Arezzo: Roman Amphitheatre

AG: 

Before leaving Texas to go to Italy I really did not have any idea what to expect, but as we headed to Castiglion Fiorentino from the airport in Rome I was already falling in love. The scenery on simply the drive from that airport was quite something to see. The trees, how green and full of life everything was let me know immediately that we were surely not in Texas anymore. There was a certain tree that caught my attention on the drive; it looked like a large piece of broccoli. The reason I say that is because the leaves were only at the very top of the tree making it look like a giant broccoli. On Saturday we went to Arezzo and one of the places we stopped to see was called the Roman Amphitheatre. It was actually what was left of it, and it is actually now the location of an Archaeological Museum. This is where the picture above was taken. Within the travel and the classes we have had so far, I have learned that the long skinny trees in the back part of this picture are Italian cypress. We have learned that the reason these trees are tall, skinny, and different from what we are used to seeing is based on their recessive gene.  In Arezzo I saw those “broccoli trees” once again and it was then that I found out that the name of the tree was stone pine (Pinus pinea). Within a week of being here I have seen about 5 cities and there has not been one that disappoints me. All of them have been beautiful, from a small city like Castiglion Fiorentino and Castiglion del Lago to a big city like Florence. A week here and there has already been interesting experiences, many friendships built within the group of students that came on the trip, and many unforgettable memories.