Giorno Chinque

10-23-2013

The last few days have been a lot of fun. Jen (our music instructor) is helping us to learn about music history through hands on experiences. Yesterday, we were able to travel to Perugia which is the city that Corciano sits outside of. There is a chocolate festival going on this week and we got to experience the finest Italian chocolates. Molly and I got Kabobs for dinner and sat on the steps of a large church while admiring the rough Italian people hanging out in the square, and admiring the architecture around us. We met a man named Francesco (apparently all Italian men have the same names), and his friend Angelo. Francesco is from Boston, so he was able to explain to us what life in Perugia is like. Unlike the beauty of the city, there are a lot of underlying problems such as drugs, and weapons. This really opened our eyes and helped us to view our surroundings a little bit differently. At 9p.m. we attended a choral concert. The concert was put on by a Brittish choral school that travels and performs. All of the choir singers ranged in age from 7-18. For their age they were amazing, and the acoustics in the old church were fascinating as well. It was a great experience.

Today, we got the pleasure of learning about Rosella's artwork and her inspiration, Ildegarda di Bingen. Like the other members of the Vasta family, Rosella is extremely talented and she thinks on an extremely high level. She is a very private person, and has a hard time sharing her works with students. I am extremely glad that she was willing to give us a sneak peak into what she does on a professional art level. Rosella is the leader of a project called The Table of Silence. I encourage all of you reading my blog to look up table of silence september 11, 2011 on youtube and check out her site www.tableofsilence.com. Rosella has a vision about how she can change the happenings in the world through art, and this is her contribution so far. I don't want to spoil it, but she takes her art and partners with other types of artists throughout the world. She is definitely and inspiration to those of us looking to make a difference with our trade.

After learning from Rosella, we all attended a cooking class from Paoula. She taught us how to make homemade pasta for dinner, and we will be able to eat our creations this evening. Making homemade pasta is actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, or Paoula is just that good at it...it could be either one. I guess I will find out when I get home! The way she taught us makes me feel like it would be an inexpensive way to make everyday variations of dinner. Along with cooking lessons, at the very beginning of our trip Michele ( the matriarch) taught us how to make Italian liqueur. Earlier today, he brought us a book on the subject that he had purchased, and said he would buy as many as we wanted to take home so that we can continue the tradition in the states. I am very excited to bring home everything that I have learned and share it with my loved ones! The Villa is full of education, and everyone has a different skill and knowledge to share with us. Even though there is a language barrier, I continue learning everyday and cannot wait to share it.


PS- for those of you wondering, Rosa took Mi Gato home with her and thought about a name for a few days. After a long thought process, she decided to name the cat Molly (after molly) because she said     (in italian) that Molly was the most cat like name :) I am glad she found a good home