The bus ride from Rome to Montalcino was about 3 hours, maybe a little less, but it felt like forever. It was continuous snake turns up a mountain, in the country-side. About half the bus got sick, it was horrible. I got motion-sick pretty bad and almost lost it after I witnessed my dear friend Nicole lose hers all over the place. Woops! Anyway, it figures that after a stomach-assaulting ride, the first stop is the Castello Banfi, which happens to be one of the most important wine producers in Tuscany. We did a wine tasting of three regional wines, all reds. I don't remember the names of the wines, only that I preferred the first of the three we tried.
We had some time to walk around the estate, which was absolutely beautiful. This picture to the left is the view that surrounded us; the two guys are Charles and Phil, other friends from CEA. It was breathtaking and spacious and astonishingly green. We realized that there's not much greenery in our everyday life in Rome, so it was nice to be surrounded by nature. At least for a little bit.
After the beautiful sights and tastes we made our way back to the bus and on to lunch in a smaller little town in Montalcino. I forget what it was called, but think of a tiny stone village in the country of Italy, and that's where I was. On top of a mountain-hill, overlooking miles of rolling hills, is where we spent about an hour. The restaurant we went to was a hole-in-the-middle-of-nowhere kind of place and you couldn't find better food. Handmade pasta, vegetables grown down the mountainside, fresh bread; there were really no words to describe it. Not to mention the people in the place were all smiles and laughter at these 28 American kids who somehow found their way to their restaurant.
We had some time to walk around the estate, which was absolutely beautiful. This picture to the left is the view that surrounded us; the two guys are Charles and Phil, other friends from CEA. It was breathtaking and spacious and astonishingly green. We realized that there's not much greenery in our everyday life in Rome, so it was nice to be surrounded by nature. At least for a little bit.After the beautiful sights and tastes we made our way back to the bus and on to lunch in a smaller little town in Montalcino. I forget what it was called, but think of a tiny stone village in the country of Italy, and that's where I was. On top of a mountain-hill, overlooking miles of rolling hills, is where we spent about an hour. The restaurant we went to was a hole-in-the-middle-of-nowhere kind of place and you couldn't find better food. Handmade pasta, vegetables grown down the mountainside, fresh bread; there were really no words to describe it. Not to mention the people in the place were all smiles and laughter at these 28 American kids who somehow found their way to their restaurant.
Again, we return to the bus to make our way to Siena. I hope you did your reading, you definitely had some time to study up, with my lack of frequent writings and all...Anyway. We checked in to our hotel and it was like we stepped in to a movie.
NB: For about 15 of us, this trip was mandatory for either/both the Food and Wine class and the Living Italy (culture) class because we had just learned about the culture of Siena, etc. I happen to be in both of them.
It's hard to describe, as well as appreciate, the beauty of this little town. Yes, the city is absolutely beautiful with an almost private, but still welcoming, charm; but there's so much more to the people and the city and the history. Comparable to someone who has studied and developed a heart for art history, and finally have a chance to step foot in to the Sistene Chapel and get an upclose look at the details you've only read about.
The next day, Saturday, we got a tour of the city, which isn't very large, from a woman belonging to the Bruco (caterpillar) contrada. Nicoletta was in high spirits because her contrada had one the August 2008 Palio. And believe me, she didn't waste a chance to throw in how much pride she has for her own contrada. The whole tour was just seeing little details that made up the true character of Siena. The flags on the balconies, the animal logos in the breadshop windows, anything and everything you can see is part of the Sienese identity.
NB: For about 15 of us, this trip was mandatory for either/both the Food and Wine class and the Living Italy (culture) class because we had just learned about the culture of Siena, etc. I happen to be in both of them.
It's hard to describe, as well as appreciate, the beauty of this little town. Yes, the city is absolutely beautiful with an almost private, but still welcoming, charm; but there's so much more to the people and the city and the history. Comparable to someone who has studied and developed a heart for art history, and finally have a chance to step foot in to the Sistene Chapel and get an upclose look at the details you've only read about.
The next day, Saturday, we got a tour of the city, which isn't very large, from a woman belonging to the Bruco (caterpillar) contrada. Nicoletta was in high spirits because her contrada had one the August 2008 Palio. And believe me, she didn't waste a chance to throw in how much pride she has for her own contrada. The whole tour was just seeing little details that made up the true character of Siena. The flags on the balconies, the animal logos in the breadshop windows, anything and everything you can see is part of the Sienese identity.
An example:
As I and several friends were walking back to the hotel from dinner on Friday night, we got a tad lost. We stopped to ask some older gentlemen who were standing in the doorway of a restaurant, in which direction was the Hotel Athena, where we were staying.
He scoffs, "Ohhh, Pantera!" in a disdainful, yet playful (kind of) way, making typical Italian hand gestures.
Why is this worth noting? Well, as you know, there are 17 contrade within Siena, all of which have strict boundary lines that only the people of Siena are aware of. Certainly these men were from a different contrada from where our hotel was located, perhaps even a rival contrada. That short moment was what I consider to be a true glimpse of the engrained personal identity that the people of each contrada hold.
Fascinating, truly fascinating.
Since I've been in Italy, I've learned so much about the country and the history and the culture and have been realizing that there is so much we, as Americans, have no clue. As I get the chance to experience things as I learn them, is something I will never take for granted. I've been learning what it feels like to be excited about new information and applying it to my life and my own culture; taking bits and pieces and really figuring out what makes me tick and what really makes me run. Dad, you'll be happy to know that I actually enjoy doing my homework here, contrary to popular belief. Maybe I'll be a little more in to school when I get back to Cincinnati. Maybe not. But the charm of Italy-the beauty of my surroundings, the people, the culture-definitely has its hold on me.
