On Friday November 23rd, our 27th wedding anniversary, Amy and I traveled to Montepulciano in Tuscany. We left campus on the 8:24 train to Rome to catch the 10:30 train to Chiusi. The train was delayed 2 and a half hours. A nightmare spending all that time wasted in Termini station. But not a thing we could do about it. Once the train did arrive and we could board we found it to be a very nice and comfortable train. The train arrived in Chiusi to intense fog. Our driver to Montepulciano told us not to worry. There was no fog there.  Once we arrived we could understand why. the city is labeled a "hill top town". This is no exaggeration. We were way above the fog.

The pictures below are the view from our hotel room.

We had a wonderful hotel room.

With a spiral staircase up to a crazy little loft above our bed. See below.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the town. We had dinner in a great restaurant which specialized in beef steak. We ordered one for the two of us, 1400 grams, 1.4 kg or about 3#. It was delicious.
After dinnerwe went back to our hotel which had a little jazz club in the lower level. It was great fun.

Thursday November 22, Thanksgiving. We got up early and took the train into Rome. We attended 10:30 mass at Santa Susanna. This is the American church in Rome. Mass was in English. Everybody there spoke English. The representative of the US ambassador read a proclamation from President Obama. It was all very American like. We sang America the Beautiful. We even had American coffee and pastries after mass.

Danilo had arranged for an expatriate chef from America to fix the dinner. I was little skeptical, but it turned out wonderfully. Everything tasted like home with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and even pumpkin pie. In addition there was pumpkin soup, sweet potatoes, pecan and apple pies. We had a feast that lasted for hours. I want to get her recipe for seasoning the turkey. It was delicious.

Besides the students, Amy, Danilo, Mike and I, we also invited the brothers, their families, Brandon's family and the Italian instructor and her husband. We had 32 people for dinner. Brandon's grandmother and I carved the turkeys. There are pictures floating around somewhere. I will try and find them and post them.

Wednesday November 21 started out great but ended badly. Amy really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel again. The last time she saw it was 30 years ago.  Danilo arranged tickets to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel for us on Wednesday morning. He offered to accompany us and to serve as our guide in the museum. He did a wonderful job.

I love the Sistine Chapel especially when the 100 guards yell out, "silenzio", or "no pictures". It really adds to the experience! After the museum Danilo took us into Vatican City as his guests. We visited the stores and picked up a couple things.

Danilo went off to attend to other business and Amy asked if we could spend more time in Rome. We decided to take the metro to Piazza Popolo and walk down to Spagna, the Spanish Steps. From there we walked to San Lorenzo in Lucine. This is one of my favorite piazzas in Rome. It is conveniently located to Fontana de Trevi and the Spanish Steps. Amy and I stopped here last time in Rome as well. It was great to sit and relax, have an appertivo, and people watch.

From there we went back to Spagna to catch the metro to Termini station for the train back to campus. The metro was very crowded and Amy and I were briefly separated. Some little kids took the opportunity to relieve her of her wallet from her purse. The got her credit cards, driver's license, and some cash. We then had to call the banks and have all of our credit cards cancelled. After we returned to campus, Danilo took us up to the police station in Castel Gandolfo to file a report in case the cards were used before being cancelled.

We were worried because on Friday we were leaving for Montepulciano and Assisi. Traveling without credit seemed a little unnerving. I talked with the banks but they could not overnight me another card before we left because Thursday was Thanksgiving. Danilo did offer to give me an advance on my weekly stipend here in Rome. This along with the cash I had on hand would have to cover the trip. I also had some euros left on my AAA travel card. We decided this would not spoil our Thanksgiving or our trip.

Tuesday November 20th we are back in Rome. We have a student led tour of the Borghese Garden, via Veneto and the vicinity. We told the students to pack a lunch because we had tickets to visit the Borghese Gallery in the villa from 11-1. The museum strictly limits the number of visitors each day and only allows one to visit for two hours. This always makes it challenging to arrange. But once again Danilo Mori has come through for us!

We start the tour at Santa Maria Vittoria which houses a famous statue by Bernini, The Ecstasy of  St. Theresa. We travel down to piazza Barberini to see the Fontana del Tritone and Fontana delle Api both of which were also created by Bernini. Then up via Veneto past the Hard Rock Cafe and the American Embassy. The students stopped to take pictures but we were shooed along by the guards.

Then into the gardens themselves making our way to the villa. Once we arrive we discover that a mix up has occurred and our reservation doesn't start until 1p instead of ending then. So we adjust on the fly, a common occurrence in this program. We decide to have lunch earlier, hold class in the park and then proceed to the Gallery for our 1-3 appointment. It turned out to be great. Students got to eat earlier. And food is very important to this group.

The museum houses some of the greatest works by Bernini, Caravaggio, Ruebens, and other great artists. Pictures are not allowed. This troubled some of my students because they were wondering what they could do in the museum if they were not allowed to take pictures. I encouraged them to look at the works of art.

I had a nice printout describing the more famous works of art in the gallery, courtesy of Professor Brad Beach. I emailed the packet to all the students. My wife and I had a wager as to how many of the 16 would print it out and bring it with them. I predicted that at least one student would print it and bring it. She said none would. She won. She always wins.

After the museum Amy and I wandered back down via Veneto to a little cafe we stopped at over two years ago. It was fun to sit there and reminisce about that experience and compare it to this trip.

Monday, November the 19th back on campus and in Rome. I feel so much more comfortable in Rome than Florence. We attended the Museo del Arte Medicine. The Museum of Medical Arts. This was quite a feat. I was unable to arrange a visit the last time I taught in Rome two years ago. The museum is only open from 10-12 MWF. We are always traveling on Fridays. Wednesdays are always a free day for us. And so that left only Monday. I was pleased that we were able to arrange for this group something I could not arrange in the past.

The museum has old medical equipment and teaching tools. The museum has plastic molds that were used in the teaching of medical students. Some of the molds and equipment regarding child birth were very interesting to the students. Although I thought Brandon was going to pass out at one point.

I am sorry but I do not have pictures. You probably don't want to see them anyways. And after the tour, the museum was kind enough to let me use their classroom for my class.

On Friday evening, Amy and I had a wonderful dinner just the two of us at a restaurant. The name was the Quatro Leoni or the Four Lions. The dinner was terrific. Thanks for the recommendation and reservation by our good friend Danilo Mori. If you are ever in Florence I highly recommend. Be sure you make reservations. They were packed all night and turned many people away at the door.

On Saturday November 17th we visited the gardens in Florence. They were beautiful. But the cost, 20 euros each for Amy and I. Rome charges nothing to visit Borghese Gardens and it is just as nice. Maybe you can see a pattern to my whining about Florence.

One of the great features of the gardens was the view of the rest of Florence from the high points in the gardens as you can see below.

After the gardens we visited the Uffizi Museum. One of the three best art museums in the world after the Louvre and London. It is too bad we only have two hours there. The university provided us with audio guides. The museum has 84 rooms. After one hour we noticed we were still in room 20. We needed to pick up our pace to see things farther into the museum before our two hours was up.

After the museum we went to see The David. Always an impressive site. But 15 euros each? Yes still whining about the cost of Florence.

On Saturday evening we had a great dinner altogether, us, Danilo and the students.

On Friday, November 16th we all headed to Florence. Amy, Danilo, the students, and I boarded a fast train in Rome to Florence. Florence is not one of my favorite places. It seems at times like it is nothing more than one big store. Even the churches charge admission to enter. The students have a great time in Florence, shopping and enjoying the night life.

And of course, there is always the Doumo which can be seen from everywhere.

On Friday we visited Santa Croce, which houses the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. Cost was six euros each. Can you imagine if Rome charged tourists to enter there churches.

Wednesday November 14th was a very busy day. Not in terms of courses and Rome. but rather in preparation for Amy's arrival the following day. This meant I had to clean my room. Prepare space for her in my drawers and closet. We had to order cake and break out the good wine for dinner.

Amy arrived Thursday, November 15th without incident. Happy Birthday dear. I was able to meet her at the airport which was nice. She looked so Italian, I almost didn't recognize her.

She decided to travel with us into Rome to visit the Museo della Mente. The Museum of the Mind. The museum is on the grounds of an old government hospital for the mentally insane. The museum is dedicated to telling the story of the people who were committed there. As with our country, the Italians had a poor record of managing and treating mental illness at the state run institutions.

I visited the museum the last time I was in Rome in 2010. Always a great experience for the students. I don't take pictures at the museum. not because they don't allow it, but I really think it is a place that needs to be experienced directly and personally. So, the next time you get to Rome, look up this little museum.

On Tuesday November 13th we had another student led tour of an area of Rome. These students were assigned Piazza Navona and vicinity, including Piazza della Rotonda. I habve been to Navona multiple times. There are many pictures from there in my previous blog as well as from an earlier entry in this blog. This time I just walked around enjoying the sights and sounds. Navona and Rotonda are always very busy with tourists. And wherever there are tourists there are street vendors. The really nice thing about Navona are the artists. This piazza is always crowded with artists selling their original works.

From Navona we walked over to San Luigi dei Francesi, the French national church. The major claim to fame of this church are the three Caravaggio paintings of St. Matthew. I never tire of staring at Caravaggio's paintings especially these three.












I particularly like the second one where the angel is telling him what to write in his gospel. And in the third picture the angel is offering him a branch to grab hold of during his martyrdom as though the angel would pull him up to heaven.

From there we went to piazza della Rotonda. The most famous object here is the Pantheon. the last time I was in Rome, it was covered with scaffolding. It was a real treat to come around the corner and find it uncovered.

After our visit to Santa Maria sopre Minerva around the corner we broke for lunch. The students were excited to find a subway. Danilo and a few students headed to a small little bar that served great breaded chicken breast sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and mayo for only 3 euros. After fortifying ourselves with a fruit smoothie we headed back to sopre minerva and held class outside on the steps. We have been blessed with great weather.

as you can see the students were once again enthralled by my oratory skills.

I returned to Rome home on Sunday November 11 without any drama. On Monday we had a student led tour of the Aventine Hill area of Rome. I was excited to visit this area because I had spent very little time there in the past. Wasn't even sure what all was there to see. The students did a great job as usual. We visited the Circus Maximus where they held chariot races, but I had been there before. From there we walked towards the river to Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The legend is if you tell a lie while your hand is in the mask, you could have it chopped off.

Thankfully somebody asked me an easy question. All five fingers are still intact. From there we walked over to the pagan temple ruins nearby. The temple of Portunis

and the small circular temple of Hercules.

Next we stopped at the Arch of Janus

And then on to Santa Sabina, the home church of the Dominican order, The best part was the beautiful courtyard or garden with an exceptional view of Rome. We held class in the park as the tour ended.

Hello faithful blog readers. I must apologize again for my lack of timeliness in posting on my blog. It has been an exciting two weeks since I last posted, including a 10 day stay by Amy. but I am getting ahead of myself. Let me fill you in on what happened before Amy's visit.

I think I was in the middle of my visit to Cinque Terra region. Since then I have been in Rome, Florence, back in Rome, Montepulciano, Assisi and back to Rome. But I get ahead of myself again. Let me finish my visit to the Cinque Terra.

Did I tell you is was picturesque. Wonderful place to visit. Great seafood. On Friday I visited Riomaggiore and Manarola. On Saturday I visited the other three towns in the region, Monterrossa, Vernazza, and Corniglia. the pictures below are from Monterrossa, the largest of the five towns, and the only one with a beach.

 

The picture below was taken in the town. It is a picture of someone's house. Just the pink part. It reminded me of the nursery rhyme, "there was an old woman who lived in a shoe..."

 

Just last year, the Cinque Terra region was devastated by a tidal wave. The water and mud that was washed ashore caused significant damage. The area is now just recovering. There are many pictures hanging in the town depicting the damage. I took a picture of one of these pictures. See below.

From Monteterrossa, I traveled to the town of Vernazza. Vernazza was a two hour hike away, so I took the train. I wanted to be sure to see all three towns in one day. And as you can tell from the pictures, the weather was not promising.

 Vernazza also claimed to have a beach! you can see it in the picture above.

The picture below is of the view back towards Monterrossa from Vernazza.

It was amazing how much living space they were able to cram into such little land space

After Vernazza, it was on to Corniglia. Once again I took the train. It was only an hour walk. But at the end there were 375 steps. I decided to take the train steps rather than hike and steps. Corniglia is the only town in the region without sea access. It is literally built on top of a rock that sticks out into the water. The pictures below were taken from the town as you viewed the sea from a 100 meter cliff.

The picture below was taken in town. Once again recognizing the medieval ability to build rounded walls. Not a straight wall to be found anywhere.

The picture below was taken back in Riomaggiore after my day long excursion to the other three villages. To visit the waterfront in Riomaggiore, one had to take the tunnel from the train station. The tunnel was nicely decorated. I am sure the decorations were added since the flood of 2011. I took a picture of the starfish below. but really one could have filmed the entire trip through the tunnel as every wall was covered with this kind of decoration.

And everyone by now recognizes the decoration below.

On Friday afternoon November 9 I explored the village of Riomaggiore and then traveled by train to the adjoining city of Manarola. This last part was disappointing because there is a beautiful path along the sea that connects the two cities. Only a 20 minute walk, less than a mile.However the path was closed due to landslides and I had to take the train. The pictures below were taken from the water front at Riomaggiore.

If you study the picture above, high on the hill to the left is my hotel. Yellow building, green shutters and has a terrace.

The other pictures below are just some random shots as I wandered Riomaggiore.

I was kidding the students about holding class in Riomaggiore. Found these great benches below.

and the picture below is the view from those benches. Hard enough to keep their attention now. Imagine that view in front of them

Once I arrived in Manarola I went down to the waterfront of course. And of course had to climb my way back out of town.

They park their boats right on the street. The top picture is the view towards the marina. The picture directly above is the view from the marina back towards town. And everyone knows the view below. I am not a big olive fan. But I have to say I really enjoyed these little local variety.

Hope everyone enjoys cliff and water pictures. I took a million of them. This is a picture of the next village over, Corniglia. This village is built on an out cropping and has no sea access. From the train station below there are 374 steps up the cliff wall to reach the village of Corniglia. I will wait till tomorrow to explore Corniglia. If I don't want to take the train, this section of the cliff walk is open. Yea. These villages are farther apart, plus 374 steps up. I think I will take the train again.