). 

I am having so much fun here already and I cannot wait to start classes and plan some weekend trips. First trip on our itinerary:  CINQUE TERRY. Second: PARIS!!!

Ciao, Erica xoxo