Buon Giorno!

Sorry for the lapse between my last update, but like I said earlier this trip is quite fast paced and it’s easy to get caught up in the experience.  I want to start off by talking about our last group trip to historical Florence.  We visited three major sites in Florence: the Uffizi Museum, the Academy, and the massive Florence cathedral which is better known as the “Duomo.”  Of the three, for me the most impressive work of art that I saw in Florence was Michelangelo’s David.  The sculpture of David is located in the Academy where people flock to see the confidence and strength that David displays before battling the mighty Goliath.  As for tourism in Florence there is plenty to go around, and the famous Lorenzo market proved to be the best place to bargain for souvenirs.  In the market you can find 100% cashmere scarves, 100% silk ties, and genuine Italian leather for bottom line prices!  The reasoning behind this is because all of the products originate from here, as well as famous Italian fashion designers such as Gucci, Prada, and Armani. 

          A little night life in Florence

Last weekend was especially great for me because I was able to meet up with my dad and his girlfriend in Amsterdam.  “His girlfriend” refers to Juliette who is a great addition to our family.  We travelled to Amsterdam to meet Juliette’s enormous family, who were a blast to hang out with.  Overall, Amsterdam was a terrific time, and it’s great that we have free weekends so you can see even more of Europe. Now I want to get to the subject of this particular blog which is “Vatican Week.”  Vatican week is comprised of a series of guided tours and visits to various places throughout Vatican City.  The importance of the Vatican was made clear right away on our first tour of the underground mausoleums and the historic tomb of St. Peter.  Only a few hundred out of thousands who apply are able to take the tour under Vatican City, and as Walsh students we had this privilege. Throughout the mausoleums and various excavations we were able to see the final resting place of Popes throughout the centuries.  During Vatican week Danilo, who is our “golden ticket” to all places throughout Italy, came through once again.  With his official Vatican document in hand we were able to skip the MASSIVE lines, which prompted the Swiss Guards to salute, and angry onlookers to stare in disbelief. 

                            Florence Skyline

Day two of Vatican week we took a guided tour through parts of the 5 mile long Vatican museum.  The Vatican museum is full of priceless treasures and masterpieces from all around the world.  The tour through the museum ends in the ever famous Sistine Chapel.  Our tour guide Leonardo was exceptional, and he blew us away when he revealed that he was actually the head of restorations for Michelangelo’s masterpiece that covers the interior of the Sistine chapel.  As a group we will be making a trip back to the Vatican September 30^th where we have an official audience with none other than the Pope himself.  At that time I’m told the Pope may officially announce that Walsh University students are amongst the audience, which would be incredible!

         Some of the girls in Vatican Square

This upcoming weekend we will be travelling to Naples, where pizza was invented, Pompeii, where the city and people are still frozen in volcanic ash (Come on that’s awesome!), and Sorrento, where we are staying and can once again hit the beach!  Well that’s it for now, there are only two weeks left of this unforgettable journey, so I’m going to sign off until…next week.

Ciao