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pictures from paradise

The fountain in the center of Perugia. Piazza IV Novembre

Our first view of the Basilica of St. Francis as we arrived in Assisi.

These dirty, mangy puppies were probably the cutest things I have ever seen. The one in my lap was trying SO HARD to tell me something with his eyes. I was trying so hard to understand him. When it was time for us to keep walking, it took everything in me not to stick him in my backpack and take him home with me.

We learned how to make homemade pasta. The Orsini family, an Italian family who does organic, sustainable farming on Lake Trasimeno, invited all of the students in our program to their home for a traditional country-style breakfast, pasta making, and wine-tasting. The women in the family are traditional, professional pasta makers, basically. Together, they taught all of us how to make home-made pasta and let us each take a turn helping. 
This is the view of Lake Trasimeno from the Orisini Family Home. The lake is BEAUTIFUL, and it was so refreshing to see water after being away from Minnesota for a little over a week. Unfortunately, the lake is toxic...so you can't actually go in it. But it's nice to look at. :)

One of the elderly Orsini women who taught us how to make the pasta.

The end result of our home-made pasta. It was DELICIOUS.
A view of the valley from Assisi. My friends and I hiked through Assisi for a couple hours after visiting the basilica, just enjoy the breath-taking views.

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