We left Rome this morning. It was great while we were there, but to be honest I was a bit ready to move on. It is a big city and I had grown tired of the large crowds of people (especially while at St. Peter's yesterday). It was nice to head out into the Italian country-side.

I love traveling by bus (or car) because you really get a taste of the land. Italy is a beautiful country. The rolling green hills and lush vineyards were simply breath-taking. I couldn't get enough of it.

Our first stop was in a little Italian town that is called Civita. There are actually two towns: the new and the old/dying city. The Dying City is what we had come to see. The city is a top of giant hill which over looks the surrounding area. I was treated with yet another stunning view of Italy. It was once an Etruscan settlement and a bustling city of five thousand people but now as a population of about...well, nine. That is right: nine. I think those nine people are all restaurant owners because there was a surprising amount of eateries for what is essentially a ghost town. It was a really fun little pit-stop but we weren't there super long, much to my dismay. We just always have so much to cram into one day.

Orvieto was our next destination. It is another town which is set above the surrounding area. The view from the town's edges were awesome. James and his family had lived there for four months on two separate occasions when he was overseeing other study abroad programs through the University of Arizona. Because of this, he knew the town really well. It was fun to watch the kids reliving past experiences and animatedly telling me about this or that about what they remembered. The main point of stopping in Orvieto was to see the Duomo or cathedral. It was massive! And so intricately decorated. Stunning relief sculpture adorned the facade, along with inlaid colored stones in patterns that stretched from the bottom to the top. I thought the alternating dark and white horizontal stripes on the other three sides of the building were interesting and was stunned to see them repeated throughout the interior. We were not permitted to take photos within, so you will just have to take my word for it. Afterwards we piled into the bus ad left for Florence.

My first impression of Florence is that it is much cleaner feeling than Rome. There certainly seems to be less smoke in the air. We enjoyed a nice dinner at a local restaurant and then strolled along the bridge that spans the river. And that was it. Just a nice relaxed evening introduction to the city.

We have a lot planned for tomorrow, so I am heading off to bed. Man...I always feel so exhausted after these posts but it is SO worth it!

*side-note: our "hotel" in Florence is pretty awful haha! I have stayed in hostels that are WAY nicer than this...good thing we only sleep here :D