The past few weekends have led me to realize how much I miss “verde” (meaning green--my host mom informed me this is what the Romans say to refer to what would be contained in a park more or less). I miss trees and grass and quiet and birds chirping and wilderness.
Two weeks ago, I went to Siena, Arezzo, and Assisi, which are located in the Tuscan and Umbrian countrysides to the north of Rome. Going to these places was delightful. I have been excited to go to Siena ever since I started reading St. Catherine of Siena’s book, The Dialogue, last semester in one of my theology classes. I really enjoyed the book and learning about St. Catherine’s life in class, so the opportunity to see the town, house, and rooms that she lived in was fantastic. Unfortunately, it was rainy, overcast, and sort of chilly while we were there, so the town seemed less spectacular than I’m sure it actually is. At any rate, it was decidedly more serene than Rome.
St. Catherine's well
The next day in Arezzo was bright and sunny. The city wasn’t one I was familiar with, so no highly anticipated sites there, but there was a massive (and I mean ginormous) fleamarket/yardsale/bazaar going on and that was enjoyable to wander through. However, after a morning in Arezzo, the group piled into the bus and trekked to a castle for a wine tasting(!). I got to sit in the front seat of the bus—the jump seat down near the driver—and watched Tuscano go by. Wow. Spectacular. And it was February, so there was minimal greenery. Once getting to the Castel del Trebbio (originally the Pazzi castle—you know, the guys who plotted with the pope to kill the Medici), we got out of the bus and were instantly floored by the beautiful view from the mountain. We learned about wine, how it’s made, what different categories mean, how to tell the alcohol content, the meaning of the richness of colors…some people even took notes. The wine we had was very nice and the olive oil they also make there was quite good.
The last day of our trip was spent in Assisi. Wonderful. We wandered the streets and went to different churches in that town on the side of a hill. It was so peaceful. I had an amazing panino for lunch with Umbrian cheese and cinghiale salami (cinghiale is wild boar—delicious) and a pastry to top it off. Then myself and two other girls climbed to the fortress which is above Assisi. Being up there was beautiful. I looked out and saw snow-capped mountains, the town below, trees, animals, more mountains. It was breathtaking. It was absolutely gorgeous to stare off into the mountains and enjoy the atmosphere and the company.
The weekend was quite nice. I was sad to leave the beauty of the country to come back to Rome and the bustle of the streets and the three million people who live here. It’s not that I’m not enjoying myself in Rome, but it was so freeing and delightful to be in a place other than the city.
This weekend, the class went on a trip to a mozzarella farm. –Wait, mozzarella doesn’t grow on trees, Susan!— You’re right, my good friend: it does not. It was a bufala farm! Bufala translates to buffalo, but they were no where the size of an American buffalo/bison. More cow size, I would say. But, apparently they make very different kinds of milk than cows. Chocolate! Haha no, sorry to get your hopes up… Bufala milk is much richer than cow milk and, therefore, more desirable for making cheese. The farm produces great quantities of cheese each day from the milk that is taken from the bufale in the mornings. At lunch we ate cheese that had been inside the bufale five or six hours prior—doesn’t get much fresher than that! Anyway, the farm was 2 hours south of Rome and surrounded by vineyards and olive farms. We learned about the cheese-making process and met the bufale. I chatted with them and tried to feed them. Then, I pet their tremendous heads and snouts and a few even licked my hand! Haha! I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were cute, but it was certainly an enjoyable experience. I love nature and animals!
It was so great to be off the cobblestoned streets of Rome for a while and hang out with a few new friends, even if they weighed a few tons and were covered in poo and mud.
Ahh, the revelations that are made...
:-)
Pace, i miei amici. A piu' tardi!
Susan
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