Back-blogged: A Pompeii Entry Three Weeks Late

Those of you who have grown weary of my inconsistent updates will soon have more to read.  Though this update will cover a somewhat uneventful two week period (or so), I plan on updating a lot more once I venture off on my own, beginning July 3^rd when I head to Bled, Slovenia.  Since my last update I’ve had a couple of papers due, not a lot of exciting things to write about, but have remained just as busy as always.  It’s a weird combination that usually sucks all motivation to write these blogs out of me, but again, that will change soon.

The last time I updated, I was scorning Rome for its crowds, tourist traps, and excessive use of the English language.  In retrospect, I hope I didn’t seem too…elitist? Pretentious? Ungrateful?  I’m not sure which one, if any, of those describes how I really was perceived, but I felt weird afterward.  Maybe it was the heat.  Anyway, Rome is a wonderful place to visit, but I think I’ve just grown too accustomed to small town Tuscan life and maybe even a little weary of our large group.  I’ve since had some nice experiences with my classmates in Sorrento, Pompeii, and back in Florence for a second time.  

The late-week trip to Rome was succeeded by a weekend trip south to the part of Italy we describe in POLS 313 as “different.”  In class we mostly talk about the way the south votes, its education level, and economic status, but it is definitely different from anywhere I’ve been so far.  Obviously, it’s hotter, more graffiti-ridden, and Naples is infamous for the reputation of “pickpocket capitol of Italy,” which it luckily didn’t have a chance to defend while we traveled through it and looked for food outside the train station, but there is a lot to see there.  We stayed in a small area of Sorrento actually called Piano di Sorrento, two tram stops from Sorrento proper and its ridiculous lemon groves.  The lemons themselves range, on the lower end, from what we would call large lemons in the states all the way to about four times the size of my fist.  That’s a lot of potential for Limoncello… which I couldn’t resist tasting when we finally found a store offering free tastes.  It’s strong, about 30% alcohol, and even though I don’t really like lemon flavor too much, was pretty tasty.  There’s so much more out there I’d rather drink, though I understand the appeal.  I didn’t spend much time in Sorrento, as we spent the meat of our Saturday in Pompeii, which was my first priority heading south.  It did not disappoint. 

Truthfully, I didn’t have much background information on Pompeii.  I knew it was near Mt. Vesuvius, Europe’s only active volcano (not counting that one in Iceland—you know the one), and that in 79 A.D. it erupted, encasing the area around Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash, preserving it more than damn near anywhere else in the world from that time.  And I’d heard there were mummified bodies of the people who decided to stick around, though they apparently had two weeks to leave (kind of reminded me of Katrina or Oklahoma circa 1930s, but with worse consequences for the stubborn ones), and it did not disappoint in that department, either.  I saw four or five bodies and one dog suspended in the forms their bodies took as they suffered asphyxiation, mouths still open from their hopefully quick death by asphyxiation.  These two-thousand year old bodies still had their teeth, skull and basically all of the rest of their skeletal anatomy (not exposed), and it was really something to see.  Even though the people from two millennia ago were a lot smaller and deader, the tour we commissioned from a certified local for about 5 Euro each let me know that ancient people were inherently similar to us today.  They had plumbing, more or less, purified water, indoor lighting, speed bumps, raised sidewalks, and so many similar comforts and institutions we have today.  As many people who visit Pompeii have seen, there is even a brothel.  But wait, these are ruins, and even though they’re well-preserved, it seems mostly like speculation what some buildings were used for.  Not this one.  One of the other amazing things about Pompeii is the preserved wax frescoes and art on the walls, arguably the most interesting of which adorning said brothel.  In startling clarity, the illustrations depict ancient people enjoying each other’s company in various positions.  According to the guide, ancient citizens would go in, find themselves a girl, then either point to a position depicted on the wall, describe it in local speak, or failing that, and this image cracked me up, simply gesture.  Obviously prostitution has been around for as long as there have been financial transactions, but the next part really made me think of present-day bars and clubs.  If you didn’t have the money to actually rent a woman for the evening, you could pay the equivalent of two glasses of wine and just watch.  Basically, you paid a cover charge.  Maybe I’m spending too much time on this subject, but I’ve seen nothing but churches and ruins on this trip so far, so it was almost refreshing to identify with ancient civilizations in a different way. 

The next day, Sunday, I wanted to take a bus through the Amalfi Coast, which served as my TAMU Open Access Lab computer desktop wallpaper for a good amount of the school year, but checking the train schedule back to Castiglion Fiorentino the night before I found that it wasn’t a realistic option.  Such is life traveling in Italy, especially on Sunday, which I should’ve figured would be less convenient using regional trains.  But we were able to make it back to Castiglion by dinner, which was an accomplishment, and I got to try out my first Intercity train in the process, which was about 8 Euro more, but ensured a more convenient arrival home and not having to pay for dinner.  Plus it was faster and more comfortable, and I’m not used to any amount of luxury.

And speaking of luxury, I’m writing this update on a EuroStar aka top-of-the-line train from Florence to Venice with the A&M group and it is pretty great.  I just returned to my seat after getting a cappuccino in the restaurant car, and if I could figure out how to pay for it, I could use a wifi connection to actually post this blog rather than copy it over from Microsoft Word, where I’m composing it right now.  These trains go ridiculously fast and to look at them it’s obvious they were built for speed.  We’ll get from Florence to Venice in about two hours which is blazing fast—sure beats the regional trains that stop in every town.  But anyway, back to the update. 

**Actually I ran out of time before finishing on the train and have since been to Venice and Amsterdam, so it’s hard to keep writing from that point of view.  So my next blog will be more current, recapping the events of the last week or so instead of three weeks ago, when I was in Pompeii. Long story short I made it home for dinner, and the next week visited Assisi and Florence again, which are almost better to just be told about rather than read about, as I really don't know how much interesting information there is in them.

Next update coming down the pipes.

-Andrew

  

Dr. Strangelove OR How I Learned to Stop Complaining and Enjoy Perugia

Way too much has happened since my last update to adequately catch y'all up, but I'll do my best.  It's going to cover much more than just Perugia, as well, but whether I get through the majority of my recent events or not, I know one thing-- my dad already likes the title.

Perugia

About a week ago we went to Perugia, in nearby Umbria, and I think I was literally the only one who had a good time.  It was a foggy, rainy, chilly day in the hilltop city, and nearly everyone (read: every girl-- since that's basically our group) complained about the weather.  Most hadn't appropriately dressed for it, unlike me, so go figure.  There's really no one else to blame but themselves, since the strategy I used-- 1. go outside, 2. see how it feels, and 3. dress accordingly-- is not a travel skill one has to have acquired on previous trips to Europe.  So, naturally, I didn't feel sorry for them, because as I've said before, we have very little to complain about on any given day in Italy.  Aside from having refreshingly cool weather, we had a lunch valued at 20 Euro provided for us at a restaurant overlooking one of Perugia's better panoramic views (and there are a lot there when the fog isn't too dense).  We ate a three-course meal that consisted of a delicious local homemade pasta, the name of which escapes me (and not even our resident Italian ex-pat professor had heard of), followed by some kind of tender beef with really good assorted vegetables, and a dessert consisting of tiramisu and a fruit pastry.  Towards the end of the secondi (translation: main) course, a waiter came over offering an extra plate of the beef dish, and after no one at our table and seemingly none of the others wanted to partake in EXTRA FREE FOOD FROM A FANCY RESTAURANT, I gladly took it off his hands, spoiling myself with only the meat and no veggies this time.  I'll contend that my calves, quads, glutes, and any other leg muscles you can think of have never been in as good shape as they are now, considering our near-daily soccer matches and inevitable miles of daily walking up and down hills, so I decided a long time ago that I'd eat whatever I wanted on this trip if I could afford it.  And even with late-night 4 euro pizza and occasional gelato trips (though less than most here), I can guarantee I'm already in better shape.

Anyway, Perugia didn't have a lot of obvious sight-seeing activities, and most shops were closed for the siesta period, so Cameron (a fellow member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of 2010 and like-minded traveler) and I wandered around looking for unusual things with surprising success.  Outside some public bathrooms, Cameron was talking with a water color artist selling his work and obviously down on his luck.  We found out that he was Iraqi and after being initially friendly, he unexpectedly transitioned to the subject of his dad and started to cry, ending his chances for a sale.  It's not that we didn't have sympathy for him, but we didn't know how to talk to him in the first place, much less console him. We then moved on only to be confronted by what must have been an actual crazy person not five minutes later.  A man in his fifties or sixties wearing a suit with excessive Christian accessories and dozens of obtrusive nose hairs (they literally could've been braided with the right utensils) came up, slowly asked us a few questions, none of which involved Christianity, listened to our responses, and never really stopped alternating shaking mine and Cameron's hands.  Then, as mysteriously as he appeared, he was gone, leaving Cameron and I to wonder to each other "che pale??" (loosely translated this means "what the f***??" depending on the tone of your voice).  Cameron was weirded out and immediately started looking for somewhere to wash his hands, but I was just happy to have one more story to tell, however difficult it would be to really illustrate the creepiness of the meeting.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful.  We waited for a music store to open after siesta only to find another one with a large vinyl record selection, which was fun to peruse for a while but with no room in my bag to bring any home and really no use for a vinyl record in the first place, it ended up just being a way to kill time before taking the tram back to the bus and the bus back to Castiglion.  As with most days here, the rain eventually let up and the sun came out, alleviating a lot of the complaining by others.  For me, a day in a city with a view of a far off town and a delicious lunch is usually enough to make it a good one for me.  So that was Perugia.

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Chianti Region Wine Tour

Last Friday was probably the best day of the trip so far.  Along with seven other Ags, I took a tour of the Chianti region complete with about 12 (small) wine tastings, a trip to a castle built in 1000 A.D., and three other small towns unreachable by anything not traveling on four wheels.  Everywhere we went there was a view that stretched far beyond the usual ten miles or so of visibility you get in Texas, and we were constantly surrounded by vineyards, large estates, and good wine.

The hilly Chianti region stretches famously between Florence to the north and Siena to the south, and we traveled seemingly everywhere in between. The trip from 1:30PM to 7:30PM cost 25 Euro and we had a local named Andrea (male) driving us around in a clean van giving us chunks of knowledge and general pleasant conversation in pretty decent English.  What was nicest was being away from the group of 50 or so and just enjoying the environment in which we came to immerse ourselves.  We didn't have to speak a lot of Italian, but for once we weren't traveling on a coach bus buzzing with female chatter or being forced to listen to an educational lecture.  We listened to Andrea and were educated on things immediately relevant to the trip, rather than neo-classical, medieval, baroque, or any of the countless architectural eras that comprise most of our usual tours, and there were no headsets to directly connect the lectures to our inner ear either.

And then of course there was the wine itself.  I was actually a little tired of chianti by the end of it, but it wasn't the only style we tried, and I might've had only one or two tastes that I didn't really care for.  A lot of people bought bottles from Castello di Brolio (the 1000 year old one I mentioned) and Rocca delle Macie (which is usually distributed to Olive Gardens in the US, but which of course produces higher quality stuff, too, such as the Roccato we had at Christopher's when I first started), mostly with the intention of bringing home to family and friends, and I'm sure they'll all be successful gifts.  At one point we stopped for gelato and I had my favorite flavor so far-- Dissaronno. Can you imagine anything much better?  I still haven't found anything that trumps it.  Maybe the pistachio in Castiglion or if Blue Bell tried to make gelato.

Anyway, it's hard to sum up exactly why the day was so much fun, but my difficulty in describing it might be an indicator of how simple and enjoyable it was-- free of distractions, deadlines, routine, and reality.

The rest of the weekend I slept in, saved money, which I ran out of before transferring more from savings, and just enjoyed the peace of Santa Chiara study center without the hundred or so occupants it usually houses, since most were traveling elsewhere.

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General Thoughts and Rome

I met some British tourists in a bar (translation: cafe) one morning about a week into the trip who asked me what our group was doing there, and I responded with our general study abroad outline.  When they asked how long we were staying in Castiglion F.no specifically, and I told them five more weeks, they seemed puzzled and asked, "Five weeks...here?" as if there was nothing to do or enjoy for so long.  I'm happy to say I contently told them that I'd rather spend five weeks there than just about anywhere I've seen in Italy so far, and even though they probably still didn't understand, I'm pleased that there will always be places like Castiglion that are exempt from the typical tourist comfort zone.  The hour and a half I spent on foot searching for the laundromat outside the old town walls ended up being more enjoyable than my thoroughly average days in Rome, which I'm not even going to detail beyond the next sentence because anyone reading this can probably guess what we did in our giant group (I'll preface it by saying I'm still grateful to be anywhere in Italy, whether it's über-touristy or not.) Imagine the seven biggest landmarks in Rome and Vatican City and we probably hit them over two days, hindered by our group's size and overpaying for water, gelato, soda (for some), and just about everything else along the way.  We never walked down a main boulevard without being hassled to buy really really crappy souvenirs or having to dodge throngs of tourists with said souvenirs and the invisible space five-to-fifty feet between their camera and subject.  For those reasons, I can't imagine visiting Rome again, the exception maybe being during the off-season or if I'm with someone who hasn't been, because it's still a place that needs to be seen by a first and maybe second-time visitor.  But if Rome is, as our guide explained today, a city that is always in transition, I'd much rather stick to the places that are steadfast in preserving the simple pleasures enjoyed by Italians who would prefer to never have to learn a somewhat more typical Roman phrase, "Would you like fries with that?"

Branching Out

I've visited a few neighboring Tuscan towns, Arezzo and Siena, and made my first repeat trip, to Firenze (Florence), my favorite Italian stop four years ago with Amy.  Unfortunately, Florence was not the place I remembered.  

Firenze Trip- 

While still beautiful because of its massive, awe-inspiring, pre-architecture duomo and other 600+ year old architectural wonders, all I could notice was how commercial and tourist-laden it is.  It's not as if it wasn't four years ago, but I visited Florence, Rome, and Venice, making Florence the lesser of three evils, crowd-wise.  I hate being with my fellow Aggies sometimes because the 50 of us take up so much space on narrow sidewalks and streets, and I feel like part of the congestion rather than someone uninterested in excessive gelato trips, Michelangelo's David('s package) boxers, and the like.  Instead of being comforted by the American pop music and oldies I hear walking by cafes, I'm put off, and it makes me want to escape back to Castiglion (pronounced "cas-tee-yo-ne") and the tranquility one experiences walking through the nearly abandoned old town during the early afternoon siesta period, as in Spain.  I still had a nice time on the day trip to Firenze and was at least able to further appreciate the significance and beauty of the art and architecture that should have never eluded my memory in the first place.  I should note that I in no way hate any of my fellow Ags, either, just the presence we have as a giant tourist group.  Anyway, for now, Siena takes the top spot on my list, aside from Castiglion, which feels more like a home-away-from-home every day...if only the Italian kids would come play soccer with me!  We had an unsuccessful attempt at luring them to the field today.  Maybe next time if we bring the soccer ball they'll think we're more serious.  

Siena Trip-

As my parents already know, Siena is one-of-a-kind.  An ancient hilltop city topped by a duomo almost as large as it's rival, Firenze, and one of the largest squares in Europe.  I especially liked the sanctuary of Saint Catherine, who, among other things, experienced stigmata and whose journey into the cloth was not approved of by her family.  Her sanctuary was comprised of relatively small chambers positively saturated with some of the most beautiful paintings, sculptures, and even flooring I've ever seen.  Unfortunately, but understandably, cameras are not allowed in any of the rooms or chapel so I can't share them with you.  But those who have seen them know what I mean. 

After our tour we stopped for a longer-than-expected lunch at a cheaper-than-it-looked pizzeria recommended to us by Giovanni, our guide.  As I worked through my pizza di prosciutto e funghi (ham and mushrooms) and guzzled non-gassato Acqua Panna (it was hot that day) with the rest of our ten-person-table, we gazed at the majority of the medieval skyline with uninterrupted views of the duomo and never wondered why we lingered there through almost all of our free time.  Afterward we explored the narrow streets some more with no particular goal in mind, people-watched in the vast piazza, attempted stealthy pictures of local old people and chefs talking to their patrons, watched the Renaissance festival parade loudly pass, and unapologetically did nothing the way you can only do in Siena.  

Arezzo Trip- 

There's a lot to Arezzo that can't really be explained in words, and I don't have much time before dinner to write this and don't feel like picking it up later.  Arezzo is a less-visited town and has a connection with Castiglion through the medieval festival in which both towns participate together.  When I get enough internet capacity to upload my pictures as opposed to stealing others' from Facebook (what I did for my previous entry), I will, and that'll help show the way both towns and neighborhoods within the towns proudly display their ancient colors for the much-anticipated festival every year.  It's pretty cool to see.  But Arezzo is also famous for its scenes in Life is Beautiful, its French resident from hundreds of years ago who helped advance some early music notation (something pre-dating the Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do thing), and some more beautiful churches and hilly views.  It's a nice place, but Siena trumps it easily.  Again, I'm rushing this part but future pictures will help.  Our tour of Arezzo was given by our very eccentric talks-a-lot-with-his-hands tour guide, Giovanni, so I actually have insightful captions and notes to accompany them.  I can't promise it'll be interesting or do any of the works justice, but I took the notes so I may as well post them.  He is pretty quotable.  

Till next time,

Ciao!

Ciao! First Post from Italy

Ciao from Italia!

I've been here in Castiglion Fiorentino (pop. 10,000) located in the southeastern section of Tuscany near the neighboring province of Umbria (oom-bria) for a few days now, and it definitely feels more like home now.

Santa Chiara, the study center, is located within the walled old town near the highest point and has incredible views of vineyards (which are everywhere), the local soccer stadium, and of neighboring hilltop towns in the distance, as well as more recently developed houses.  Local women working for the center cook three course meals for us at lunch and dinner, with the latter usually accompanied by local organic wine shared by most of the table (keeping with University policies, you must be 21 to buy it, but anyone can drink it).  Everything seems healthier and authentic with olive oil or simpler sauces with local herbs, salt and pepper in place of the heavy sauces we're used to in America, but this way you never feel guilty and are always satisfied by the end of the meal.  Fruit served as dessert is a less welcome change, but we did enjoy some "chocolate salami" on the night we arrived, which they say is always everyone's favorite.  I really don't know how to describe it other than saying it's like thin biscotti with chocolate flavor that only looks like a slice of salami, but it is definitely delicious.  In addition, the first night we arrived, I decided to have a glass of chianti with dinner, thinking I would pay 5 euro for the glass, but was then handed the entire bottle, which I shared with the rest of the table of ten or so.  That was a great surprise after being awake for 30 hours or so, and was probably the best wine I've ever had for that price! 

We've been on a couple tours of town-- one historical, one functional-- and I have a good sense of direction even with the hills, one-way streets, and naturally air-conditioned passageways between and under buildings.  Not that you need A/C, since it's been about 75 degrees here and sunny since we arrived. 

This is the courtyard, where we spend our evenings before and after dinner staring out at the same view (not pictured yet) at cafe tables.  It's the kind of spot everyone comes to talk, but periodically a lull in the conversation occurs, almost always because everyone's stopped to look out at the view and remember where we are for a little while.  It's really something else, and I'll upload a picture of that view soon. 

Every Friday, a market is set up in a square near the study center, and we learned how to ask for samples (una pezzo di ______, per favore-- in my case, cheese or formaggi), and the lady who gives us our Italian lessons recommended a great sandwich for 3 Euro made with cheese and thinly-sliced pork stuffed with garlic, fennel and salt/pepper that easily beats a $5 footlong from Subway any day.  Here's the cart where I got this panini di porceta con formaggio.  Walking around the market was some of the most fun I've had so far, even without buying anything, but I will bargain for something successfully before I leave!

So far, the locals have been pretty warm to us, especially the entrepreneurs who married former A&M girls who came to study here.  And of course the locals our age have been very warm to the girls in our group, always waving and aggressively chatting them up at the bars at night, but they've been harmless so far. 

Last night, at the very busy outdoor patio bar in town, we met a 21-year-old guy named Filipo (I think), who spoke enough English to tell us about all his favorite American music, specifically 80's, and how bad he thought everything Italian was.  I think there were five different songs that came on at the bar that were his"favorite," and every time some techno or house music came on, he called it "shit," and would start talking about his favorite drummers and guitarists from American bands.  He plays drums himself, too, and gave us a couple of his CD's to listen to (which I guess he always carries with him), though I haven't yet.  He tried to make us feel more at home by saying all Italian men and women are idiots (imagine it said in very fragmented English, a lot like Borat actually), except for he and his two friends.  And since he was the only one wearing shorts and not top-heavy from too much hair gel (which Italian men must buy in bulk), I have to wonder if he was right. 

We've only really had one POLS 313 class, but it's been interesting, and our professor's friend from Oxford who is the #1 world authority on some relevant topic is coming to lecture on Monday, which should be really interesting.  It's obvious that our class has the most work to do compared to the Music and Horticulture classes, which are heavy on easy multiple choice tests and give a lot of credit for attendance and participation, whereas we have essay tests and a paper, but I don't think I'll have a lot of trouble since Dr. Kellstedt is very insightful and interesting (he used to teach at Brown University), and lives ten feet from my room if I need help. 

There is so much more to report on, but I'm having trouble recalling everything since I waited so long to write this first entry, but I'll look over my personal journal and update again soon with more pictures from Arezzo, where we just returned from, and more from Castiglion and the study center, as well as my fellow Ags and the t-sips and U of H Cougars staying here, too.

Ciao for now, but leave questions in the comment section if you want to know about anything in particular because that'll be easier than me thinking of things to write about till next time!