June 4, 2013
DAY FIVE – From the freshmen class:
Today we woke up and finished packing our suitcases before eating breakfast at the hotel in Florence. By 10 o’clock we had all loaded our bags onto the bus and began our bus ride to the Italian Riviera. The ride lasted about two hours and had beautiful views of the Italian countryside where quaint villas seem to be built on the side of every hill.
Once we were almost to the Riviera our tour guide Leo explained that this region is famous for its marble and pointed out the mountains that have been excavated for marble. When we arrived at our hotel in Marina di Massa, almost everything was made of marble from the floors to the stairs and the tile. However, the most spectacular thing about the hotel was its view, as out of my window I could see turquoise blue waters in one direction and mountains the other way.
All of us put on our swimsuits and immediately headed for the beach. We spent the duration of the day lounging in the sun and exploring the beaches. At night, almost the entire team was together as we ate at a restaurant which had incredible, fresh seafood. The linguine with clams and the calamari seemed to be liked by many! After dinner much of the team relaxed on the terrace atop the hotel before heading to bed for the night.
