Time has been passing very quickly. I've realized that I'll have been in Italy a month this coming Wednesday. Now that I've settled into a routine, the days just roll by. Every weekend we travel as a group to surrounding cities. This past Saturday we went to Assisi and Perugia. Assisi was an amazing town. Its the town Saint Francis began the Franciscan order. It was interesting to visit the grave of the namesake of my favorite city. After visiting the Church of San Francisco, we explored the town and eventually made it to the market. I discovered that the weekend markets are where most people buy the things they need. You can get anything from shampoo to fruit and vegetables. Since I've been in need of warmer clothes I went in search of a sweater. Once I found one, I put my bartering skills to the test. I'm proud to say I haggled the price down three euro (I did all this in Italian, mind you.) It ended up costing seven euro, much better than the 280 euro sweaters in town.
From Assisi, we traveled to nearby Perugia. We only had three hours in this town, my friends and I decided to spend it in a leisurely manner rather than rush around. Emogene, Lindsey, Dan, and I found a great little pizza place and spent our time there. We had pizza, salad, and later coffees. I think it was the best meal I've had in Italy.
I spend my Sundays catching up on the work I wasn't able to do the day prior while traveling. So I spent most of the day drawing and working on art history. The weekend was caped nicely with a piano concert at the theater in town. It was an amazing recital, the pianist played pieces by Chopin, Liszt, and Debussy. The music was incredible and it was also a good opportunity to hand out with the locals. I feel like my Italian is coming along nicely. I'm not forced to use it much since I'm living and working with Americans but I've come a long way since the beginning of the semester.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
life in cortona
The semester is in full swing now and I’m beginning to settle into a routine with classes and homework. After a few crazy weeks of traveling the routine is welcomed. My schedule revolves around art and eating, not a bad way to live in my book. Italy is known for starting the slow food movement and that influence is apparent in our group dinners. We eat at a restaurant called Tonino’s every night and dinner is served in three courses lasting from seven-thirty to nine. I enjoy the leisurely meal and dinner conversation; it’s a pleasant way to end the day.
There is a very interesting group dynamic on this trip. The directors of the program keep referring to it as our family, which at first I thought was cliché but is proving to be true. We live in the same building, have breakfast and dinner together everyday, work in the same studio space, do our laundry together and even hang it on the same line. It’s a lot of togetherness; sometimes it’s hard to find a moment to be alone.
After a rainy weekend, the weather has cooled significantly. Everyone is wearing scarves and sweaters and they gave us extra blankets for our beds. Campus is near the top of the mountain, so to come up from town is quite a workout. The cool weather makes the trek much more pleasant. I’m starting to think I’m not prepared for the weather to get much cooler than it is now. My roommate from Minnesota brought several sweaters while I only brought one. In trying to pack light, I may have inadvertently left out a few essentials, like a coat. The clothing stores in town are great but very expensive. I walked into one to look at sweaters and the first one I picked up cost 280 euro (about 420 American dollars,) I immediately turned around and left. I need a Target. There is a thrift store in town that has clothes I can actually afford. In a few weeks I may be rocking a warm blazer straight from the eighties. I’m going and try to talk to the ladies who work here and figure out where I can find more reasonably priced clothes. Everyone can’t be wearing sweaters that cost half a grand each.
Yesterday was beautiful. It was the clearest day yet. I could see mountain ranges in the distance I didn’t know were there and the sky was an intense blue. When the sun was setting, the valley was illuminated in an almost eerie way, there were shadows that looked as though stretched for miles and every tree or house that caught the sun burned bright. It was breathtaking. I sat on the city wall for a while to absorb the view; I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
There is a very interesting group dynamic on this trip. The directors of the program keep referring to it as our family, which at first I thought was cliché but is proving to be true. We live in the same building, have breakfast and dinner together everyday, work in the same studio space, do our laundry together and even hang it on the same line. It’s a lot of togetherness; sometimes it’s hard to find a moment to be alone.
After a rainy weekend, the weather has cooled significantly. Everyone is wearing scarves and sweaters and they gave us extra blankets for our beds. Campus is near the top of the mountain, so to come up from town is quite a workout. The cool weather makes the trek much more pleasant. I’m starting to think I’m not prepared for the weather to get much cooler than it is now. My roommate from Minnesota brought several sweaters while I only brought one. In trying to pack light, I may have inadvertently left out a few essentials, like a coat. The clothing stores in town are great but very expensive. I walked into one to look at sweaters and the first one I picked up cost 280 euro (about 420 American dollars,) I immediately turned around and left. I need a Target. There is a thrift store in town that has clothes I can actually afford. In a few weeks I may be rocking a warm blazer straight from the eighties. I’m going and try to talk to the ladies who work here and figure out where I can find more reasonably priced clothes. Everyone can’t be wearing sweaters that cost half a grand each.
Yesterday was beautiful. It was the clearest day yet. I could see mountain ranges in the distance I didn’t know were there and the sky was an intense blue. When the sun was setting, the valley was illuminated in an almost eerie way, there were shadows that looked as though stretched for miles and every tree or house that caught the sun burned bright. It was breathtaking. I sat on the city wall for a while to absorb the view; I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
cortona!
We’ve finally arrived to Cortona! I can’t even begin to express how beautiful it is here. There’s a reason this region is know for its art, there’s just no way to put the beauty into words. The campus is at the top of mountain overlooking a rich valley of farmlands; there is a large lake in the distance and silhouettes of mountains all around. The campus is surrounded by vineyards that are dripping with grapes and olive groves that are beginning to fruit. I can’t wait to begin painting!!
The building we are living in is great; it’s a refurbished 15th century monastery with fresh white plaster walls, red tile floors, and very high ceilings. There are several terraces that overlook the valley and all the rooms have big windows. I’m rooming with Emogene, my friend from Minnesota and Fern, a sweet girl from California.
We begin classes on Monday but we’ve been able to spend time with our professors while we were traveling. Scott and Susan are my drawing and painting professors, respectively, and Roy is my printmaking professor. They’re open and friendly and I’ve already had several engaging conversations with them about art and their artistic philosophy. I’m looking forward to getting the perspective of teachers outside of the College of Design.
Now that I’m in Cortona, I’ll be able to email and update my blog and flickr regularly, so you’ll be hearing more from me now. I hope to hear from you too!
LOVE!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
roma!!
This morning we departed Roma and left for Firenze (Florence) and on our way stopped in la citta di Viterbo (The city of Viterbo.) Staying Rome was a wonderful introduction into the Italian culture. It was a very easy transition since it’s a tourist destination; it wasn’t difficult to find someone who spoke English. In fact, it was so easy it was almost annoying. I’ve been enjoying my attempts to speak Italian. I’ve become fast friends with a girl named Emogene, from Minnesota, and we’ve become travel buddies. She knows more Italian than I, so she’s coached me through some basic conversations. Today, I managed to go into a bar (not quite the same as American bars, you can order gelato and sandwiches at these.) and say hello, ask where the bathroom was, then order a drink, ask how much, pay, and say goodbye all by myself. A small accomplishment, but an accomplishment nonetheless. Not bad for only three days in Italy. I’m really excited about the prospect of actually learning to speak Italian. I’m taking a class once we get to Cortona, but I’m learning a lot through immersion. Yesterday, Emogene and I meet this guy who is an artist in Rome. We stumbled across his studio on a side street. She was able to have a 15 min conversation with him and she’s only been studying Italian for a summer. His work was awesome and there was so much I wanted to say to him, but I could only stand there and grin. That really motivated me to try and learn as much as I can while I’m here, and try and pursue it after I leave as well.
I’ve seen so much it the last few days its overwhelming. Ancient ruins, churches, and so many paintings and sculptures, its really hard to absorb it all. It’s amazing that so much is pact into one city. Even more amazing is that it’s a thriving modern town and not just a giant museum. We went into the Vatican yesterday and saw St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Vatican museum. It was an exhausting but exhilarating five-hour tour. When we finally got to the Sistine Chapel, I felt like my head was going to explode. Serious sensory overload... It was so beautiful though, I almost wish that was the only thing I saw that day so I could really take it in.
I’ve enjoyed finding quiet spots to sketch, when you slow down like that, you can really see where you are and fully appreciate it. It’s hard to race around and try to absorb it all.
It seems like I’ve been here a lot longer than a few days. I guess its because I’ve experienced so much.
The group of people I’m traveling with is great. We have bonded so quickly, it seems like I’ve know some of them for years. All of the vegetarians have to sit together at one table at dinner and the 8 of us have really grown close. It’s a hilarious time; we’re definitely the fun table at dinner. The group has required dinners every night, so the good times will carry out through the semester.
Tomorrow, we explore Florence!!
I’ve seen so much it the last few days its overwhelming. Ancient ruins, churches, and so many paintings and sculptures, its really hard to absorb it all. It’s amazing that so much is pact into one city. Even more amazing is that it’s a thriving modern town and not just a giant museum. We went into the Vatican yesterday and saw St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Vatican museum. It was an exhausting but exhilarating five-hour tour. When we finally got to the Sistine Chapel, I felt like my head was going to explode. Serious sensory overload... It was so beautiful though, I almost wish that was the only thing I saw that day so I could really take it in.
I’ve enjoyed finding quiet spots to sketch, when you slow down like that, you can really see where you are and fully appreciate it. It’s hard to race around and try to absorb it all.
It seems like I’ve been here a lot longer than a few days. I guess its because I’ve experienced so much.
The group of people I’m traveling with is great. We have bonded so quickly, it seems like I’ve know some of them for years. All of the vegetarians have to sit together at one table at dinner and the 8 of us have really grown close. It’s a hilarious time; we’re definitely the fun table at dinner. The group has required dinners every night, so the good times will carry out through the semester.
Tomorrow, we explore Florence!!
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