Sotto una pioggia di parole

Because all good blogs must come to an end. In this case, I couldn't convince myself anything else was more appropriate than ending the blog with its namesake.

Rome, a Taxi, and 30 minutes

December 20 was my last night in Italy. Bridget and I left Perugia earlier in the day by Sulga bus...after having missed an earlier one. So we arrived in Rome a little later than expected, meaning we were in a rush to do quite a few things. First and foremost, we had to get to Fiumicino airport in time to miss our flight. Still, before doing that we wanted to have dinner with our friend Jackie. I had a great spaghetti alla carbonara dinner and I enjoyed being in Jackie's company once more before heading back home.

Bridget really wanted to see the Colosseum before leaving. Although we were short on time (it was around 8:00 pm at this time), she convinced me to take a taxi-tour (we made that up) before heading to the train station to take a bus out to the airport. The adventure that ensued via taxi was amazing and a way-too-appropriate ending to the dynamic life I lived in Italy. A million thanks to the wonderful taxi driver who waited for us while we jumped out of the taxi to take some final pictures in front of the Colosseum. 

Here are my final pictures in Italy:

La fiera dei sogni

My final night in Perugia, oppure la notte dei desideri.

Henry giving a final toast to the amazing experiences we had in Perugia.

The group huddled around two meter-long pizzas. The good life!

The boys!

Our final good-bye to Chiara. :(

Henry and Raff enjoying the Ferris Wheel, haha!

Raff, overtaken by the excitement of midnight walks in Perugia during December.

Undoubtedly one of the best groups of friends I could have made abroad. Until we meet again, guys!

La Sicilia: Piazza Armerina & la Valle dei Templi

Part 3: We hadn't planned on visiting Piazza Armerina, but when we got back to Catania's airport and found out we couldn't get a late-night bus to Taormina, we made the choice to head west instead.

Olivier enjoying Piazza Armerina at night!

Check that out!

Exploring the city at midnight.

Mosaici della Villa Romana.

These were really cool.

This may have been one of my favorites.

The next day, we ended up at the Valley of the Temples near Agrigento.

This picture and the last were only taken within about 10 minutes. That's how ridiculous the weather was that day.

For December, everything was still very green.

The rainbow was a nice touch.

Olivier and I in front of Giunone.

Sicily was, without a doubt, the best trip I took within Italy.

La Sicilia: Noto

My last big trip in Italy. Part II: December 8.

Benvenuti a Noto!

There were some really impressive buildings.

From a rooftop.

Il Duomo di Noto.

At dusk, I was able to capture this picture. Cool cloud formations!

Oli and I walked around the town which had a completely different feel at night.

That architecture!

Of all the beautiful cities I saw in Italy, this was my favorite!

La Sicilia: Catania & Siracusa

My last big trip in Italy. Part I: December 6 & 7.

La Peschiera, Catania.

Canoli! These are filled with ricotta cheese, sprinkled with ground pistachios, and incredibly delicious!

Heading out to...

Siracusa (Syracuse)!

The city's cathedral.

Olivier shooting at a Roman amphitheater in Syracuse.

Sei mesi più tardi...

Il Lago Trasimeno is only a half an hour train ride from Perugia, but that didn't stop me from taking 6 whole months to get there! It's a beautiful lake with a quiet island in the center named L'Isola Maggiore. The weather was perfect when I visited, which made walking around a very relaxing experience.