Wow, we are about half way through our maymester, and days just keep flying by. Cortona is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There are endless views and endless hills to climb, as the UGA campus is set at the top of the mountain that Cortona is built into. Every day, I wake up and look out my bedroom window at one of the most fantastic vantage points of the valley where Camucia sits. The sun comes up over the mountains and reflects against the third largest lake in all of Italy. Red roofs and green shrubbery dress the rolling hills, and white clouds glide through the clear blue skies.
I love Cortona, the people, the town, the gentle way that the people work together like cogs in a greater machine. I can walk through the street and see locals talking and drinking coffee and loving each other with the smooth words they speak. It makes me miss home and my people quite a bit. If only they could be here with me, that would be perfect.
Class has been great too. I have learned so much about not only vineyard practices, but also tasting and food pairing. It is incredible how much you can do and learn in one short month. We get to take field trips and see the places where history took place. We get to taste wine and meet new friends in a city so far from where we permanently reside. This experience, this month, is one that will never be forgotten.
From Cortona, to Perugia, to Florence, to Chianti, to many more places I will go. I’m just here soaking up the Tuscan sun.