Excerpt From Italy and Belgium: What To Do and What To See In and Around Cortona

6-28-2013 

So far, I have experienced amazing food, spectacular views, and hilarious people. The staff and the faculty from the University of Georgia are all unique. I went to a social gathering between the teachers and their respective families tonight, I had many drinks, and I socialized with a couple of the professors. I could not imagine doing such a thing at UNC-CH, but it was quite fun and entertaining. 

Moreover, I have had some amazing experiences within the city. Today, I went shopping for tonight’s dinner, and instead of going to a supermarket for all of the food we needed, we went to a few, different and specific markets. One shop, I call it “the Meat Shop,” had an aroma that I had never experienced before. The smell is unmatched by anything I have ever smelled. It was so overpowering, potent and intense that I could not return into the “Meat Shop” after that trip. The powerful aroma stopped me from returning to the shop. 

The town of Cortona is simply amazing! Old, Italian men sit in the city square, and they observe and discuss amongst themselves. They are probably talking about the few visitors that Cortona seems to get, because I notice that they are always looking at the people that look like tourists before they turn to their friends next to them and talk.

Yesterday, I went to the monastery that St. Francis stayed at. It was beautiful! I definitely recommend visiting it, if you are in the vicinity of it. The garden, itself, would have made the forty-minute trek to get there worth it. I have to go now, but so far, these past two days have been more than spectacular.