Just Arrived!

Wow. I can't believe that I'm actually here in Italy! Everything seems so surreal. It has definitely not set in that I will be living here for the next 4 months.

All my flights went well.  I met up with the majority of the group at the gate in DC and when I got there, probably 10 or more people were already sitting together.  It was kind of like, oh hey, we are going to be spending the next four months together.  crazy. :) From the the time traveling into Rome and being here today it seems like it will be a really cool group.

We took a two hour bus ride from Rome to Orvieto this morning.  We were passing vineyards, olive groves, valleys, and cliffside towns.  I was just in awe of the beauty of the country and that was just the drive from the airport.  Orvieto is gorgeous.  I can't wait to explore this quaint old town that seems to have so much character.  It is definitely a photographers dream here.  From the cobblestone streets to the laundry hanging over the balconies it is just perfect for taking pictures.

The restaurant we went to for pranzo(lunch) is the Locanda del Lupo.  We are going to be eating there lunch and dinner every day when we are not out traveling for the rest of the four months.  It is definitely no DC. ha.  I anticipated some tiny old mom an pop restaurant that would be worse for wear, but you walk in and it looks like it has been decorated by a designer in New York City as a fancy Italian gourmet  restaurant.  The food is all made with fresh ingredients(olive oil pressed someplace around town, wonderful tomatoes, meat from the local butcher, fruit from the fruit stand down the street, basil from the garden, etc.).  We walked through the town a bit before heading back to San Paolo(the monastery we are staying in).  I was just in shock as to how beautiful it was...mouth open gawking and head looking up and around me at the streets, houses, and Italian people.

I feel like I am just visiting this weekend and will return home soon.  It doesn't feel like I am actually going to be here for 4 months in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  So we are just meandering along down the main drag in town when from around the bend the Duomo comes into view. Wow. It is a huge cathedral that is just right in among the buildings and houses of Orvieto.  The intricacies of the front of the cathedral were captivating.  The plaza where the Duomo is located is so inviting.  There is a gelati shop(where you can get gelato that is supposedly the best) right there where you can eat your gelato on the steps of the Duomo.  I'm pretty sure that I am going to be enjoying that experience numerous times this semester.

When we got back to San Paolo(monastery for those that didn't catch that up above) we got the full tour of the place.  It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be.  The view from the courtyard(I can see from my window) which has a sweet well in it is a pretty much gorgeous view of the countryside from up here on top of the mountain in Orvieto.

I finished unpacking all of my stuff and put it all in little cubbies that they provided and it feels like home now.  :) Sorry this one is a little here there and everywhere. I am just very excited to be here and this kind of got vomited on the page. ha.