SO LONG, AMERICA...CIAO, ITALIA!

Last night there was a rainbow over my home in New Jersey, and tonight I am finally in Fiesole.

After a layover in Germany, a miscommunication that caused me to leave the airport sans baggage, and a brief moment of concern when our taxicab stalled halfway up the hill to the Villa, I am finally here, and it is everything I had hoped. There aren't a ton of photos of the Villa Le Balze online, but like anything Georgetown puts its name on, the Villa itself is gorgeous.

In fact, the only thing more gorgeous than the Villa is its view, overlooking the entirety of Florence:

After our first group dinner - pesto pasta and individual chocolate cakes - I had the opportunity to sit outside and watch the sun go down. Everyone in the program seems endlessly nice and excited for what the next three weeks have in store, but being able to take a moment by myself to sit outside, read a book, and watch the sky was a nice change of pace from the stress of packing.

I'm really looking forward to what my first week has in store. I only got to snap a few photographs today, but I can't wait to really explore and shoot, especially since it's the perfect opportunity to test out my new lens. Here are two of my favorite photos from today, shots of one of the Villa workers tending to the location's renown seven gardens:

Tomorrow we begin our orientation, with a formal introduction to both our class and the city of Florence.

#villalebalze #florence #travel #photos #fiesole #georgetown