An Encounter with a Priest

Yesterday my friend Bryn took me on a hike up to the hills surrounding Bologna.  It was another beautiful day in Bologna- perfect for a hike.  Bryn has done this hike several times before, so she knew the path to take to get an amazing view of the city.  Not only was it great to see the city from above, it was also nice to see some green!  Bologna has hardly any trees within the city center.  We passed some vineyards along the way, and some still had grapes on the vine.

On our way back down the trail, we saw a small church with a fountain out front.  Near the fountain we saw a priest and another man doing some yardwork.  The priest yelled out a cheery "Buongiorno!" and waved to us.  We waved back, filled our water bottles at the fountain, and headed into the church.  The church was quaint and had some old murals on the walls.  The murals were not in great condition- they were faded and chipping away.  As we were looking at the artwork, the priest walked into the church and introduced himself as Father Ettore Torrini.  Father Ettore is a short, elderly man with snowy white hair and a welcoming smile.  He spoke English really well, which surprised us.  Then he started telling us his life story- how as a young man he moved to the Brazilian Amazon as a missionary in 1955 (he was 30 years old at the time- he proudly told us he is now 89).  He met and worked with Pope Francis in the Amazon.  He was then diagnosed with leukemia and sent to Chicago for treatment.  In Chicago, he was told his form of cancer was rare, and was transported to the Mayo Clinic for further treatment.  He stayed in the Mayo Clinic for 6 months and had racked up a bill of over $2,000.  The hospital asked him if he was able to pay for the bill, and Father Ettore said no, he had $85 in his wallet, but God would find a way.  During this time, a reporter from the Chicago Sun Times heard about Father Ettore and asked if he could interview him.  Father Ettore's story was published in the Sun Times, and a few days later the hospital told him not to worry- his bill had been paid.  God had found a way!

Father Ettore also told us a brief history of the church.  It was built around 1100, and was later used by Napoleon- not as a church, but as more of a "discotec".  Apparently Napoleon would entertain guests with music and dancing there.  He had painted over the religious murals, which explained why they are in such poor condition.

As we left, Father Ettore told us if we ever need food, to come around and see him.  He sang us a hymn in Italian, preached (briefly) on the importance of love and peace, and the evils of money and war.  It was quite the multicultural exchange as we all were speaking a combination of Italian, English, and French.  I love these little multicultural exchanges!  I hope to run across more while in Italy.

Cinque Terre

           

   

 David and I celebrated our 6^th anniversary in one of the most beautiful places on earth- Cinque Terre.  Cinque Terre is collection of five small villages built into the cliffs on the Mediterranean.  It used to be a hidden gem in Italy, but it’s becoming more popular with tourists.  Long ago, cars were banished from the villages, so visitors can either take the train or hike between the villages.  I’ll explain more about the train service later.  The villages are only a few kilometers from each other, and it’s 7km to hike from town #1 to town #5.  The names of the villages are (starting east to west):  Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corneglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. 

                We arrived in La Spezia, a town just outside of Cinque Terre, late Friday afternoon.  We checked into our hotel and then took the train to town #5, Monterosso, for a quick swim.  All of the villages except Corneglia are on the water, but Monterosso is the only one of the 5 to have a sandy beach.  After a quick dip, we walked over to Monterosso’s old town to have dinner.  We ordered mussels as an appetizer, and I had seafood ravioli as my main course.  David had gnocchi in crab sauce.  The food was good- it didn’t wow me, but it was good.  We headed back to our hotel early since we had a busy day planned for Saturday.

                Saturday was our big hike day.  We checked out of our hotel and took the train back to Monterosso (#5).  We planned to hike from there to Corneglia (#3).  Unfortunately the trail from Corneglia (#3) to Riomaggiore (#1) is closed right now for renovation.  The towns had a lot of flood damage in 2011 and the trails suffered from landslides.  However, the trails from towns 5-4 and 4-3 are the longest and most scenic.  We started from Monterosso because we read that it was easier to go from 5-3 than from 3-5.  We ran into a group of SAIS students on the trail going the opposite direction.  They also said the trail was tough.  Boy, was it tough.  It was a lot of steep climbing.  I don’t know why I was surprised by this- the towns are built into a cliff after all.  Not only that, but we couldn’t check into our hotel until 4:30, so we had to carry our backpacks.  My sweet husband took my bag and transferred some of the weight to his. 

                The trail was tough, but beautiful.  Once we got high enough, we had an amazing view of the sea and the cliffs.  The sun was warm, the salty ocean breeze was refreshing, and it was so quiet.  All we could hear were the waves crashing and insects humming.  It was so peaceful.  About 2 hours later we came to Vernazza.  We walked through the town all the way down to the harbor and the rocky beach. 

On the trail to Vernazza

View of Monterosso

                After a brief rest, it was time to head back on the trail.  I was happy knowing the hardest part was behind us.  The trail to Corneglia  was challenging, but not quite as difficult as the first one.  It was also a bit greener and wilder.  Cacti lined the cliffs facing the sea.  We passed through vineyards, and saw a man carrying a giant tub of green grapes on his shoulder.  We looked back and saw Vernazza in the distance; its sunset-colored buildings nestled in the cliff.  The sea was a brilliant blue-green, and the sunlight sparkled like diamonds on the waves. 

Classic view of Vernazza

                Eventually we made it to Corneglia - it took us a little less than 2 hours.  We stopped at a quiet little bar along the trail before the town for a drink and a bite to eat.  We ordered a plate of bruschetta topped with local ingredients- olives, peppers, garlic, and onion.  We ate outside facing the sea, under an awning covered with grape vines.  We walked a bit through the town, but didn’t dawdle because we needed to take the train to Riomaggiore  to check-in to our hotel. I felt so elated after such an amazing hike- little did I know my spirits were about to fall.  Cinque Terre has local trains running between the towns that come through every hour…at least in theory.  Rick Steves warns in his book that the trains are notoriously late.  But I was not prepared for the train to be a half-hour late, and then cancelled.  The next train was also cancelled.  Finally the train to Riomaggiore was announced, 2 hours later than originally scheduled.  At this point I was starting to sweat a bit because we had to be at our hotel no later than 4:30.  We watched 2 trains pass by and not stop.  It was agonizing, especially because we could have walked to Riomaggiore in less time if the trail was open.  We debated going back into the town to pass the time.  Remember when I said Corneglia was the only town not on the sea?  We would have to walk up 359 steps to get from the train station back to the town.  So we decided to wait it out at the station.  I’m thankful we made this decision- I’ll explain why later.

               Finally we got on the train and arrived in Riomaggiore.  We quickly found our “hotel”.  The Italians have always wanted to protect the Cinque Terre, realizing how unique they are.  Long ago the towns banned any further building- which means no hotels.  However, many people own apartments and rent them out to tourists.  We rented a room from a nice woman named Patrizia.  When we arrived, she said she had a cancellation and would upgrade our room to a suite with a balcony.  She called her husband to take us to our room.  Patrizia does the administrative work and her husband does the hard labor.  He told us our apartment was high up in the town- up 360 steps.  That’s why I’m glad we skipped the steps in Corneglia.  I was so glad David was with me, because when we reached the apartment, I was so exhausted that it was hard to concentrate on what the man was saying.  Our room was really nice, and the view from the balcony was spectacular.

                For dinner, we decided to head back to Vernazza.  We had read about a restaurant in an old castle up on the cliff, with a view of the ocean.  I had the best lasagna there I’ve ever had- it was lasagna with pesto and béchamel sauce.   David had spaghetti with pesto, which was also excellent.  After dinner I ordered an espresso to fortify myself for the steep walk back to our room. 

                After our hard work-out on Saturday, Sunday was devoted entirely to leisure!  We checked out of our room and headed back to Monterosso for some beach time.  Even though it’s almost October, the weather was warm and the water was refreshing- perfect for a swim.  The waves of the Mediterranean are so calm and the water so salty you can just lie out and float along.  The water is clean and crystal clear and, unlike my friends who went in August, we didn’t encounter any medusa, or jellyfish.  After a few hours of soaking up the sun and playing in the surf, I was ready for some lunch.  We took the train back to Vernazza, which seemed to have better food.  I ordered a sampler of fried fish to go, which they wrap up in a paper cone.  It was bursting with fried prawns, calamari, and anchovies and topped with a lemon.  I happily munched on my fried fish, washing it down with a frosty cold beer.  To me, it was a perfect day.  I will look back on that day a few months from now when Bologna is cold and foggy. 

                I feel that you can’t truly feel like you live in Italy until you experience a train strike, which we did on our way home.  We got a message on Facebook from another student saying that the train workers in Emilia Romagna (the region where we live) were on strike on Sunday.  We weren’t sure how else to get home, so we decided to just show up at the train station and see what happened.  We were able to get home, although we had to pay a few more Euro and arrived later than we had planned.  All in all, we had a great trip- an experience of a life-time.  

Living in Italy

I’ve been in Italy for a month now!  It’s hard to believe, the time has gone by so fast.  Taking pre-term intensive Italian was a good decision for me.  I have learned quite a lot of Italian, and I've made some friends at the school.  

A lot of people have been asking me, “What are you going to do in Italy?”  It’s a question to which I don’t have an answer yet.  I’m not really a person who plans ahead.  Also, I honestly didn't think I would come to Italy.  Even 2 weeks before the move, I fully expected myself to back out.  Now that I’m here, I've been too busy with class to really put in time to research opportunities.  However, my class ends on Tuesday, and then I’ll have more time.  Ideally I would like to find work babysitting or teaching English.  I would like to do volunteer work, perhaps at a hospital.  I also want to find an Italian or two to practice speaking the language. 

People have also asked me what I my every-day life is like in Italy.  I typically get up late (around 8:30 or 9) and have breakfast.  Breakfast in Italy is really light- usually just a coffee and a croissant.  I eat breakfast at home, but once a week David and I go to the bar next to our apartment for a delicious cappuccino.  In Italy, a bar is more like a café- they serve coffee, pastries, and sandwiches. 

Italian class starts at 11.  It takes me about 15 minutes to walk to school.  The weather here has been beautiful- warm and sunny- so I don’t mind the walk.  We get a short break from class at 12:30- time to get an espresso at the school bar or a piece of fruit from the friendly vendor right across from the school.  My lunch hour is from 2-3 and I usually pack a sandwich and eat at school with friends.  Class ends at 5, and I pick up groceries on the walk home from school.  Since we don’t have a car here, I go grocery shopping every 2-3 days, bringing home food for dinner that day and whatever else I can carry.  Once I get home, I do my homework, which can take an hour or two.  David gets home from class a little before 8pm and we eat dinner, which is a perfectly acceptable dinner time in Italy (especially when lunch is at 2!). 

On Fridays, the school bar has a cocktail “hour” that starts at 6 and usually runs till 8ish.  The bar is owned by Guilio, an attractive young Italian who looks like Johnny Depp.  Guilio makes an awesome spritz- the typical Italian cocktail beverage.  After a drink at Guilio’s, we usually head out to another bar for an aperitivo- a drink, usually a cocktail, served with some food.  At many bars in Bologna, you pay about 7 euro for a drink and access to the buffet, which serves pastas, vegetable dishes, pizza slices, and other such things. 

                On the weekends we have been making day trips to cities near Bologna.  This weekend David is busy studying for his macro-economics final, so we’re staying home.  I am looking forward to having time to explore the city we live in.  Last night, to celebrate the end of intensive Italian, the instructors organized a city-wide scavenger hunt.  We had to go through-out the city taking pictures of things and finding out information from people, which required us to speak Italian.  I had a great time, but I also realized how little of the city I’ve actually seen.  Next weekend, to celebrate our 6^th anniversary, we are planning a trip to Cinque Terre, so stay tuned!

Venice: Part 2

After leaving the cathedral, we went across the piazza to the Doge's Palace.  The Doge, or duke, of Venice was said to be the most powerful man in Europe for 400 years.  The cathedral is connected to the Doge's Palace, since it was originally used as the doge's private place of worship.  To quote David, "It was good to be the Doge."  The palace is filled with beautiful art- sadly, I can't show any examples since pictures are not allowed.  My friend Logan is better at sneaking snapshots without getting noticed- check out "Logan's Bologna Blog" on www.blogger.com to see more photos.  Here are some pictures I was allowed to take inside the courtyard and from the windows of the palace:

The tour of the palace took us through rooms of beautiful artwork and impressive weaponry, and then we abruptly found ourselves headed down to the dungeon.  We crossed the Bridge of Sighs- so named because prisoners would often sigh at their last view of Venice before crossing the moat into the prison.  I have toured other castles in Europe, but this dungeon was not like any I've seen before.  It had at least 3 floors, with cell after cell. 

David behind bars

A prisoner's last view of Venice...minus the tourists

The Bridge of Sighs

We managed to escape from the dungeon and find our way back to the piazza.  Sadly, at this point it was time to head back to the train station.  Since no trip to Venice would be complete without a boat ride, we hired a water taxi to take us back.  This involved the tedious procedure of asking for a price, acting shocked at said price, pretending to walk away, and then haggling with the taxi driver.  Since there were 9 of us, we actually got a pretty good deal. 

Back on dry land, we were ready for some food!  Venice is known for its seafood- squid in particular.  Many dishes involve squid cooked in it's own ink.  David was brave enough to try some spaghetti with squid ink, and we all had a great laugh at his black teeth at the end of the meal! 

Venice is all it's cracked up to be...and more.  I only spent a handful of hours there, and I can't wait to get back for more!

Venice

Cross this off my bucket list- I made it to Venice!  The world's only city where people get around by boat and cars are banned, Venice is a must-see for anyone traveling to Italy.  Yes, it's touristy, and yes, it's crowded- but there's a reason for that.  The city is beautiful!  Here's the view we were greeted with when exiting the train station and crossing the bridge...how many cities can offer this?!

We only went to Venice for the day (we plan to go back another time) so we had a few things planned that we absolutely wanted to see:  St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace.  We could have taken a vaporetto, or water bus, to get to St. Mark's directly, but instead we decided to wander through Venice- it's an island- we figured we'd get there eventually!  It's difficult to navigate Venice using a map- streets are often labelled with 2 different names; and more often than not, you'll find yourself at a dead end facing the canal.  It's better to just surrender your map and explore- here are some of our rewards:

For visitors who may start to lose hope, these signs were posted fairly frequently throughout the city:

So we eventually made it to San Marco's.  The Basilica is grand, inside and out.  It's under renovation right now, so this is just a part of what the outside looks like.  Inside, the entire ceiling and walls are covered in mosaics and frescoes.  The church was built in the 11th century and houses Mark's bones.  Venetian merchants smuggled his bones from Alexandria in a barrel of pork fat.  Since Muslims are not allowed to touch pork, this prevented the guards from inspecting the cargo too closely.  For me, the highlights of the church were the 4 bronze horses, and the view of the square from the church terrace.  The 4 Greek bronze horses are the only kind existing in the world.  A Venetian doge in the 13th century stole them from Constantinople as part of his loot during the 4th crusade.  Due to environmental damage, the 4 horses are now stored inside the church, and the ones outside are wax replicas. 

Here are the great views of the square from up on the church terrace:

We also had a great view of the clock tower, built in 1496:

Stay tuned for part II of our trip to Venice, including the Doge's palace!

Ravenna

David and I have birthdays 6 days apart.  I’ve always enjoyed having our birthdays so close together- sometimes we pick something really special to do as a joint birthday celebration; and other years we just stretch our celebrating over the entire week.  How we decided to celebrate our birthdays in Italy actually says a lot about us.  I wanted to go out for a delicious Italian meal.  When I think of Italy, the first thing that comes to mind is the food.

David, on the other hand, planned a day trip to Ravenna to look at Byzantine art and architecture.  Ravenna is about 90 minutes by train from Bologna, and well worth the trip.  Its churches are 1,500 years old.  To give a quick historical background, Ravenna was established as the Western Roman capital in 402 when Rome was under attack from barbarian tribes.  The Goths conquered the city in 476, and the Western Roman Empire was brought to an end.  In 540, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I conquered the Goths and “turned Ravenna into a pinnacle of civilization” (Rick Steves).  It has remained an important city ever since, and has wonderful examples of art from the Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, and medieval periods.  Literary giants Dante and Lord Byron also spent time living in Ravenna. 

We bought a city pass which gave us entrance to 5 churches and museums.  I must say, I love mosaic art.  It was what drew me to Gaudi’s work in Barcelona.  The Byzantine art in Ravenna is among the best in the world- second only to Turkey- and it’s 1,500 years old!  I was amazed at how well preserved the mosaics are- how brilliantly the green and gold stones shine.  My pictures don’t do them justice.

Basilica San Vitale

Justinian I

We also visited Dante’s tomb.  Some trivia facts about Dante you may not know- he was exiled from Florence for political reasons and spent the rest of his life in Ravenna, where he died of malaria.  Dante’s work helped to establish the Italian language as we know it today…and his tomb is inscribed in Latin.  After his death, the city of Florence forgave him and requested his remains so they could bury him there.  Ravenna refused; and as penance, Florence is responsible for keeping the eternal flame lit in his tomb.

 

I really enjoyed Ravenna- it was quiet, charming, and not touristy.  We saw everything we wanted to see in about 4 hours, so it was perfect for a day trip.  The only thing I disliked was having to compete with people returning from Rimini beaches on the train trip home.  We ended up standing for the entire 90 minutes.  Note to self- plan carefully when travelling on a Sunday in August in Italy.  I can’t wait for the summer vacation season to end. 

We’re planning a trip to Venice next weekend, so stay tuned!

...this has nothing to do with Italy, just a new friend I met coming out of the grocery store :)