Day 238!

Ciao! I'm sitting here at the end of a really fun, exhausting weekend, preparing myself for about a month of hardcore studying! Yesterday I went to Mantua with my BSCP art history class for a field trip. We went to see the Palazzo Ducale because we have been studying the art from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, and there are some really good examples of that time period to be seen in the palace. We spent the morning at the palace learning about art from Prof. Benevolo, and then had the rest of the day to ourselves. Mariella, Nic, and I wandered Mantua for a little bit, but it was drizzly so we decided to head back to Bologna on the first train available.
Today is my friend Ronnie's birthday. She and I were best friends from kindergarten through fifth grade, when she moved schools. Now she goes to IU, too, and is studying in Florence this semester! About a month ago, she came to visit me in Bologna, so I wanted to go to Florence to celebrate her 21st with her! So Mariella, Jesse, Brandon, and I all took the train to Florence at about 8 last night. Mariella and I did what I did last fall with some of the year long students--we went down to Florence, stayed out all night, and just took the first train back in the morning at 4:30! It was exhausting, but really fun and worth it. It was so good to see Ronnie and to celebrate her birthday with her. It was fun to go out dancing, especially since I have to lock myself away from the world with only my school books for company for a while! Mar and I got back to Bologna at about 6 this morning and just crashed, of course. Today I have just been recovering and trying to finish up some reading for art history. Got to prepare myself for the exams coming up!
xoxo