Visiting an Insane Asylum with my Photography Class

My photography teacher usually takes us to art exhibits and they are usually not very interesting, but today he took us to an "abandoned" insane asylum and I loved it. I put "abandon" in quotes because most of it is abandoned but there are still a couple buildings that are occupied by those with mental illnesses. The institution has the patients use art as a form of treatment and I must say, some of them are extremely talented. There was a man walking around with a cat and he was very camera shy. He hid behind a bush for the longest time with his cat and every couple of minutes he would peek his head out to see if I had put my camera away. I snapped a picture of him, but after I got one I put it away and he came out. I smiled and said "ciao" and he replied back with a simple "ciao." He walked around the entire time I was there but I only took one picture out of respect for him. There was also an abandoned orphanage that we went into and as we were walking around we found a homeless man that has been living in there for the past few years. I cannot begin to describe the horrible stench of his "house" but once we got past that we noticed all of his artwork and he, too, is an extremely gifted painter.  It was really interesting to just walk around watch the people who live there, I really wish I could have stayed longer and I wish my Italian was good enough to actually carry on a conversation with them.

Bebop and another trip to Viareggio!

Last night we went to see my friend Luca's band play and at this bar called Bebop. It has a really fun atmosphere and it doesn't get much better than listening to live music with great friends!

And today Theresa, Cecilia, Niccolo, and I went to the Viareggio beach again. The weather was much nicer today, and we ate the best seafood (too bad I never think to take pictures of my food)! It was a great day and I am going to miss days like these so much when I go home. I have made such great friends here that the thought of leaving is just unfathomable at this point.

Beautiful afternoon at the Cascine Park

This afternoon I went to the Cascine Park with a couple of my roommates and our friend Niccolo. He brought his sister's dog and we walked all around. I've been having animal withdrawals ever since I got to Florence so it was so nice to have a dog to play with! Tonight we are going to this bar called Bebop to watch our friend Luca play in his band. They play all classic 80's rock songs, which if you know me at all, you know that is my favorite type of music.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to the beach so hopefully the weather stays nice. Have a wonderful weekend, xoxo!

Giardino di Boboli

Today was the most beautiful day in Florence and I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing like springtime in Italy! Went to the Boboli Gardens this afternoon with some friends; we had a great time relaxing and enjoying the amazing view. I love days like these.

I cannot believe I am only here for one more month. I could cry at the thought of leaving.

Viareggio Beach

Yesterday my roommate Cecilia and I went to Viareggio with our friends Luca and Niccolo who are from Florence. It was a really fun day and the weather was great for the first half of the day, but then it started to rain so we grabbed lunch and walked around for a little bit before heading back to Florence. Great day with great friends!