Observations from the steps...

Today I sat on the steps in Piazza Republica and watched a cat. Sleek and tawny, I'm sure he's fed daily by everyone in Cortona. He was sprawled out haughtily in the middle of the piazza when I arrived with my pizza and made myself comfortable on the sun-warmed steps. His expression was one of disdain, caring neither to move for cars or people, yet not letting anyone touch him either. He was like a rich man with an expensive sports car, pleased by how everyone was looking at him with slight awe in their gazes. When attention began to fade, he immediately recaptured it by springing up and stalking pigeons. As pigeons are the arch enemies of almost everyone (is it possible that anyone likes these fidgety, dirty birds?), we were all immediately rooting for him.

A couple of steps and then down: watching them with a lazy look in his eyes, mocking both us for watching him and the birds for not heeding his dangerous presence. They scurried around, picking at the crumbs of tourists. I'm not sure if they really haven't got a care in the world or if their brain is just too small to comprehend their own meaningless existence. Every time he got closer, they'd suddenly see another crumb farther on and dart after it. They never seemed to see him, yet always managed to keep moving away as a group. His tail swished impatiently, sensing the crowd's losing interest. A couple of people walked away, disappointed in his lack of a kill. The pigeons kept moving: some grabbing at crumbs too big for them and almost choking. "Get them, get them!" We were all encouraging the cat, feeling slightly sorry for this pompous sir. Finally, a couple of quick steps, a flurry of wings, and a leap into the air!

Pride dented, the cat was sprawled back down on the ground. "Never meant to actually catch the dirty things," he seemed to say. "I missed on purpose." An old man shuffled past, giving the cat a sympathetic ruffle on the head.

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. ;)




Angela climbing through the hole in the ground...





















Little doorway leading out of the tunnel (it was too dark in the tunnel for me to get a picture)...















...and a gorgeous view. :)

Sagra del tulipano

April 9^th, 2008

Last Sunday I went to my first Tulip Festival, or Sagra del Tulipano as it’s called here. It was the perfect spring day, sunny and warm. Never having gone to a festival solely dedicated to flowers, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know – it sounds cheesy and boring. Well it wasn’t. It was awesome.

While others had to take first the bus and then a train to get from Cortona to Camuchia (the town below Cortona) and finally to Castiglione del lago (Castle on the Lake – the town about fifteen minutes from Cortona where the festival was being held), Eddie and I merely hopped into Enea’s car and sped off. I tell you, life is so much easier when one has a car at one’s disposal. Despite everything I know you’ve heard about Italian drivers, they really aren’t too bad. Yes, roads are treated more as if both lanes are only one. And any car in front must always be passed. And most roads are so narrow that you hold your breath whenever another car passes in the opposite direction. But beyond that, it’s really not too bad. I think that living with such narrow roads (think: the main turn out of Cortona is so narrow that buses can’t enter the town and all drivers have to make a three point turn to leave) has conditioned drivers so well that for the most part they know how to handle their cars better than Americans.

Tulips, tulips, tulips! They were everywhere. Sprinkled generously on all the city walls, decorating shutters and signposts, and heaped around parked cars – they brightened up everything. There must have been thousands. The town itself is tiny – even smaller than Cortona – and situated on a hill overlooking the lake. From almost any vantage point you can see the shimmering water and the distant mountains, giving the impression of being on an island. The name of the town comes from the remains of a castle found on the very edge of town. The walls and towers remain, as well as one long passageway that leads to a bit of the remaining fortress, now a museum. It was nice being with a local – having grown up in the town, Enea knew a lot of people and got us into the castle for free. It was fun – climbing the narrow towers to get up to the top of the walls where the wind blew our hair into knots. We could see sailboats on the lake and peer over the walls to see the three tulip-covered cars that made up the parade (I repeat: it’s a small town).

After walking through the fortress, which spit us back into town, we walked over to the wine and cheese shop where Enea’s mom works. While waiting for our torta al testri to be made (toasted flat bread with chingali and cheese), Eddie and I got to taste different cheeses, with a running commentary on how old each was and how many years it had been buried under ground. One type of cheese, called formaggio di vino is steeped in wine and has an especially sharp kick to it. We also got to taste different types of chingali, wild boar. This meat is everyyyywhere in Italy and I haven’t been to a town yet whose cheese and meat stores don’t sport a wild boar head next to the door. Sometimes these boar heads even wear a pair of sunglasses. Not sure why, but there you go.

At about two o’clock the festivities kicked up a notch and non-stop parades, marching bands, and Italian folk dancers began to perform all over the city, often interrupting each other. We’d be watching dancers in one piazza when a marching band would come through, completely dispersing the dancers. It was rather funny. A very good example of Italian organization…or lack of it. We ran into a bunch of our classmates and after wandering around together for a bit, made a beeline for the gelatoria. Later Enea, Eddie and I (I feel like my name should start with “E” whenever I hang around those two. Maybe I’ll start going by my middle name, lol) ended up in a small park outside the castle walls and overlooking the lake. It’s an awesome little hide-a-way, made up of old, old olive trees, lots of grass, gravel pathways, and very convenient benches.

Noi abbiamo dormito in un parco.

We took a nap in the park.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. =D

Tulipano

un castello

Goofing around with Eddie on top of the castle walls

In recent news...

The mutant caterpillars have been spotted in all their disgusting nastiness. Point of fact, they do indeed travel in long squirming lines. No worries, there have been no casualties thus far and I have survived multiple sighting with no injuries inflicted.

Va bene

Everyone in the creative writing class is making lists right now. Since I don't want to feel left out, here is my list:

Things that make me happy:

1. Gummy Bears - there is no better treat.

2. Owls - they are practically a national symbol in Italy. This has to do with many strange and wonderful things, the result of which is that owls are good luck around here. One is called a gufo and a peck of 'em are called goofi. how can you get any better then that???

3. Time differences really make life interesting. Can you ever say that you've stayed up till 3:30 in the morning waiting to see a basketball game that you wouldn't care about otherwise???

4. Paper. I love buying huge rolls of important looking and yummy smelling paper. Even more than that, I love the importance of walking around town holding this impressive roll of paper. Everyone who sees me wishes that THEY were holding something as impressive and important and it is quite the delightful experience knowing everyone is jealous of the importance that this paper is bringing you.

5. A delicious and incredibly inexpensive lunch. Aka: my panino was most scrumptulicious, even though all it had on it were pomodori, formaggio, olio d'olivia, and aceto (vinegar).

Ahhh...va bene. =D

il mio posto favorito

My favorite spot in the dorm on warm, spring afternoons is my bathroom window sill. Climbing up is a little tricky, but with the window thrown wide open it’s the perfect place to sketch, read, or just people watch. Not falling out of the building is important, of course. The most interesting aspect of window sill sitting is the reaction – or rather, non-reaction - of those passing beneath. It’s surprising how many people never look up. There I am, sitting in plain view about three stories above the road, perfectly able to hear all conversations, and I only receive proper attention from about a third of pedestrians. This number is higher than it should be merely because (in an effort to be noticed) I’ll often swing my legs or move an arm to see how fast that'll catch their eye. It’s rather pleasing to note the looks of surprise on their faces, which are then replaced by curiosity. The braver (usually American) tourists will even engage me in conversation.

“Are you a student here?” they’ll holler. When I answer with the affirmative, they'll proceed to ask a couple of question or comment on how beautiful the day is (which is why I’m perched halfway out the building in the first place). Finally, they'll always conclude with a caution not to fall. Silly Americans...the only ones who actually worry about falling out of windows. Italians are intelligent enough to realize that danger is the spice of life, which is why all public monuments and buildings have high windows with no kind of safety netting or screening. I LOVE IT. =D

It's interesting to note how many people have managed to notice the prominent sign on the school (different building than the dorm and about fifty feet or so farther down the hill) indicating that this is University of Georgia Study Abroad property. There are many tourists who have wrongly deduced that this is either a hotel or a hostel and some even try getting rooms here. I’m sorry, but I’m not willing to share my beautiful castle with you. Please leave.

Finally, the best part of window sill sitting, of course, is the lopsided but completely cool tan which one acquires.

WARNING: mutant caterpillars on the loose!!!

The best April Fools’ Day joke is one that isn’t a joke. I give you, most seriously, the announcement that Chris gave us at dinner that night. I repeat, this is NOT a joke:

Chris: “Cortona has unfortunately been hit by a bad infestation…of caterpillars.”

[Announcement is paused while everyone in the room erupts into hysterical laughter]

Chris [trying to ignore laughter]: “These caterpillars, while looking like your normal variety of wooly-woolies, are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.”

[More laughter – we try not to fall off our chairs]

Chris: “I’m serious! [trying vainly to impress upon us the gravity of the situation] These caterpillars will shoot their spikes into your skin. This hurts and gives you a bad rash. It's not fun.”

[Still no success in getting us to stop laughing]

Chris: [valiantly persevering] “If you were student teaching in the elementary school this morning, then you saw the teachers freak out and set the caterpillars on fire.”

[?!?!?!? A ripple of shock and then we’re gone once again, laughing our heads off. This time the entire teachers’ table is laughing just as hard as us, including Chris.]

Chris: “Seriously though, if you see them, do NOT go near them! If you’re wearing flip-flops, don’t even step on them! Their spikes can go through your shoes. And another warning…they travel in colonies. So if you see them, they’ll be in a long line.”

[A long line???]

Chris: "Oh yeah...and don't go in the gardens next to Severini...they live in the trees and can drop down on your necks. It would be painful."

[Definitely the best April Fools’ Day announcement. Ever.]

….five minutes later….

Spencer (creative writing teacher): “…oh yeah! And once you skin them,” [he raises his fork up with the dinner meat on it] …they taste pretty good!”

[Everyone groans]