Ciao Amelia!

Here are the last groups of pictures from my wonderful summer in Amelia. I have to admit that it was very hard to leave Amelia, and while I know that the following will sound very cliche, it is also very true. The friends that I made in Amelia will be friends the rest of my life. Amelia is my second home and one day I will return on a more permanent basis. Here are the last pictures of Amelia... for now.

One of Lindsey's last nights in Amelia we decided to walk to some of the other doors that we had not gone to yet. There are four doors in and out of the walled city of Amelia. (You already saw the Porta Romana.)

Here are Robin and Lindsey on our way to the prostitute door (lovingly called the whore door).

Just a pretty picture.

I love the doors here. They are all unique and old. It is fascinating to imagine the generations that have passed through that door.

At the "whore door."

The view. Apparently the prostitutes were not granted easy access to the city, but the view is gorgeous.

This is the backside of Amelia (compared to most of the picture that I have posted).

I love this clock. It has two bells to announce the time, one really loud and strong one, and one cute and tiny one.

On day while we were enjoying our afternoon bottle of Prosecco (it became an afternoon tradition) when we started to get pestered by bees. :-) I figured the best way to handle them would be to catch one, and proceeded to catch one in my prosecco glass.

See him? I released him later, but then he came back. Then I tried to catch him again and I accidentally broke my glass at the stem. Oops. :-)

I have NEVER seen a sky like this anywhere else in my life.

At the end of the program we had a going away dinner at this house. The lovely ladies that live here made us a wonderful dinner.

Olive trees.

That's Tiger on the steps. He and I became great friends.

An alternate view of the house from the pool.

I miss a lot about my life in Amelia, including all of the fruit trees.

We had quite a problem with bugs, so no one was really excited about getting in the pool.

Alan... being Alan and serving up the wine while the ladies attempted to protect their legs from the bugs by submerging them in water.

Here are some pictures of our unofficial going away party. Everybody left Italy at different times, which actually made saying goodbye a bit easier since everyone did not leave at once.

Isabel and I decided to spend one of our last free days exploring Florence. Here is our first view of the city after getting off of the train. Oh the trains... apparently I get VERY motion sick now. Not a good thing when you rely on public transportation... how pathetic?!?!?

A view of the dome.

This is one of the markets of leather goods. They have lots of purses, jackets and scarves.

The Uffizi Gallery. One of the most spectacular collections of art in the world that was compiled by the Medici family.

I found this sign to be particularly entertaining. They must have had quite a problem with gum on floors and feet on walls to make a sign about it. Two odd problems to put on one sign.

Isabel's portrait blending in with the busts.

The river Arno...yes, it was that green in person.

A view of the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). Interesting fact, this is the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed by retreating Nazi troops. It is assumed that Hitler ordered it to stay intact. However, access to the bridge was blocked by destroyed buildings on both sides of the river.

That has got to be one of the most interesting uses of a bridge.

A view of Brunelleschi's dome and the Campanile (tower) of the Duomo.

This is me on the Ponte Vecchio.

Piazza della Repubblica. I really envy their ability to pull off a carousel and that architecture without something looking out of place. I guess I am just used to mini-carousels outside of stores or real carousels at theme parks. :-)

Neat fact (amongst the MANY to do with Art and WWII in Florence). In order to protect the blue medallions with the white figures in them, boxes were built around them to shield them from bombs and attacks. In order to protect David they built a brick enclosure around him. We did get to see Michelangelo's David, but you aren't supposed to take pictures and I follow the rules. ;-)

The Duomo. I will continually be amazed by the vastness and uniqueness of each Duomo in Italy.

The Campanile. Appreciate these pictures, I looked very odd sitting on the ground in order to get the whole building to fit in the picture.

The Baptistry.

The facade of the Duomo.

How gorgeous?? Those lucky Italians, they get to see things like this EVERY day.

The Gates of Paradise by Ghiberti. It took Ghiberti 21 years to complete these doors.

Florence, like every other trip I went on, was amazing.

At last, it was time to say goodbye to Amelia. The lovely family that owns Punto Divino (and our first guides to Amelia) had a get together for the group of us that were still around. This was the night before I left, and below is the last picture I took in Amelia.

Things I miss... the hat shop lady that would get so excited to help throw the cardboard boxes into the recycling truck. The way that the city and people welcomed us with open arms and smiles on their faces. Some of the nicest people in the world live in Amelia. The walk from my apartment, past Bar Leonardi, through the Porta Romana, up the street, past the church, past the museum and into the library for class. The ricotta and mozzarella from the cheese shop (not to mention the cheese shop owner and his wife). Crazy Johnny's and their caprese pizza. GELATO at Tropicana and the wonderful staff there!!! Valda at Porcelli's. Fizzy wine at Porcelli's...everything at Porcelli's. Wine on the terrace. The people, the sounds, the smells. Italian classes with cappuccinos. A Sunday breakfast of fruity cornettos (croissants filled with fruit puree). The chalet. The fat sweet babies getting pushed around town by their grandmothers. The views... everything.

Ciao ciao!