My last day in Florence

I spent my last day in Florence at Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace


Boboli Gardens


Boboli Gardens


One last sunset over the Arno


I sat on a bridge over the Arno to listen to music by Claudio Spadi - he was awesome! This lady was really getting into it! She was hilarious!


Goodbye! I'll miss you!


The heart of Florence at night

Back to Florence - Hotel Gioia

The staff was wonderful!

The last few days of my stay in Italy were spent in Florence. I stayed at Hotel Gioia. Here is the review I wrote for their website:

My stay at Hotel Gioia was exceptional. The staff was friendly and helpful which was important to me as a single female traveler. I felt like they kept tabs on me and gave me advice about the city that was invaluable.

My room was basic, but had it's own bathroom. It was just what I needed and was very clean.

The hotel is located in the heart of Florence so it was easy for me to get around by walking.

I would recommend this hotel to any friends visiting Florence. I'm so grateful to the kind people who work there that made my stay wonderful.

http://www.nozio.com/Europe/Italy/Tuscany/Florence/Florence/lodging/Hotels/3_three_stars_hotels/Hotel_Gioia.htm?review=outstanding_16339


My room


My bathroom that included a bidet!

Goodbye Vitorchiano

Here I am touching the belly button of the Moai in Vitochiano for good luck. The Moai statue is the only one located outside Easter Island.

Tenuta di Santa Lucia Pictures

Tenuta di Santa Lucia

On the last night of my stay in Vitorchiano, Linda and Sergio took Sandy and I to Tenuta di Santa Lucia for dinner. Once a place for silkworm breeding, it’s now a gorgeous guesthouse and restaurant. This property that has been in the Trua family for over 200 years is now a draw for agritourism. On their 2-1/2 acres, they raise Chianina cattle and grow crops of grain, hay, olives, and hazelnuts. They have even begun to cultivate lavender. I had never heard of agritourism or “agriturismo” before, but according to what I have learned it is popular in Italy. I believe people get tax breaks if they use the meat and crops they produce to sustain a business – in this case a B&B and restaurant. As you can see from the pictures, the place is lovely! I would have no objection to spending some time here and the people there were kind and helpful. Our meal was excellent and the atmosphere was inviting. I will attach the link if you want to learn more about Tenuta di Santa Lucia – I encourage you to check it out since their pictures are much better than mine!

http://www.tenutadisantalucia.com/eng/index.html

New Friends

Sergio, Linda, and I



Linda, Sandy, and I

Tapping into the soul of place writer's workshop

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

It’s rather funny that I went half way around the world to learn to write about my place, but well worth it! I was able to get away, settle in, and write about place with renewed excitement from master teacher, Linda Lappin. Linda, fellow writer Sandy Sims from California, and I would discuss writing about place and read from authors like Mary Sarton, Linda Hogan, Patricia Hampl, and Shirley Hazzard. Linda gave excellent instruction on how to observe different things about places. She also discussed with us travel-writing approaches. I learned a lot of specific writing skills that will help me describe my own place and the places I visit better. Much of this writing, reading, and discussion happened in Linda’s courtyard or home. It was lovely!

Along this journey, I did not only learn about how to become a better writer of place, but I made some dear friends, too. Linda, her husband Sergio, and Sandy were delightful people I have been enriched by through this experience. I am grateful for my time with them and for having the chance to learn from them. I am blessed!

http://www.pokkoli.org/

Enough is Enough

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

I had an upsetting conversation hop into my suitcase for a free ride to Italy. It made me angry that the conversation I had a few days before I left would creep into my brain as I jogged along the picturesque countryside. This is not what I want to be thinking of when I’m in a country I’ve desired to come to for so long, but here it is again…The conversation sneaks into my brain about 50 times each day. WHY? I think the reason it sticks out like a sore thumb is because it got to the heart of my most difficult issue in life – BALANCE. How do I balance everything? Family, home, schoolwork, friends, student needs, committees, and the list goes on and on. Often times I feel anxious about doing a good job at work and keeping up my relationships. The thought of taking on one more thing makes me feel like I’ll spontaneously combust from being stretched out in so many directions. Over the course of this trip I thought a lot about my “balance issue”. I never really figured anything out except to take it one day at a time and to say “No” when asked to do more….even if that person thinks I don’t do enough.

Observations and Discussions that develop my place conscious mind

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
I think traveling is important on so many levels, but learning about other cultures is something I find invaluable. Throughout my trip I observed the people and listened to their points of view. Here are a few things I noticed or was told about:
Time and Food
No waiter is in a hurry for you to pay or leave. I always have to ask for my check, not like America where they rush you out the door. This place suits me – it’s much more laid back! Also, many people here make delightful noises when they first start to eat if really good and they take a long time to eat – it’s an event, not something to get done and move on to the next thing.

The men, especially in Florence, really stare and are very friendly, yet the young women don’t really look at me – even in small village. I like seeing the older women hanging out their windows as they watch the world and the older men sitting on benches or standing in the streets visiting.

I was told that they are shocked by the alcohol use of the US and British kids when they come to visit – I wonder why those kids (in general) drink more?

In Italy it is OK to live at home with one’s parents, but in the US it seems like one should be shamed for it. This attitude has changed a bit since the economy has taken a turn for the worse. OH! And in Europe, they call it “The Crisis”, whereas here we say the economy is bad.

The driving and roads are truly crazy. I’ve noticed that ever since I have returned from Italy that I hold onto the hand/clothes hook above the passenger door. I got into the habit of holding on after all the crazy riding experiences in Italy. After being picked up in a taxi at the airport in Florence the song “Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night” was blasting through the speakers. I held on as we voomed through the streets dodging other cars, mopeds, people and bicycles! At one point we took a sharp turn and I thought the man standing on the street corner was going to end up in my open window!

There are people who steal in every country, but here I heard stories about Gypsies throwing babies at people to catch while the children stole from their pockets or they would throw water on people to distract them then stole their purse. Oh my was I ever nervous and kept my purse guarded at all times.

They say everything is BIGGER in the US – not just the stores, but even the refrigerators! It’s very rare for Italians to have clothes dryers, too, because there isn’t space.

There has been a lot of controversy over immigration in the US lately, but I was sad to be reminded that it is an issue everywhere. I can’t believe that in Milan they were trying to pass a law that immigrants couldn’t sit down on the bus! That’s terrible!

This experience has educated me on many levels. Talking about the similarities and differences has taught me a lot. It’s also been fun to just sit back and watch, but no matter what our differences are, we are all one people.

Siena

Siena

My visit to Siena included a lovely lunch & wine tasting near the Palazzo Comunale. The city square actually looks like a sink – it has a square around it, but a circular bowl in the middle. Then we went on a tour with a guide that did a superb job of educating us about the history of Siena. We walked to the cathedral to see a gorgeous interior that was gothic on the bottom and had Renaissance features on the top. The tour guide said this was because there was a plague that made them stop production on the church, then when they finally had enough funding the Renaissance had been born so those features took over.
After this we went to Cappella di Santa Caterina where St. Catherine of Siena took her vows.

The two things that interested me most about Siena were the Palio and Cappella di Santa Caterina. The Palio is a horse race held two times each year in the city center; July 2 is named Palio di Provenzano, in honor of Madonna di Provenzano, who has a church in Siena and August 16 is named Palio dell’Assunta, in honor of the Assumption of Mary. 10 of the 17 contrade or districts in Siena have jockeys ride bareback horses around the city center three times. No money is given to the winning jockey – it is the HORSE that wins the honor for the district it represents.

As I said earlier, the Cappella di Santa Caterina is where St. Catherine of Siena took her vows. Siena holds this saint dear because she is said to have talked the pope into coming back to Rome. She must have been quite a persuasive lady! I was surprised to see the relics of her head and her thumb. The guide said St. Catherine died in Rome and was buried there, but the people of Siena wanted to claim her body, so as a compromise the people from Rome gave the Sienese parts of her body to display in their church.

Palio in Siena - I made this using Comic Life

The phone booth is to the right - my only way to communicate with the outside world

Disconnecting

FYI: I am finally getting around to posting more about my Italy trip - I'm home now, but going back and posting about my past experience this summer.

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” ~ Lillian Smith

During my week in Vitorchiano, I have been completely disconnected from the outside world save this phone booth, which dubs as the village cats’ litter box, and an international calling card. Each day I called Julia and Aaron, and occasionally my parents, for updates, smiles, and loves. Over the week, I had no internet, no ichat, no facebook, no email, no cell phone, and no TV. What made this experience more isolating is that only three people in the village spoke English. I missed my family and communication terribly, but this forced journey within gave me time to read and to write. It also gave me time to think about my priorities, my students & teaching, and my family life. Often times I get into high gear and just go without thinking about what road I’m on or where it’s taking me. It’s been nice to switch off the distractions and responsibilities in order to shift into low gear. Many probably think it’s selfish to “wander around Italy” for a couple weeks, but I honestly think this will make me a better teacher, family member, and friend. I’ve had the chance to learn from a master teacher of writing how to write – this will help me serve my students better.