Last spring, I spent four months studying abroad in Arezzo, Italy. Arezzo is a Tuscan town that's been around since Etruscan times. It's built as a medieval city, with its duomo, or main town church, at the very top of the hill, and the rest of the town center cascading down towards the fields and train station. It's hard for me to choose any one place as my favorite, but I had a really special time here. Arezzo isn't tiny (its population is around 100,000), but due to the concentrated town center, it feels sort of like a village. My friends and I could walk just about anywhere we needed to go, and I loved that those walks always took place on cobblestone down narrow, winding streets. We quickly got to know the owners of our favorite lunch places, since the employees don't change so often as they do in America, and often the owners of these small shops serve you themselves. I really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere of the town. I also loved that we were only an hour and 8 euro away from Florence! I miss being surrounded by so many centuries of history and art. And boy do I miss the pizza.
Piazza Grande: host of cappuccino drinkers,
a famous joust held twice a year, and
some scenes from Life is Beautiful.
Source: Wikipedia.
Basilica of San Domenico, located
just down the street from the
converted monastery we stayed in.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Cobblestone streets!
Source: Wikipedia Italy.
Aha, I should have guessed you might post about Arezzo, Sally — and what nice pictures! And I'm glad you mentioned the Etruscans: so many people don't realize that Tuscany really is "Etruscany," the home of the Etruscans. Maybe you will want to do an Italy-related project for this class, about Etruscan mythology or maybe the local folklore and legends of Florence! Italy is definitely a story-ful place.
ReplyDeleteOne of my dream is to visit Europe! I also want to be surround by amazing historical structures and learn about their histories. It is so cool that you can just walk around Arezzo even though it isn't small. The pictures you post are wonderful and everything seems so candid and peaceful. I hope I can come to this place sometimes in the future.
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