A Winter Weekend in Italy

When I first pictured studying abroad in Italy, I envisioned warm weather, relaxing on gorgeous beaches, and spending weekends exploring the sun-drenched countryside. While I knew this would not be true for all of my time abroad, I did not consider just how magical winter in Italy would be. The streets of Perugia were strung with dazzling lights that glittered. The fog gave the city a mysterious, whimsical feeling while holiday music played throughout the main piazza. Christmas markets sprung up in Perugia and the nearby towns. On one of our final weeks in Perugia, my friends and I decided to make the most of the weather with a perfect winter weekend. 

On Thursday after finishing classes for the week, I headed home to my apartment to bake sugar cookies for my roommates. I listened to Christmas music in our cozy kitchen while the house filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies. After munching on some cookies, we met up with a few other friends in the city center of Perugia and headed to an exciting new spot that opened just for the winter season – an ice skating rink! While small, the rink sat on the edge of a patio that overlooked the city and Umbrian countryside. We rented skates and had fun looping around the rink and dancing to the mix of Italian and English music coming from the speakers. Our skating adventure ended with mugs of steaming Italian hot chocolate, which is much thicker than any hot cocoa I had ever tasted. 

The next day, we ventured out to Corso Vannucci, the main street in Perugia. The foggy weather from the previous few days had been replaced with bright sunshine that cut through the cold. During the holiday season, market stalls line the streets selling everything from Christmas trees and fresh mulled wine to leather purses and hand-knit scarves. My friends and I explored the booths before getting gelato. To warm up after our cold treat, we headed to Rocco Paolina where another Christmas market had recently opened. Rocca Paolina is a Renaissance fortress built in Perugia. More craft stalls lined the inside of the fortress, making an interesting juxtaposition between the old stone walls and the new products being sold. We were fascinated by a stand selling wooden dragonfly that balanced on the tip of your finger before moving on to smelling homemade soaps and digging through racks of vintage clothing. After a long day spent exploring the markets and shops throughout the city, we all headed back home to cook some pasta for dinner. 

Saturday began with a morning of finishing homework and projects to prepare for our final exams. We cooked homemade pizzas for lunch and relaxed together with a “fireplace ambience” on our television. Later,  we met up with our friends and hopped on a train to Arezzo, a town in Tuscany about an hour ride from Perugia. By the time we arrived, the sun was setting and the town was full of festive lights. We walked from the train station to the two main piazzas and it was like entering a Christmas wonderland. Wooden stalls lined the streets strung with millions of twinkling lights. A massive ferris wheel stood above everything, while the scent of delicious food and drink filled the air. We explored the square and shared massive soft pretzels fresh from the oven and sausage sandwiches before drinking countless mugs of the best hot apple cider I had ever had. After walking through a park filled with Christmas lights until our fingers were numb from the cold, we headed back to Perugia. 

While this weekend might not be the typical picture of Italy I entered study abroad with, it was one of my favorite weekends of the semester. A weekend filled with ice skating, apple cider, holiday lights, and making memories with my friends: the perfect winter weekend in Italy.