End of the week and Orvieto!

So yesterday I had a great time visiting Orvieto, but first I'd better write about the rest of last week.

On Wednesday, I got lunch with Jill, who is the girlfriend of my friend Erik from home. I didn't go to high school with her but she lived in a nearby town. She goes to URI but is spending this semester in Florence, and we finally met up! We went to a panini shop that had REALLY good sandwiches and chatted and all that good stuff. Afterward, we went toward the Mercato Centrale, she passes by there all the time on her way to school, but I hadn't been there yet! It is actually really close to a street I am on all the time, but I had just never gotten over there. Anyway it was really neat... there are all sorts of products in the open air stands, except for the food which is inside a building. When we went inside the building everything was closing up (it was about 3 in the afternoon) so I need to go back earlier in the day sometime. I think the outdoor market is a good spot to buy things too! It was really neat and I want to go back.

Also on Wednesday I finally started my "History of European Identity" class. On Wednesday and Thursday, there was ONE other student besides me! He is from the island of Elba, which is pretty cool... then Friday it started as a private lesson because he wasn't there, but then two other girls came in. So maybe now there are 4 students including me - we will see who shows up next week. Even if it is a little weird, it makes it easier to understand what is going on, and I love the subject. I have yet to figure out if there is any sort of logical sequence or if the professor is just going to talk about whatever he feels like on a given day (relating to European identity), but I like the subject so much that I am not too worried about it. With the types of things he talks about, I find myself drawing on background knowledge from International Relations and Comparative Political Systems, both classes I took last year at Georgetown. Glad to know they are doing me well!

Thursday, after class I met up with Lucia and she took me over to the section of the University for history classes. We were checking there to see if anything being offered first semester popped out, just in case, but everything conflicted with something at Scienze Politiche. However, it was still worthwhile because they already had lists up for courses NEXT semester, so we were able to already pick out three courses I might want to take in Spring! Go figure. Italy just doesn't make sense sometimes... most of the time. I am going to go home and everything will seem so calm and orderly!

Oh and before I forget, I have something to add to the list of things I have seen people do while riding a bike: drinking a beer! I did a double take to make sure it was really beer... and I am pretty sure it was.

Thursday night, I went to see the movie "Burn After Reading" at a downtown theater with Mairi, my Scottish friend from Orientation. The theater is one that always shows films in their original language, so we were able to see it in English instead of with Italian dubbing. Good language practice no, but it was good to see it with the original voices... I think Brad Pitt just wouldn't have sounded as hilarious in some other person's voice. It was really enjoyable and funny, unlike anything I have ever seen before. Also, it took place in Washington and made me all nostalgic... I even recognized the neighborhood of Georgetown, and the Key Bridge! George Clooney was walking up a hill that I have walked up a bunch of times before... (for Georgetown friends, the pretty steep one that goes up right next to Dixie's).

Going to class is different every day in terms of understanding lecture, but the textbooks are helping, and I can ask for help from a tutor if I need it. I think I will see where I am at the end of this upcoming week and go from there.

Yesterday I went to Orvieto, a town in the region of Umbria, 2 hours south and slightly east of Florence (2 hours by train). It absolutely was the type of quaint European town that I am so passionate about. It is on a hill/rock/outcropping, and once you get to the train station you have to take a funicular/tram type thing up to the actual town, so that was fun. I thought it was suspended in the air, but coming down at the end of the day I saw it was actually on tracks.

Anyway, it was really small so I walked everywhere, pretty much from one end of town to the other (and retracing back and forth a couple times). The first thing I went to look for was the Duomo, which is a huge and impressive building. The facade is just so intricate and detailed and beautiful, I was at the Duomo a few times throughout the day and just kept appreciating more and more of the decorations and artistry. The first time I was there, I went inside, expecting the normal quiet shuffling of the tourists. However I saw some chairs set up, and realized something was going on. As I got a little bit closer, I saw that it was a WEDDING! At first I couldn't believe it. I just stood there awestruck for a few moments. The bride had a veil that went past her feet onto the ground behind her, and it was just so impressive to see the wedding in the context of this huge gothic cathedral with the huge ceilings, decorations, and stained glass. I stood there long enough that the communion part of mass started, and they started to play music which added a whole new element. It was a truly breathtaking and unexpected moment! I hope it wasn't too weird for them to have all those tourists wandering through the church during the ceremony. Apparently they either didn't have a choice as to whether it would be open or wanted it to be. Who knows. I would guess the former though.

After I extricated myself from the awe of that and exited the Duomo, I wandered past some restaurants. I decided to try one that my guidebook recommended. However when I walked by at 12:15, it was empty and I felt awkward walking in, especially being by myself. So I did some more wandering and came back about half an hour later, at which point it was bustling. I got a table and started to make decisions. I knew I wanted a glass of Orvieto Classico, the local wine, and to eat something with regionally specific ingredients. I read that truffles were common in Umbrian dishes, so I ordered a pasta dish of gnocchi with saffron, truffles, and ricotta. I also got an appetizer of bruschetta since I knew I'd be eating dinner quite late. When the pasta dish came, the ricotta was different than ricotta I have had in the past, it was actually grated (there is a picture of it on Picasa). I really enjoyed the flavor of the pasta and the truffles - it was unlike anything I've ever really tasted before, which was my goal! If I went back I might try something else, but I was very satisfied with my decision.

Throughout the course of my meal, I observed two examples of dissatisfied American customers - at least English-speaking if not American. One was an older couple who sat down next to me. I could tell they were getting frustrated because no one came to take their order for some time. Eventually they decided to just get up and leave. I have to say I didn't notice them aggressively try to flag anyone down, and there were 3 guys who were trying to run the entire restaurant... Then there was also a group of 7 adults across the room from me. When their food came, there was some dissatisfaction. One woman said she ordered gnocchi and what she got was not gnocchi. The waiter who brought the food had another man come and look at the menu with her. From what I could overhear, what she had was "gnochetti" which are not, in fact, gnocchi, a point that she didn't have clear. I don't know exactly what gnochetti are but I imagine they are like gnocchi but smaller. Anyway, the conversation at its height sounded like this -

"Yes, gnocchi, see I ordered gnocchi!"
"No, gnochETTI"
"yes, gnocchi!"
"No, gnochETTI."

And so on. Also another woman at the table gave a plate back, saying "I'm sorry, but this pasta is not even al dente..." so they took it and brought back another plate. I have to say though, above all with the language (and culture) barriers, I can see and understand that the waiters must have been exasperated. For my part, I was perfectly happy with the service. For better or worse, I just expect things to be slower here and sit back to enjoy the meal.

After lunch, I walked past the center of town out to the far edge/end. I had read in my guidebook that there were beautiful views of the countryside from a church called Chiesa di San Giovenale. So I found that, enjoying the scenery of the town on the way. As I walked further and further, it was quieter and quieter, which was nice. When I got to the edge of town and the view, it was almost silent and so peaceful. I took pictures and enjoyed the atmosphere. I am glad I read about that little spot in my book!

From that point, I needed to kill time until a bit before 4 pm, when there was a tour of the Underground Etruscan village that is in the rocks literally underneath Orvieto. So I walked around some more, took more pictures and all of that. Then around 3:30 I went to the ticket office, and got a ticket for a 4:15 tour. I said I was a student to get a lower rate, and the woman said it was free! I was lucky enough to go this weekend, and apparently as part of a special cultural thing many sites and tours in Italy are free Sept 27 and 28! So that was a big plus. I sat in front of the Duomo until it was time to leave on the tour, just continuing to enjoy the atmosphere and people watching.

The tour itself was neat. I probably would have learned more had I taken one of the English tours, but I had a choice and I wanted to continue my Italian immersion as much as I could. So I understood bits and pieces, but I just tried to focus on actually seeing the caverns and passageways and such. I can always read more about it later.

After the tour I had to take the funicular back down to catch a train at 6:30 from the station. I got there and saw the letters "SOP" in the column saying whether trains were late or not. Another train was listed as 40 minutes late, but mine was just "SOP". I sat down, hoping SOP wasn't bad. Pondering, waiting. Thinking maybe I should ask. Thinking maybe I would find out. Then I realized I could try my dictionary... so I looked for whatever word it must be short for. A ha! "Sopprimere." Then, much to my chagrin, the meaning of sopprimere: to abolish, to cancel, to erase. Super. So I checked with one of the men at the ticket counter, and yes, it was true. On this particular day the 6:30 train to Florence had been cancelled, and the next one was scheduled for 8:30. Great. I just settled in and started to play mental games with myself, telling myself time would pass quickly. I suppose I could have gone back into town, but I didn't want to pay for more funicular rides. I eventually got a piece of pizza, found the bathroom, read for class, and got a magazine. As it got closer to 8:30 I saw that THAT train was 25 minutes late. Of course. By the time the train actually came at 9 pm, I was pacing the platform, just so ready to leave. The type of annoyance wasn't so much culture shock annoyance... more like anyone would have with cancelled trains and planes and such. The worst thing for me was that there was no explanation WHY the train had been cancelled... it just was.

So I eventually did get back to Florence, around 11 pm, and taking the bus home was faster than usual. I slept in this morning and I am relaxing now, so in the end it is all good.

This should link to my photos of Orvieto: http://picasaweb.google.com/Kathryn.Weatherby/Orvieto02?authkey=puk-3n908OU#

I am sure this is incredibly long now, but I had a lot from yesterday and hadn't posted since Tuesday!

Til next time!