I got to spend an entire weekend with my family! I went up to Vicenza which is in northern Italy to spend some time with my cousins Rich and Angelita. They moved to this area about three years ago. We had an amazing time! It was so nice to get a little taste of home while I'm so far away. When I went up there, I actually had an assignment to read Juggling the Stars by Tim Parks. This book actually takes place mostly in Vicenza and Verona which is about 30 minutes from my cousins house. It was interesting to learn about some of the places like Romeo and Juliet's
castles in the book, then actually seeing them with my cousin. It's important to understand that the two castles in Vicenza are the "summer castles" of Romeo and Juliet. The ones they lived in are in Verona. (I've included a picture of the view of Vicenza from the top of Juliet's summer castle.)My professors have been telling me that the next book we're reading, Italian Neighbors (also by Tim Park,) will go more in depth with the Vicenza. I'm really excited to read it now that I've seen some of the Vicenza area.
