Catching up

No. 14178

A couple of days ago, I received an email from Steve Breezeel, wondering if I had ever been found, or was still wandering the streets of Firenze. I am found — I am, in fact, safely in our hotel lobby in Agrigento, Sicily. Robbie keeps us super busy — his motto is, the students can sleep once they get home — and class prep takes up most of what little time is left. Here is a brief summary of what has transpired since last I blogged:

Wednesday, Sept. 21 — We visited Santa Croce, the “Westminster Abbey of Italy,” where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are buried. We also visited the Bargello, a museum with several famous sculptures, including Donatello’s David (though there is some speculation that he is really a pagan character) and Michelangelo’s Bacchus. That night, we attended a Fiorintino soccer game. Not only did the hometeam win, but their P.R. people interviewed some of our students for the Fiorintino website.

Thursday, Sept. 22 — We attended a special welcome to American students hosted by the city of Florence, in the Palazzo Vecchio. Several dignitaries, including the mayor of Florence and the American consulate, spoke. I was struck how they kept talking about the relationship between Florence/Tuscany and the United States, and not the relationship between Italy and the United States. I sought explanation from Robbie, Mona, and their friend Lisabetta, and learned that this was partly a result of the continued presence of Italian sectionalism, and partly out of a sense of humility on Florence’s part; Lisabette explained that the city does not feel like it has the right to speak for all of Italy.

Friday, Sept. 23 — After morning classes, Robbie and I drove to a 10th century monastery in Scandicci which is for sale (although the attached church of San Salvatore and San Lorenzo is not part of the deal). It can be yours for a mere 3 million Euros, or so; it would probably cost double that to bring it to repair. In spite of the impracticality of it all, I could not help but fantasize about moving HUF into it.

Saturday, Sept. 24 — We drove out into the Tuscan countryside, visiting an old church two castles (Castello di Romena and Castello di Porciano), and an old water mill. We ate lunch at Castello di Porciano (pictured), which is a repaired tower castle with rooms to rent, and supper at the old mill.


Sunday, Sept. 25 — In the morning, we walked in the 5K Corri la Vita; that night, we worshiped with the Avanti Italia people.

Monday, Sept. 26 — After morning classes, we participated in Language Day at a local public school. We handed out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sang songs in English, including “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Amazing Grace.”Tuesday, Sept. 27 — We visited three sites associated with Florence’s Duomo, Santa Marie di Fiore: the San Giovanni baptistery (in front of the Duomo), Santa Marie di Fiore itself, and Duomo museum itself. I enjoyed the sculptures in the Duomo museum more than those in the Bargello: a Pieta (pictured) by Michelangelo (less famous than the one in Rome but in some ways more poignant); a sculpture of Jeremiah and a haunting wooden one of Mary Magdalene, both by Donatello; and a moving crucifix by Vincenzo Danti.

Wednesday, Sept. 28 — We attended a concert in Florence in which the orchestra played pieces by Gershwin and Bernstein.

Thursday, Sept. 29 — We visited the medieval tower town of San Gimignano as well as Siena. The Duomo in Siena was interesting: black and white striped walls and elaborate mosaics on the floor.

Friday, Sept. 30 — After morning classes, the students attended a presentation on falconry while I stayed in the villa and prepped for class.

Saturday, Oct. 1 — We went to the market in the morning, had a picnic lunch, and then I came back and prepped some more.

Sunday, Oct. 2 — After church Sunday morning in Florence, I went back to the villa — and prepped for classes. Notice a pattern developing?

Monday, Oct. 3 — After morning classes, we drove to Pisa and flew to Catania, Sicily. After walking around the town a bit, we met up with the church of Christ in Catania and sang hymns and ate pizza with them. Their singing was gorgeous. Afterward, we drove to Taormina.

Tuesday, Oct. 4 — We had a free day in Taormina. After briefly visiting the Mediterranean Sea in the morning, I made my way up (via cable car) to the old town itself and did some shopping. Then I rode back down to the hotel and caught a bus for a tour of that old volcano, Mt. Etna. It was stark and beautiful. (And cold. I foolishly neglected to bring my jacket with me on the excursion; but after a summer of enduring Arkansas heat, and three weeks of disappointing and unseasonal Tuscan heat, it actually felt nice to be cold. During the trip, I met a really nice couple from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, Oct. 5 — This morning we took the cable car back up to the old town and visited the partially ruined (but still in use) Greco-Roman theater. We then bused to Agrigento, where we visited a bunch of Greek ruins collectively known as the “Valley of Temples.” Now I’m sitting in our hotel lobby, with ESPN on in the background. Life is good.

We are scheduled to leave Sicily on Saturday, then Wednesday is our first day of free travel; Lord willing, I’ll be visiting Normandy toward the end of next week. I don’t know when next I’ll blog.