Anticipating Rome

It is unbelievable that we have been here for almost two weeks, I'm sure others will agree.. but I do not want to go home! This past weekend we went to Florence which was so beautiful, pictures cannot completely capture how beautiful the view was. We ate at a little cafe with the amazing view right there, now you can't get that in the United States. Yesterday we went to Lake Garda, which was yet another beautiful place. We had the day off because it was Italy's Independence Day so none of the schools were open. The mountains were right in the background and it was almost unreal looking. I got completely burned while lying out, but being there was so wonderful.
The other night me and one of the girls had a meal prepared for us by two Italian boys. First they made us pasta which was so delicious then we were served this typical meal that is eaten by those who live in Brescia. I forget exactly what it was called, but when we looked at it we were terrified because it was raw meat with vinegar and lemon, arugula on top and also some cheese. Once we tried it we were amazed at how delicious it was. We are going to have them teach us how to make it so we can have the others on the trip try it, and hopefully remember the recipe so we can have people at home try it too.
We leave for Rome tomorrow and I know this is a trip that all of us have really been looking forward to. Me and some of the other girls are going on a tour to see the Vatican, Sistine Chappel and other popular tourist sites. We are staying until Sunday so we don't miss a single thing. I'm so excited, and I'm sure all of us will have a lot to say, and a lot of pictures to post when we get back. Until then..ciao!
-Julie