Ivrea

A couple weeks ago I went to Ivrea for the photography contest that I entered and won. The picture chosen was the bell tower of Siena. Ivrea is in the northern region of Piemonte (near Milano and just north of Torino). I joined a group of AFS students who visited several areas including: Lago San Michele, two castles (one in the Alps), and Torino. In the Alps I bought typical cheese and salame from the region, and in Torino I bought typical chocolate (made from hazelnuts). In Torino I drank Bicerin (famous in Torino). This drink consists of coffee, pure chocolate, and whipped cream. The architecture is very interesting in Torino because all the buildings are the same height (symbolising unity and equality), however, there is one exception to this plan. It is a building constructed by Mussolini during WWII, and it rises above all the others. It represented the Facism, and during the bombing by the British and American armies it was untouched. I also saw the shroud of Christ in the main church of Torino (and was very lucky because the exhibit opens only every 10 years). My new friend (from Hong Kong) and I also visited the Museum of Cinema for a few hours.

On the last day in Ivrea I went to an old Catholic church for a 1st Communion service of my temporary host siblings. It was my first service in a Catholic Church- and in Italian too!!

I have had several requests to post photos of my friends in Firenze, so I uploaded one from a field trip to the British Institute of Florence. Some of their names are Federico, Vieri, Clelia, Pedro, Filippo, Saverio, Francesca, Silvia, Chiara, and Niccolo.

I also uploaded a few from a concert I went to recently. My friends are part of the band, and are all my age.