Assisi and First Project

Our first project was due on Sunday. It was our task to select a space within Castiglion Fiorentino that needed a little modification in some way. We did some analysis of the space and then developed a "Modest Proposal." My space was a courtyard that is located between two high schools: one is the arts based school and the other is the technical school. My proposal was to add some stairs to make an outdoor classroom and a place for the students to hang out between classes.

This was our first experience of spending an extended amount of time in studio all working to create a final project. It was also my first time watercoloring and I am pretty surprised at how well it turned out. We will have to see what my professor Tony has to say.

Our field trip this week was to Assisi. Of course, we were prepared for rain. However, we were pleasantly greated with grey skies that in the afternoon turned into partly cloudy, blue skies. It is truly amazing what a few sun rays can do to liven up a town and my mood. I had been to Assisi in 2004 while it was raining and only saw the middle and lower churches of San Francesco. This trip we got to see several of the other churches in town, including Santa Chiara or St. Claire, the namesake of our study center. The body of St. Francis' dear friend St. Claire was entombed in the crypt and had been found under the altar uncorrupted during a more recent renovation. However, when they exhumed the body, her face began to rapidly deteriorate. They sent her body to France to have a wax mask made to preserve her likeness. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the churches. Our tour guide told a story of an American tourist that asked her why there were so many statues of cats in Assisi. She was puzzled by the question and then responded that to him those statues may look more like an American housecat, but those are Italian lions!

After lunch, we were left to our own devices. Some of us walked up to the Rocca Maggiore, a ruined fortress. The views from the fortress site were absolutely breathtaking. On one side, the town spills down the hill into a valley below, not unlike the Salt Lake Valley. On the other, a mountainous wilderness is punctuated by the occaisonal watchtower and hilly pasture where sheep can be found grazing. It was a very stark divide between civilization and the primeval forest.

The sun had finally been able to break free from the clouds and was streaming "God rays" down onto the valley floor below. The play of light and shadow, as well as the recent rains, made the colors extra deep and gave great contrast.

Assisi turned out to be one of my favorite field trips that we have been on so far. The town was very quaint and a new vista was around every medieval bend. The streets were stepped in some instances where they were too steep. They were even steeper than the hills in CF!

The town of Assisi is very linear in plan and has a great deal of elevation change. It made navigating fairly easy, as the next stop on the tour was visible from the starting point. In the distance, you can see San Francesco. The church is actually a Papal basilica and is property of the Vatican. The Romanesque church that was built in the middle is very luxurious with many frescoes by Giotto, Cimabue, Lorenzetti and many others. Our tour guide, and myself, felt that St. Francis would be appalled at the wealth that went into the church. The tomb of St. Franics is in the lower church, which was built later and is more along St. Francis' aesthetic. The upper church is Gothic in style and is the location that was damaged by a severe earthquake that killed several monks and fresco restorers. While we were in the middle church, a man wearing a hat was walking around inspecting various aspects of the building. It turns out that he is in charge of the very prestigious restoration team. Some of his friends and colleagues were among those who died when the upper church's ceiling collapsed.

Well, sorry this took so long to update. We have been having internet difficulties. I hope to update you on my weekend travels to Lucca, Pisa and Viareggio within the next day or two, so stay tuned. But for now, that's all folks.

Bella Roma

We made it back safe and sound on Sunday after travelling to Rome and Pompeii. We were exhausted after our journey and were very happy to return to our 'home' at Santa Chiara. Alli has a pedometer and kept track of the miles that we walked each day. In total, we walked 60 miles in 6 days. The maximum for a single day was 14 miles, 2 of which were done in the Vatican Museum winding our way to the Sistine Chapel! While at the Vatican, we made a visit to St. Peter's Basilica to see the splendid architecture. However, as we walked in, we found the basilica was set up for Mass with pews in the main nave and curtains on the right side of the church covering Michaelangelo's famous sculpture of the Pieta. I grabbed a program and used my limited Italian to decipher what was happening. I opened the front cover and written in red, it said that Pope Benedict XVI was saying Mass in celebration of the 15th World Day of the Sick! We crowded our way to the end of the barricades and landed behind some exuberant Asian tourists. We had a view of the main altar and decided to stay around to see if Mass would begin soon. All of a suddern, the Asians in front of us decided to leave, so I wedged my way in to the very front. A few moments later, Mass began and seemingly docile nuns lept up onto their chairs to get a better glimpse of B16. From my vantage point, I was able to take some pretty good photos considering how far away I was from the action. This was the point in the trip that it would have been beneficial to have lugged the telephoto lens with me! A very kind man that had a ticketed seat in the congregation offered to take a photo with my camera. It is to him that I give credit of the photo above.

We went back to St. Peter's another day to try and climb the dome and get into the crypt, but the line was too long for us to wait. I know that I will be back when my family comes to visit, so I was not too disappointed.

The day that we saw the Pope we had a scheduled tour of the Vatican Museum. The company we booked our tour with didn't know that the museum was closed that day. Personally I found it to be much more rewarding to go back to the museum on my own time and linger or skip past less engaging pieces. This sculpture is entitled Laocoon and I just love the way emotion is seen throughout the body form and facial expression.

Another site that I went back to numerous times was the Colosseum. The first time was on a tour with a large group of people and guess what...it was raining! Rain followed us on the first few days and it even snowed on the way to Pompeii, but the weekend turned out to be much warmer and we had blue skies for our photographs. So, I went to the Colosseum at night to see it lit up and again in the morning to see it with good sunlight. I have heard that it is good to get the audioguided tour if you enter the Colosseum and your ticket also allows you to get into the ancient Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. Another thing that I will be taking my family to when they visit.

At night, the Colosseum and many other Roman sights take on a different glow and are worth visiting at various times of day. For example, the Trevi Fountain is illuminated at night and hundreds of tourists, and annoying street venders selling fiber optic statues of the Colosseum, crowd the steps.

The Pantheon is another site that is worth visiting at different times. The sunbeam traces a path around the coffered dome throughout the day. I had been told that the dome was so tall that the rain evaporated before hitting the multicolored marble below. That is not true because the first time we visited...it was raining. Raphael the artist, not the turtle, is buried at the Pantheon.

Our scheduled itinerary with K-State ended on Friday at the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Our History of Science professor Giovanni (it seems like everyone is named Giovanni here) got us into the site without having to pay the entrance fee and took us to the archaeological labs that are not open to the public. The scientists there were very proud of their findings and got great joy out of our ooohs and aaahs. They had a loaf of bread, slightly charred, that was almost completely whole. They had large quantities of a type of pea that is no longer found on Earth. They had wax tablets and textiles and a basket! It was truly astounding at what we saw on the shelves and in open containers.

Mt. Vesuvius was shrouded in snow and provided an ominous reminder of the fate of so many people trapped in the city and along the coast. Of course, one of the most famous artifacts from Pompeii is the casts of the imprints left by people buried in the ash and hot gasses. The scientists have learned a great deal about the people that lived and died in Pompeii and yet there is much more to be excavated. The Italian government has run out of money for the project and so the scientists are just trying to preserve what has already been uncovered with the hope that the things left buried will be safe for a few more years to come.

All in all, Rome was a very rewarding trip. It gave me a sense of confidence in my navigation skills and I gained a little more insight on my host country. Rome is a very different place from Castiglion Fiorentino. I am glad that I can visit such amazing wonders in such a short journey, but I know that Castiglion Fno (as the train sign abbreviates) is where I am supposed to be. In Rome, I tried to practice my Italian with different vendors and many times they would just answer back in English. It came across to me as kind of an insult, as I felt I was labeled as a foreigner even though I am trying to immerse myself in their culture. It was very strange to be able to eavesdrop on a conversation of complete strangers speaking English as they were walking down the steps of the Piazza di Spagna. I much prefer the sometimes awkward exchanges with the locals, such as Bruno the owner of the laundromat or the Moretti bus driver taking me to my first watercolor class. Rome, minus the typical sites that define it, could be mistaken for any other large city.

After just getting back, we will be travelling to Florence on Wednesday. It is also time to make final Spring Break plans. Several of us had wanted to go to Greece, but due to its economic situation and recent transportation strikes, I am rethinking my options. The economic downturn is being felt here too, as there is a train strike scheduled for Friday, the day we were going with our professor to the nearby town of Cortona. The key words of this trip are "Be Flexible."On our last day in Rome, we made a short excursion to Santa Maria in Cosmedin. In the portico of the church, the Bocca della Verita, or Mouth of Truth, can be found. It is rumored that if you stick your hand into the mouth and are a liar, your hand will be bitten off.

Also at the church, a relic of St. Valentine can be found in a side chapel. It was kind of a happy coincidence as the day that we visited the church was Sunday, February 14th!

"Who's performing at half-time?" "Yes."

I am sorry that it has been so long since I have updated my blog. We have had a very busy week. Last Wednesday we went to Florence for our field trip. We got to see a lot of buildings, but didn't get to spend a lot of quality time absorbing the architecture. The only thing that we were absorbing was the incessant rain that seems to only appear on travel days.

When I was here in 2004, I hadn't learned about the architecture, only about the history surrounding it. I was much more appreciative of the things that I was seeing this time around. We got to see Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce and the Pazzi Chapel, Palazzo Strozzi, and the Palazzo Vecchio. After lunch, we went to the History of Science Museum to meet our proffessor for a tour. They have several of Galileo's original scientific instruments. They also have Galileo's right middle finger. I guess even in death he is giving the finger to the all those who thought he was a heretic.

This weekend was jam-packed with activities. On the first Friday and Saturday of the month, the nearby town of Arezzo has an antiques fair. The main streets are lined with all types of junque. There was jewelry, furniture, books, instruments, and even African masks. We walked around for several hours and our professor Tony took us into some buildings that we had only passed by on our previous tour. There are several works of art from famous artists even in this small town. This crucix was done by Cimabue.

Sunday was also a day of fun. Carnivale began last weekend and lasts for the next three Sundays in preparation for Lent. Children dress up in silly costumes and spray confetti or silly string on innocent bystanders. Foiano is a nearby town that has held a Carnivale parade since the Middle Ages. Our group ventured over to Foiano by bus and joined in the festivities. There are four neighborhoods that compete with their floats and each year they are bigger and better. It is quite interesting to watch the mechanized floats squeeze through the narrow and crooked streets. They fold up to fit through the narrowest opening and unfurl their wings/tentacles/appendages in more open streets. Many of us got confettied by small children who quickly scampered for cover behind their parents. One of the local artists that teaches at Santa Chiara was in charge this year for designing a float. It was Alice and Wonderland themed and had people of the neighborhood dressed as cards leading the procession. The music they danced to was "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa and a few AC/DC songs.

So, after we returned to Castiglion Fiorentino, we relaxed for a little while. A few of us went to the local pub, The Velvet Underground (lovingly referred to as the VU) to watch the Super Bowl. We talked about staying until halftime and when I asked about the halftime entertainment, it turned into a bit of an Abbott and Costello moment. They didn't play any American commercials and it started after midnight our time. I was kind of rooting for the Colts, because I know that Lauren would want me to! We made it to the Saint's first field goal, and then headed for home.

Tomorrow we leave for an extended trip to Rome. Our History of Science teacher is taking us to Pompeii on Friday. We are going to see the research labs that are on-site. Look for a new post next week after we return on Sunday.