We woke up right in time for the sunrise to get to the airport for our study tour to Sardinia, a large island off the coast of Italy. We were able to go to a local farm and form some of our own pecorino, cheese made from sheep’s milk. After doing that, we headed to our hotel in Alghero and had free time for the rest of the day. My friends and I went to the beach right in time for the sunset, which was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen! After that we decided to grab dinner and wander around the city. The next day, we were able to go to Capo Caccia for a hike through a natural park, which ended in a spectacular view of the vertical cliffs. After that, we repeated what we did last night, and it was super relaxing!
I was super excited to return back to Rome! I had a ton of activities planned for throughout the week, including paintballing and a pasta-making class with one of my friends who was visiting from back home. At the class, I learned how to make homemade fettuccine and spinach-ricotta ravioli! It was super interesting to be able to do the class with my friends, and it required a lot of teamwork. We definitely had to work through some difficulties, including our inability to understand a lot of the techniques. But by helping each other out, we were able to figure out how to make the perfect bowl of pasta. This doubled as a skill that we could end up taking home with us, and will definitely be something that we end up sharing with our friends and family.
Throughout the week, I wandered throughout the city of Rome and found some local spots which I hope to come back to! It was nice to finally feel the sun and to understand the Italian culture in its finest by drinking coffee and enjoying all the carbs in the world. I found my favorite neighborhood, Trastevere, which is full of amazing restaurants and cobblestone streets. Some of my favorite restaurants were located here, including traditional Italian places as well as hip sandwich shops.