Well with only one day left of my Eurail pass, my time in Italy is certainly winding down. The past two and a half weeks have been pretty hectic. Christine, Jenna, and I managed to pack in a day trip to the Passignano sul Trasimeno, a small lake town in Umbria. After being there for about fifteen minutes we decided to bite the bullet at pay five euros to use the outdoor pool (we had to wear the silliest swim caps in order to dunk our heads in the pool, I would post a picture but I'm sure my friends would kill me). I didn't realize that in June the temperature here soars into the 90s! It turned out to be a wonderful day though, and we returned to Florence crispy but relaxed.
After that we did a day trip to Parma, probably the least touristy of all our destinations which was a nice change of pace.

Post Office in Parma

Baptistery 

A day or two later we were guided by the wise Rick Steves through the hilly streets of Assisi.

Umbria

Medieval balcony

The girls decided they wanted to tour Pompeii so I took a solo trip to Ravenna. Ravenna is home to some of the oldest and most beautiful mosaics in Italy, as well as Dante's tomb.

Dante's tomb

Finally, Christine and I just returned from Venice yesterday.

Jenna left us a few days ago but another friend, Jessica, is coming tomorrow and we're planning on having a belated Fourth of July at la Casa Gibb. Burgers and guacamole are on the menu :)
Happy Fourth!

Well since it's been a cool two months since my last post, I thought I'd provide a photo journal of what I have been up to as of late in the great country of Italia! I just returned from a week long endeavor which included a return to Rome, two days in Capri, and a relaxing stay on the Amalfi Coast.  Before that, there was a day-trip to Cinque Terre and a leisurely visit with Dad and Henry (including an adventurous car ride into the Chianti region). Of course there was also two wonderful weeks spent with Gillian, Chris, and Paloma in between :)
Enjoy the pictures!

Tower in Montepulciano- they filmed part of Twilight: New Moon here

Beautiful Chianti region

My roommate from Rome and me

Naptime!

Gillian wheeling a sleepy Paloma in Siena

Classy beer bar in Amsterdam

They were filming MTV's Jersey Shore near our favorite sandwich shop!

Jenna, Christine, and I in Cinque Terre

Return to the jellyfish cove

Via Faenza flooding!

A Beatles cover band we saw

Fried artichoke in the Jewish Ghetto of Rome

The Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican

You can't really see but that's Lady Gaga on stage at Euro Pride in Rome

A crowded Circus Maximus

Pizza in Napoli

On the ferry to Capri

Anacapri

Sunset view from our hotel

The busses were small and packed

"Arco Naturale"

Sketchy chairlift

Entrance to the Blue Grotto

The sunlight comes through the tiny opening and reflects off of the limestone to create the most beautiful blue water

Our friend's rental villa in between Positano and Sorrento

Painted hallway- very ancient Roman

The caretaker cooked pizza for us in this our first night, yum!

Fireworks in Positano for their patron saint

Interior of the nightclub we ventured to in Positano- literally built into the caves

Full moon