January 27

We ventured to Perugia, another city not too far from Assisi. The name of this town sounded extremely familiar to me, probably because Perugia is also the name of the entire region of Italy. We convened in the Piazza Italia, where a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II stands. 

Photo: Statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. 

We then got a chance to see the National Gallery of Art, which contained works from the before, during, and after the  Renaissance. The paintings within the gallery were all beautiful and I was able to appreciate each of them for their aesthetic value upon my first look. Additionally, the professors who joined us for the trip were able to provide some background information and other facts, allowing me to better understand the historical significance of each. 

After the gallery, we stopped into a local pizzeria for lunch. 

Photo: If you order a pepperoni pizza in America and the waiter brings you this, you'll probably send it back and repeat your order. If you order a pepperoni pizza in Italy, you should probably know that "pepperoni" means "peppers". It was very good.

After lunch we visited the "Casa Romana", a typical home of a wealthy ancient Roman family. The floors were tiled intricately with different patterns for each room. This was very cool to see. 

After a long day, we returned to Assisi for a wine tasting at a local "enoteca", or wine store. Most of us had already been acquainted with the owner, Alessandro--probably his best customers all year.

We were able to try three different wines--one white and two red. Each wine was paired with either cheese, meat, or bread with olive oil and truffle (kind of like mushrooms but so much better). 

 

After the wine tasting, we returned to the guest house for more food and more wine, and by the end of dinner we had all had too much to eat and in the case of a few, too much to drink. This was evident when one of the more shy girls from our program volunteered to say grace and couldn't help but share not only her thanks but also the fact that we are all "very lovely" people. 

January 26

(This post and a few of the following are short because I'm almost a week behind on my posts)

Today we took a convoluted trip to the TIM store to figure out our phone situation. Our guide, Aurora, didn't exactly know where the store was so we ended up walking quite a distance from the bus stop although we could have stayed on the bus and gotten off right in front of the store. It took a long while for everyone to pick a plan due to the fact that we were all relying on Aurora's translation as to how each plan worked. At the end of the ordeal, I picked a plan with 2 GB of data (I'm hoping I don't use it all using my Maps app while trying to find my way around) and 1000 minutes so that I can call Mom and Dad for $0.15 a minute which will be well worth it. 

January 25

Today we ventured to the nearby town called Spoleto. Like Assisi, Spoleto is an ancient town that was built on a hill with its own cathedral at the center. Spoleto is also known for having an amphitheatre. Unfortunately we weren't able to see it because it's closed on Mondays. 

Photo: Cathedral of Spoleto 

The train ride wasn't long at all, and when we arrived we made our way up a series of outdoor escalators (which seem to be a common thing here) to a castle with a beautiful view of Spoleto.

Picture: View of Spoleto from the castle. 

After descending from the castle, we were all ready for lunch. I had a bowl of pasta which was named for the town, so I figured it was the local specialty. Whatever it was, it was very good. I also helped one of my friends finish her Caprese pizza, very good as well. 

Photo: Can't remember the name of the dish but I know it included the word "Spolentino". 

After lunch, we were able to tour the "Casa Romana", a Roman style home that probably belonged to a wealthy family. It was interesting to see how the house was built with an intricate tile pattern on the floors, different for every room, and a focus on religion. 

Soon, we boarded the train and were on our way back to Assisi for dinner. Bed time came around and we were ready for Tuesday aka "phone day", when we would make our way to downtown Assisi and purchase phone plans. 

January 24

This morning, I woke up at regular time for breakfast and joined the group that was headed into town for 10:30 mass at the Basilica di San Francesco. (I know you're happy to hear that Mom and Dad.) The entire mass was in Italian, and I was able to understand the majority of it, partly because most of the mass consists of the same prayers that we hear in English every week back home. However, I also was able to catch more of the homily than I typically do at mass back home, probably because I was attempting to mentally translate what the priest was saying rather than zoning out as I typically do (sorry mom and dad). 

After mass, we had some time to kill before our scheduled meeting in the center of town or "il piazza comune". A few of us stopped into a small shop where there were unnamed sandwiches. Instead of attempting to figure out how to order one, I followed my friend Irene's lead when she ordered a slice of what we call "Sicilian" pizza by saying "lo stesso!" ("The same!") I do not yet know what the Italian phrase for a slice of pizza is. Our quick lunch left us with more time than we needed to walk around, and it was pretty chilly out so we needed to stop for a quick coffee. American style coffee barely exists in Italy, and the closest thing you'll get is a "caffe Americano", a fancy name for a watered down shot of espresso. And cappuccino can only be ordered before lunchtime. So I had to put my knowledge of Italian coffee drinks to the test and I did pretty okay by ordering a caffe macchiato, a tiny shot of espresso  with foamed milk on top. 

Our group meeting took us first to the Cathedral of Assisi. We learned yesterday that every city can only have one cathedral. At this site, we learned about the life of Santa Chiara (St. Clare), who wanted to follow in St. Francis' path by becoming poor and living a humble life as he and his followers did. She ended up having to start an order called the "poor Clares" because St. Francis wouldn't allow women to participate. 

After the cathedral, we went to the Basilica di San Chiara, which we had passed many times while walking through Assisi during the previous days. When the poor Clares moved to this church, they brought the cross of San Damiano with them. This was the cross that St. Francis prayed to during the moment that God called upon him to live a life of humility. 

Picture: Basilica di San Chiara, I took this picture on the day we arrived in Assisi. You can't miss this building when walking through town. The arches that protrude from the left side of the building are characteristic of the Romanesque period. They are known as "flying buttresses". 

Tracing the cross back to its original location, we walked downhill for a bit of a distance, passing rows of olive trees before arriving at San Damiano. As aforementioned, this was the home of the poor Clares before the Basilica of Santa Chiara was built but also the place where St. Clare died.

This was a very long day for us, especially because after making the trek up the large hill coming back from San Damiano, we attended an information session in the classroom of the guest house. Everyone was more than ready for the bed by the time we were done with dinner. 

January 23

Buon giorno/ buona sera /buona notte! 

Today I realized that only two of these three expressions are appropriate to start a conversation with. You don't say goodnight to someone unless you plan on leaving them alone and letting them sleep. I'm glad Dr. Dawson pointed out that these expressions translate quite literally. 

We began our day with breakfast which was served until 8:30, and I'm surprised I made it because last night I inadvertently fell asleep on top of my sheets and only under the comforter, I'm guessing I was too tired to notice. The urge to sleep in was strong but breakfast is the most important meal of the day and sleep is for the weak. 

The Italian breakfast, like dinner, is different from what we're used to. It's kind of like the continental breakfast you get at hotels but the cereal bowls are about 20 times smaller (or at least today they were). I ate a regular piece of bread with my meal and attempted to determine if the amount of walking we would do this semester would cancel out the weight I gain from the amount of bread in the Italian diet. And of course, I had a much needed cappuccino. 

We headed into town at about 9:30 for a walking tour around Assisi to learn a little about the city itself, it's construction, and the life of St. Francis. 

Assisi, located in the Italian region Umbria, was constructed before the rise of the Roman Empire, and like most civilizations at the time, it was built on a hill for protection and to keep watch for invaders. 

Following the history of the city itself, we saw several buildings and learned about their significance. We had a chance to visit the Basilica di San Francesco where St. Francis is currently buried. His body had been moved various times in the past due to claims from officials in other towns of apparitions in which St. Francis would request to be taken to their city to rest. They would then steal the body from  the basilica without notice. Dr. Dawson ensured us that the tomb was now sealed. I didn't consult St. Francis, but Assisi is probably the best resting place for him. 

Picture: The Basilica di San Francesco, with Irene and Sydney in the foreground. 

Fun fact: Francesco means "little French boy" in Italian. St. Francis' father was a cloth salesman who imported his materials from France, so this was a nickname used to poke fun at him. Anyone whose name is Francis or any variation thereof was named after St. Francis' father, the original "Francesco". 

After seeing more of the city, we stopped in a "bar" or café, where I got a small cappuccino. This morning the temperatures were in the 30's, which is one of the reasons we stayed inside for about 20 minutes. The other reason we stuck around is because Italians rarely take beverages, especially coffee drinks, to go. It is typical to stand at the bar or take a seat while you enjoy your drink, and leave only when you are done. This particular café had to go cups, but that is not to be expected. I really like the idea of that, although it may take some getting used to. 

After a little more walking, we went off on our own to have lunch. I had a panini with prosciutto, mozzarella, and arugula, served on a bread board. So cool. 

After lunch, a few of us decided to venture il Rocco Maggiore, from which there would be a beautiful view of Assisi. This took a lot of climbing but the cold air made for a refreshing little hike. And the view was more than worth it. I can't include a picture that does the view any justice but only a panoramic one that can give you a general idea of what we saw. 

At night time, I met my Roman History professor. This class was on the schedule I made originally, but I switched to the other class because I thought this one was more intensive with a larger workload. I'll definitely be switching back because even if that's true, the professor is awesome and the sites we're visiting will make it worth my while. 

After class, there was a short break and dinner began soon after. Although it was Saturday night and some of the group ventured into town to drink wine and socialize, I opted to stay warm under my covers and try to get a good sleep. In other words I changed my mind about sleep being reserved for the weak. 

 

January 21- January 22

And so the journey begins. Our flight from JFK, scheduled to depart at 7:32pm, actually departed around an hour later. The dinner we were served was better than I expected, especially because it was accompanied by my first ever legal drink, which, according to the flight attendant, was a "white table wine". Nothing special, but it didn't seem so bad being that I was on my way to Italy, my first time leaving the country (though we have travelled frequently throughout it).

The flight landed at Fiumicino, one of Rome's two airports, at around 10:30 in the morning (4:30AM EST). As we entered the airport, hearing the language come to life in actual dialogue (rather than in a classroom) compounded my excitement for the next three and a half months. 

The 23 of us Loyola students made our way to the baggage claim after getting our passports checked, and entered the terminal where we met Aurora Santoro, a Roman resident who will be guiding us for our time here. We stepped outside with our luggage (I'm making it sound a lot easier than it was) to a beautiful day, 60 degrees and sunny. As soon as we boarded the private bus that would take us to Rome, Aurora felt the need to apologize to us about the "cold weather", at which point we all looked at each other in confusion. 

The ride to our school, the Catholic University of America in Rome, probably took about half an hour. We put our bags down in a classroom, taking only what we'd use for our first week, and were soon on our way to take about 3 public buses to the Termini train station, at which point I learned that Italians place little value on their personal space. 

At the train station, I grabbed a panini for a quick lunch, attempting to order in Italian. We did a bit more walking to board our 2:20 train to Assisi, which would arrive just about two hours later. During this time I feel asleep once for about 20 minutes, immediately regretting it once I woke up to an extremely scenic view of small Italian towns that we passed through. 

As soon as I got off the train and rolled my already too-heavy suitcase towards the station, one of its wheels fell off. At this point I was sort of dragging my suitcase on the ground, which was fun. 

A little more walking had to be done before we finally arrived at the guest house in Assisi, called Oasi Sacro Cuore.

Photo: Taken from Oasi Sacro Cuore. We were lucky enough to get a room with a balcony. The town in the distance is Santa Maria degli Angeli, which borders Assisi. 

We were given a little time to regroup after our long day and the loss of 6 hours, although we were advised not to nap if we wanted to fight off the jet lag by getting a good night's sleep later. 

The CUA Rome program director (Dr. Dawson) invited us to follow him into the city without stating a specific time but saying that he'd let us know before he left. Well, we weren't notified and had to catch up with the group. 

We made our way through three large arches on the way into the city, which was beautiful. Little shops lined the sides of the brick streets, many of them advertising the local cuisine. (Dinner was scheduled for 8pm at the guest house so I forced myself to hold off). Many of the shops contained religious relics. The city itself was home to St. Francis, one of the few patron saints of Italy, and many of the sites and buildings tell stories of his life here. Tomorrow morning we will take a guided tour of the city and learn a bit more about his story and his impact on Assisi. 

We returned to the guest house and prepared for dinner...I was more than ready. I'm guessing the 7-8 hour gap between lunch and dinner is something you get used to. 

Italians eat a bit differently than us. A meal consists of bread, three courses, wine, and constant conversation. And it can last anywhere from 1-3 hours. At the conclusion of dinner, it was time for bed. I stayed up for a short time to write the first part of this, but ended up going to sleep at around 10pm. 

Quote of the day: 

"Buon giorno" - Italian man who checked my passport once we landed. 

It sounds exponentially more pleasant than "good morning" though it means exactly the same thing.