Bono Sera! Today is the May 20th and is our first Saturday spent in Italy! My two roommates and I woke up early to walk up the hill and get an espresso, however, it was raining and we were not able to. Instead, we had breakfast at the villa which consisted of a croissant and a cappuccino. We attended another language class with Catia and she was wonderful. We learned how to count to 100 and many helpful words to use in our cooking classes. Some of these included pomodori freschi (fresh tomatoes), basilico (basil), agilo (garlic), pane (bread) and un unvo (one egg). After this class we rode the bus to an outdoor market. 

We were able to spend an hour shopping at vendors or walk to an outdoor flower market and festival. Three of us walked to the flower festival and it cost 8 euros to enter.  It was definitely one of my favorite experiences on the trip. The plants were so unique and different than any other flowers at home. The roses were marbled colored and every plant was luscious and growing perfectly. The succulents and cactuses were more unique than I have seen before with their size and shapes. I wish we were able to bring some back because they were so lovely. After this outing, we rode the mini metro to Perugia, Italy. The town is the capital of the Umbrian area. The center of the town is home to the medieval Priori palace and Perugia Cathedral and holds artwork from the 13 century. The streets were covered in vendors and shops and the architecture was beyond amazing. I bought a raspberry pastry with fresh homemade whipped cream and local raspberry jam and it was wonderful. 

For lunch we ate at ll Bacio Ristorante Pizzeria, which was underground, beneath the main street. My table got four different pizzas - nutella, margherita, spicy salami, and bacon and egg pizza that had a literal runny egg in the middle. They were all fantastic. Afterwards, we had some free time in the town but two friends and I walked with Catia to the Perugia Cathedral. This was also one of my favorite parts of the trip. She gave us a personal tour of what the artwork meant why the palace was made in the thirteen hundreds. Right before we left, she led us to a secret door in the back that brought us to a courtyard that is built on top of underground passageways. This was something I hope to never forget because it was so breathtaking. 

Afterwards, we met back up and rode the bus back to our Villa Pieve.