Day 25!

Buon giorno! Sorry I haven't updated in a few days! I don't really know where my time goes here. We really have a lot of free time, but somehow I feel like I never get anything done. Maybe we have too much free time? I think that's possible...
So Saturday we went to Ravenna, a city in Emilia Romagna on the Adriatic coast. It is famous for its mosaics. We spent most of the day walking around the city, going from one historical site to another. It's a really nice little city. I love Bologna, but Ravenna is so much quieter and more peaceful. We went to the Battistero degli Ariani first. The focal point there was the mosaic in the middle of the ceiling of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. The old man on the left is a personification of the river, which I thought was kind of cool. Around the centerpiece are the twelve apostles and a throne for Christ.
Then we went to Sant'Appolinare Nuovo. These mosaics spanned the entire length of the church and were absolutely incredible. At the front of the church, Mary and baby Jesus are one one side with the three wisemen. On the other is Jesus and four archangels. At the back there is a scene with the city and a ship on one side and a palace on the other side. Then in between I think they are all saints or something. Anyway very cool. The three wisemen were my favorite part because they are wearing animal print leggings...
Up next was the Battistero Neoniano. The mosaic in the ceiling here was the same theme as the first one, Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist with the twelve apostles. This mosaic was much more realistic than the other one with a lot more detail. The whole building was more elaborate and the inside was simply covered in mosaics. It was really beautiful.
Next we stopped by Dante's tomb, which was cool, but not nearly as exciting as the mosaics! Really not much to say about it. We couldn't even go in, just looked from the outside. It was pretty simple.
Next up was everyone's favorite part of the day: LUNCH. We always know we will eat well when BCSP provides the food. We went to this great restaurant that had really cool architecture. We ate in what appeared to be an old converted courtyard. It felt like we were still outside because the cieling was just frosted glass. The meal was wonderful: first course was pasta filled with cheese and a delicious meat sauce; second course was a variety of delicous vegetables, warm bread, several different coldcuts including prosciutto and mortadella, and this awesome soft cheese; desert was macedonia (fresh fruit salad); and then there was caffe! So delicious!
After everyone was sufficiently stuffed, we headed for the Basilica di San Vitale. It's this amazing two-story church that is absolutely covered with mosaics. It was my favorite place because the colors were so brilliant. I'm still upset that my camera wasn't good enough to really capture the beauty there. Features there include the "Rainbow Jesus," a scene with Abraham, and I think emperor Justinian and empress Theodora.
We then went to the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia. I didn't post any pictures from there because it was way too dark to get any good ones. It was relatively boring though, having just witnessed the glory of the Basilica di San Vitale.
After that we just had free time for the rest of the day until our train left at 5:30. Sky, Maria, Erin, Alex, Anne, Allegra, and I walked around and did some window shopping/real shopping. Sky and I found a little candy stand (really Erin's nose found it) and we bought fresh marzipan. Which is almond-flavored heaven in the shape of different fruits. Wonderful.
So that was Ravenna! We all went out Saturday night, and then spent all of Sunday doing homework.
Monday was very rainy, and we had class. I went grocery shopping, not a super exciting day. My roommate was supposed to move in on Tuesday, but she STILL isn't here. I don't really understand what's going on with that. We had class and a meeting with one of the university professors on Tuesday, too. He teaches Contemporary Italian Literature, which I think is the class I'm going to take this semester. It was another gross, rainy day. That evening, we girls went over to Allegra's apartment to celebrate her finally moving in! We made hamburgers and salad. It was delicious! We went out after that, but Anne and I weren't really feeling it, so we got crepes (nutella and mascarpone for me!) and just had some girl talk. She's great! She studied abroad in Italy for her senior year of high school, so she has the scoop on how to survive/thrive in this kind of situation. She has a lot of advice and wisdom that will definitely come in handy this year. Yesterday she and I went out to lunch before our culture class. After class we all had to go the the Sala Borsa (the public library) to get our library cards. It is so beautiful there! I don't know if I will be able to study there because I'll be too distracted!
Today instead of class, we have a "gastronomical tour" of Bologna, in the words of Prof. Ricci. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it sounds good! I will, of course, let you know how it goes!
xoxo

P.S. new pixxx