Italian Roamer: Celebrating my birthday...Italian style! :)

Usually celebrating your 21st birthday is difficult because of the many high expectations that come along with it. I, however, escaped many of these expectations simply because I've already been allowed to legally drink for three months and HEY! I'm in Italy. =) I am glad to say, however, that my birthday was awesome. It was unique and special, with a large part of that due to my awesome family here in Cortona.

Most people would say that the best part of their 21st birthday was in the evening. Mine, however, started much, much, much earlier than that. Because of finals, many of my friends were in an awkward situation - celebrate my birthday? or finish their art history paper?? Several, however, were able to clear their schedule just for me. =D =D Eddie, my roommate, actually pulled an all-nighter just so that she'd be able to celebrate properly with me - which meant getting up at 5:45 in the morning. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. It was in the wee hours of the morning, right before midnight, that the party really began. I was up, finishing my art history paper and writing letters, when some of my friends decided that they needed to usher in my birthday properly. Imagine my surprise when at exactly midnight the crowded common room was plunged into darkness and suddenly everyone was singing happy birthday. I even got a twisted candle that was lit and squeezed into a bottle, along with toast smeared with nutella. Ah, nutella.

After a stolen four hours of sleep, which I hesitate to even mention because Eddie didn't go to bed at all and several other friends pulled two or three all-nighters in a row in an attempt to finish homework, Eddie, Erin, Angela, and I met Enea outside the dorm. We had decided that the only way to perfectly start my birthday was with a breakfast picnic up on top of the mountain, overlooking the sunrise. Eddie was in charge of location, so we followed her a short ways up the road, through a blocked construction area, and up to where the city wall cut through a dewy field. I had some inside knowledge of our destination, so I got to enjoy the looks of complete shock on Angela and Erin's faces when we got to a hole in the wall, slightly larger than a snake's den, and began to climb through. "No really, where're we going?!?" Angela demanded. Eddie and I could barely stop laughing.

The snake hole led into a tunnel (which I believe is one of many old Etruscan caves and tunnels that are scattered throughout the hill), which leads around a corner and to a teeny-tiny doorway. You walk through the doorway and BAM, gorgeous view just waiting for you. We came prepared with a blanket, sandwiches, pastries, and (of course) wine. Because how else do you start off a 21st birthday? Sitting there and sipping wine, I realized that 6am Italia time is actual 12am North Carolina time, so I really was starting out my birthday at the perfect time. Okay...so we ended up sitting on the wrong side of the mountain and we didn't get to see the sun rise, but it too cloudy for that anyway.

Much of the rest of the day was spent preparing for the end-of-semester art show. I got to paint pedestals, move easels, transport artwork, and then finally A NAP. Later, after dinner and a lengthy meeting regarding the shipping of artwork home, Eddie, Erin, and Marsha (roommates) surprised me with a birthday cake. Since I had gotten another candle and round of "happy birthday" at dinner, this was my third "cake" of the day. It was awesome. =D After that, of course, we got all dressed up and went out into town. Which was also a blast. But I'll leave that part to your imagination. ;)