A great weekend in Umbria

Another week has passed here in Italy and I can’t even believe we’re nearing the end of this trip. Last week I had the opportunity to take a dance class with a local dance studio in the northern area of the city.  It was an absolutely incredible experience! Even though the teacher taught in Italian, I was still able to follow along and figure out the combinations as the class progressed. The studios were like none that I’ve ever been in before- there are about 17 classes, and only about 5 of them are rectangular. The studios I’ve danced in have been triangular or trapezoidal, which is something that would be nearly impossible to find back home. It was refreshing doing something completely normal to me, and although it was taught in Italian, I was happy to still understand what was going on during the class. 

We got to go on our second field trip to Umbria this weekend, where we visited the cities of Spoleto, Perugia, and Assisi. I really enjoyed the diversity of each town, yet they all seemed to carry a theme of fascinating churches, a social atmosphere, and were often populated by religious pilgrims. It was a treat to be able to see all of these churches, as well as the quaint yet dense towns and experience them on both levels of architecture and tourism. 

Spoleto was a great town to relax and sketch in for an afternoon, as it had roads similar to the Amalfi coast with numerous nooks and turns, making it a fun area to explore. Perugia had great hikes within the town, with great places to shop and sketch. Assisi seemed to be a combination of the two, as it was larger than both and catered to a social scene while celebrating the town's traditional customs, which made me feel welcome and special as a visitor. 

My favorite memory of the weekend was when we all gathered at the top of Rocco Maggiore and enjoyed the Assisi sunset. After about a 10 minute hike we all gathered for a small feast while we enjoyed the sunset over the Umbrian area. It was a treat to enjoy the most breathtaking sunset I've ever seen with the rest of the group. 

I can’t believe how much we’ve done thus far, and in such a short amount of time compared to typical study abroad programs. I can’t wait to tackle these last few weeks and accomplish even more while still  studio and living in Rome in general.