Day 4/5: It's not called soccer

Plazza dell'indipendenza

Area around the Duomo - shops and cafes

fantastic marketing by a gelateria (I was sold)

Inside of the market

The past couple of days I feel like I've really gotten to know my way around. At least to the point where I don't need to stuff my face in a map at all times. Yesterday we went on a group tour of a section of the city for class which was kind of pointless but at least it took the place of class for the morning. Afternoon hit and I was in need of a nap - 2 1/2 hours later I felt more than rested (I like this whole siesta thing, I'm trying to make a habit of it). There's a place across the street I like to go to get work done and do some reading so I got a coffee and hung out there for a couple of hours. It was definitely more of a chill day for me. At night the city looks completely different and it's cool to see the churches, cathedrals, and rivers lit up and without all of the tourists.

Today (Saturday) I got to sleep in which was far overdue - followed by a shower and I felt like a million bucks. For the first part of my day I set out to explore a different part of town and ran into some cool plazas, fresh markets, cafes, and parks. The market I stopped at was really cool - people would back their van/truck into their spot, set up a couple of tables and put out their fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and breads. The market probably took up the size of half of a football field. The cafes are interesting because every one of them offers breakfast, lunch, pastries, bakery items, coffee drinks, gelato, and alcohol - the variety is crazy for such small stores. Also, you don't pay until you leave the cafe - so you just order, stay for however long you desire, and then tell someone else what you got and pay. Then I decided to finish my school work (which is just reading that is due before the next class). 8:00 r0lled around and me and my roommate were starving so we found a place to get a burger and watched the UEFA champions league finals match where an Italian team was playing so that was packed and a lot of fun and kind of smelled like BO but thats expected. Italy is a really cool place and I find myself enjoying it more and more as I become more familiar with the culture, customs, and city.

**photos brought to you by my iphone