language of the homeland

I started Italian lessons on Tuesday (!!!!!) I am beyond excited, I have been wanting to do this for awhile and finally took the plunge and signed up for a 10 week session. We have a great Italian cultural center in Chicago that offers lessons. If you want to take classes sign up here :) They also have events like wine tasting (count me in), dinners featuring different regions' traditional food and Italian movie night.

My text book! (infinitely more exciting than Spanish books I had in high school...)

And because I love an excuse to post pictures from Italy... 

Sister and I in front of the Vatican, Summer 2006

View of St. Peter's Square after our climb to the very top of the duomo (summer 2008). I love the symmetry of the columns surrounding the square. It just looks so, well...perfect. I read (and probably heard this during our tours of the grounds!) that Bernini designed the two walls of columns to symbolically embrace the crowds. The square can hold up to 100,000 people during religious ceremonies outside. Pretty darn amazing. 

Alright, that's all I'll say about Italy today. 

HAPPY, HAPPY FRIDAY!