June 3, 2013
DAY FOUR – From the senior class:
Today we arrived in Florence, the day we have all been waiting for… leather markets! The overcast, rainy weather didn’t stop us from having a great time, as well as bargaining for a bag or two. Not only is Florence full of culture, but the city is also a hotspot for tourists all over the world. We started together at the Duomo, the main church of Florence, formally known as Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. A few of the team took the opportunity to climb the stairs of the Duomo, all 400 or more. All made it to the top, even sweaty-handed Alyssa–who for some reason decided to take the challenge even though she is scared of heights.
Having the free time to walk around, we went out to find the different markets, whether that be the leather market or the food market. No surprise here, the food was amazing. Having had pasta for about 12 meals straight, some of us figured we should change it up and try something new – pizza! We found out that pizza is just as good, something about the tomatoes we think.
After we roamed around for a few hours, we all met up to take a tour together around Florence and get a better idea of everything around us. Just like Rome, this history of Florence is so interesting that it makes it surreal to be right there. Coming to the end of the tour, of course, we needed to stop and get gelato-what would a day be without gelato? From flavors like pistachio, caffe, fragola (strawberry), stracciatella (basically chocolate chip), and many more, there is no good excuse not to have a scoop (or two).
After the bus ride and walking around in the rain, it was a long yet great day! Tomorrow we are on our way to the beach in the Italian Riviera. We will all be carrying our new “leather” bags as well as sporting our new “ray bans”…. the lacrosse team has developed quite the skill at haggling.
