I had my first decent night’s sleep last night. I’m not sure if it was because I was comfortable or if it was because I was just so exhausted. The bed is completely hard as a rock. I’m used to my queen-sized bed at home, so this twin is also going to take some getting used to. I kept kicking my leg into the wall. I’m sure my roommates loved the loud bangs every other hour from my shifting legs. 

I woke up early to the sounds of church bells that rung in no particular pattern. Just an explosion of sounds. It was quite beautiful, though not very welcomed at 7:30 a.m. At least it woke us up in time for breakfast at 8 a.m.; croissants with Nutella and orange juice. I really craved something fresh and healthy after all that bad airplane food.  

Today should be an interesting day. I’m looking forward to the day when the locals know that we’re here to stay and not come-and-go tourists. Then, maybe they’ll be a little nicer. Italians, often times, get sick of struggling with language barriers with tourists from around the world. 

I got a lot of men looking at me when I walked along la strada (the street) to the beach, but they just looked. No one tried to talk to me. We’ll see how today goes. In Florence the men are much more forward than they are here. It’ll almost take some getting used to. I have all the confidence in the world because I’m the exotic girl from California (with Italian heritage no less!), but they don’t run after me like they did in Florence. Sounds cheesy, but it REALLY boosts your confidence. Those Florentines don’t quit. 
 
Right now I’m wearing a black and white polka dot bikini with a high-waisted black skirt and my favorite bright yellow cardigan tied at the waist. It’s a beach town, so I can get away with this as a day’s outfit.  
 
I’m looking forward to later today. We have a meeting with our professors to get organized and get our bus passes. Then we have a welcome dinner. I have this great empire waist dress by DKNY. Its ivory, with a purple and black flower print, that accentuates my waist really nicely. I think it will make the perfect first impression that I’m looking for.

I just want my Italian professor to tell me the good things that are to come: the welcome dinner, with the hopefully cute waiters, the trip to a medieval city for dinner, a conference with Umberto Ecco (a famous Italian author), a wine tasting field trip, the trip to Florence, and best of  all: SHOPPING! I’m dying to hit up the open air markets in Florence as I’ve written a million times. They are really that good!! 

I’ve got my outfit together for tonight, I’m feeling relaxed, and it’s still mid-morning. I’m going to take my leather bound journal and headphones and go people watch and write in my journal! People watching here is a sport. No joke.