The Etruscans who built the massive city walls here in Perugia several thousand years ago used no mortar between the blocks of Travertine that they built with. Each block was painstakingly carved to fit tightly against its neighbors, and as a result five of the six original kilometers of Etruscan wall are still extant.

Umbra students may not have even noted the wall, as it was so well incorporated into the three hanging terraces which made up the outside of the steak house called Eden.

Yesterday night was the first aperitivo/dinner for the Umbra students, an opportunity for them to

see each other again, being now separated in different apartments and different schedules…and they had a lot to talk about.

Between bruschetta with tomatoes, cuts of Umbrian prosciutto and later local Umbrian sausages, students exchanged stories about navigating the city streets and adventures at Cinque Terre and Rome.

As night fell, lights coming on across the valley reminded them though, that the essay on Saint Francis (in Italian!) was still waiting.