Hi all and ciao! My name is Grace and I am here with IU East on our study abroad trip to Florence, Italy! I am taking a class which is called “Health and Fitness in the Mediterranean” (p.s. this class is so much fun)! In this class we are doing all different types of exercises such as power walking, rowing, and bike riding! All these activities have allowed me to see a side of Florence I may normally not be able to see! We have climbed up to the top of some hills and this allowed us to have some incredible views. Our professor is so much fun and tells us all the good places to eat and to go and explore.  On Wednesday we went and saw the inside of Italy’s national soccer team’s training facility. We learned that they are only there for a few weeks out of the year but still have this pristine facility (I guess that’s what happens when you are really good at soccer). We also got to see some of their World Cup trophies that they have won along with jerseys, and gold medals as well! The second part of our class is cooking! Tomorrow will be the first time we cook so I will have to let you know how that goes!

Tuesday and Wednesday, we got to visit San Lorenzo and the Capella Medici. This is a beautiful Basilica that was built using New Renaissance architecture (this is just a style of architecture). This is also where several Medici family members are buried. There is a marble decoration piece that marks the tomb of Cosimo de Medici the Elder. The actual tomb is underneath the Basilica which we got to see when we went downstairs!  We also got to experience the Capella Medici. This area also holds many of the Medici tombs along with a huge chapel dedicated to the Medicis. You can definitely tell the Medicis had money when you walk in to this beautifully designed and decorated chapel. It is decorated with large green columns and marble decoration while there are statues made out of dark rock that represent some of the great Medicis in the family.

The people that I am here with in Italy are some of the best people. Tonight we got to cook together and eat dinner! We had pasta with green beans and of course bread with oil and balsamic vinegar. This is just one of the fun things that we have done together as a group! This group is such an adventurous group as well! We went to a museum and climbed all the way to the top of the tower! Here we could see the whole city of Florence. This day is just one of the many fun filled days that we have had here in the past two weeks! I cannot believe we only have one more week! So much more to do and so little time!

I will catch ya later IUE blog readers!

Grace