July 20th
Ciaowdy from Castiglion Florentino!
Today our 2023 Italy fish started the day with an extra early morning breakfast (at a lovely 7 am🤌). However, a few of our Aggies decided to push themselves by waking up at 5:15 am for a morning run! After a yummy breakfast, everyone headed up to their rooms to finish packing up and prepare for our eventful day. Some Aggies decided to enjoy one last beautiful morning view of Assisi from the balcony while other Aggies decided to enjoy one last dance in their hotel room to some rap music. Assisi will definitely be missed, but it is time for our Aggies to take on their next adventure somewhere new.
Our first stop was in Deruta. Our Aggies visited and toured Ceramiche Gialletti Guilio, a pottery place where they produce and sell handmade pottery, and we were all amazed at the skillful craftsmanship and patience involved in making pottery. From start to finish, the entire process takes about 20 days 😲 (and a whole lot of skill). While some of us shopped, others looked around appreciating the artistic environment and of course taking pictures for Instagram. Wallets empty and shopping all done, our Aggies headed back on the bus to continue to our next stop, Perugia.
After a 30 minute bus ride filled with good convos and naps our Aggies arrived at Perugia where we met our wonderful guide, Marco, once again. We first stopped by the Perugia Sotterranea and learned about the conflict between the people of Perugia and Pope Paul III and why it is now known as the Salt War (also why unsalted bread is common in Perugia). After, we stopped by the Perugia Cathedral where our Aggies took in the beautiful architecture and paintings within. We then went to the lookout where we had an amazing view of Perugia and had yet another photoshoot.
Tour over and Instagram pictures captured, our Aggies split up (in groups of 4 or more of course) and set off to find some tasty lunch. Cassie chose to have pasta with an interesting sauce made from green peas (rated 7/10) while Ivliani had a giant calzone that she could not finish (pro tip: share it with someone). We cannot be sure what our other Aggies ate, but it was most likely pasta, pizza, or a calzone. For dessert, most Aggies decided to stop by Perugina (recommended by Marco) and get some delicious treats. Some Aggies decided to support the local street vendors and bought jewelry, souvenirs, and portraits of their silhouettes. The mini photoshoots soon started up again (you can’t ever have too many pictures) ending only when the time came to head to the bus.
Traveling for 1 hour by bus, we arrived in Castiglion Florentino. We unloaded our luggage and headed inside the beautiful hotel to unpack and get situated in our rooms. After getting settled in, some of our Aggies went to have a little fun in the sun and decided to swim/tan on the rooftop. A separate group of us decided to get a load of laundry done and have a dance party while waiting for the clothes to finish.
It was finally diner time, and our Aggies went down to the dining room to enjoy a yummy meal followed by some delicious Gelato. Some Aggies chose to order in Italian, while others stuck to English. Our night ended with going to the park to play soccer, swing on the zip line, and climb the playground. Other Aggies chose to go back to the hotel to rest and prepare for our tour of Castiglion Fiorentino tomorrow.
Cassandra Cruz ‘27 and Ivliani Nieto Alvarez ‘27
