Tomorrow we leave for Pompeii, Sorento, and Capri, so before an eventful weekend begins, let me take care of a fairly eventful week here in Montepulciano...

As a recap, last week I was pretty homesick and not the happiest person. I also spent last weekend chilling out and just enjoying my time alone... one downside to studying abroad is being around the group of people you're abroad with almost constantly, and if you're not the most socially inclined person (like myself), it wears on you quickly and sooner or later, energy is drained mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

But, I'm happy to announce, this week my homesickness has faded, partly due to a few things I've got to be happy about (one of which is being invited to participate in a group show at Young Blood Gallery in December :D). Anyhow, onto the week!

Monday was uneventful. I spent the day catching up on sleep and watching a couple of movies with friends. After dinner, a few girls and I watched "Once Upon a Time in Mexico." Believe me, when you're living in a different country, a taste of American cinema (or a fictional world in general) is refreshing.

Tuesday for drawing class, we took a two mile hike out into the Tuscan countryside to draw from the vineyards and local farmland for a couple of hours. I think this little excursion reminded me of my initial awe for Italy...

( Pictures and Anecdotes... )

Wednesday was busy, too. We took a small field trip to the nearby town of Pienza for Italian Art History, and then afterwards some of us went to a cheese tasting!

( Pictures and anecdotes... )

Today we took an excursion to a local winery, Icario, to paint from their vineyards. Unfortunately, I forgot to load pictures from today, so that'll have to wait until I get back. Afterwards, we had a wine tasting!

Needless to say, this was a very busy week and we're all pretty exhausted (from today especially! Italian class from 8:30-10, Italian Art History from 10:30-12, Painting from 1-5:00, wine tasting at 5:00-6, and dinner at 7:30-9pm).

That's all for now! Ciao!

In all honesty, I've had to force myself to do this entry...

I'm being soaked up in Italian/Study Abroad life! I'd love to say that it's all incredibly wonderful (which it really is--I'm very fortunate to be here), but again, in all honesty, I've been fairly homesick lately. Anyhow, these updates are for the highlights... :)

So! Last weekend, we spent three days in Rome! I can only remember the highlights, actually, since we did SO much.

Our transportation consisted of buses and trains, but we reached Rome in 3 hours' time. I believe we began with the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Cathedral, both of which are in Vatican City. As most people are aware, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is a part of the Vatican Museum, although you must proceed through all of the galleries before reaching the Sistine Chapel. Some of the more noteworthy visits included the sculpture galleries and the Gallery of Maps. The Sistine Chapel itself took my breath away, much in the way seeing Michelangelo's David did. For an art student such as myself, who has studied Renaissance art in school (and again now as a class) and made common knowledge of Michelangelo's contribution to art history, I am left starstuck, as if I had stumbled upon a famous person. The magnitude is difficult to describe, and the paintings themselves are entirely overwhelming.

I managed to sneak a few pictures, but this is the only one that came out relatively unblurry:



We proceeded into St. Peter's Cathedral, which is adjacent to the Vatican Museum. I was particularly excited for this as well, since there is a piece of art I studied over three years ago that I vowed to see in person, St. Peter's baldacchino by Bernini:



The basilica was incredibly ornate and beautiful and yet oddly difficult to stand being in, for all of its self-prescribed glory. I didn't spend too long wandering in it, though I knew Michelangelo's famous depiction of the Pieta was also to be found...



I was disappointed that I couldn't get any closer (that picture is thanks to the 4x optical zoom on my camera). An interesting note that I recall learning about this particular Pieta is that Michaelangelo overheard that another sculptor claimed to create the piece, so he signed his name across Mary's breast. He later regretted doing this and never signed a piece of his work.

Saturday we began with the Capitoline Museum, which sits atop the famous Capitoline Hill, which was designed by everyone's favorite--you guessed it--Michaelangelo.

An interesting fact that I enjoyed learning, taken from Wikipedia: "The statue of a mounted rider in the centre of the piazza is of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is a copy, the original being housed on-site in the Capitoline museum. Many Roman statues were destroyed on the orders of Christian Church authorities in the Middle Ages; this statue was preserved in the erroneous belief that it depicted the Emperor Constantine, who made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman empire."

I particularly enjoyed this museum because it contained pre-Christian statues (at this point, I'm sick of seeing statues of saints everywhere).

After this, we went to see the Colosseum, but the line was too long for the time we had left, so we're returning another weekend to see the inside. We did take a break in front of it and a friend grabbed this very tourist picture of me:



We then visited the Roman Forum, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Here are some pictures I took:

( Click here for pictures )

When I have more time, I'll add more notes on what I saw... most likely when I return with the group of art students (we're to spend a day in the Capitoline Museums, Forum, and Colosseum to sketch).

After this, we went to the Galleria Borghese, which I also really enjoyed for the array of sculptures within by Bernini that really left me in awe, such as:



Very intricate, very delicate, and breathtaking.

After the Borghese, myself and a friend ventured to the Triton Fountain, also sculpted by Bernini, to draw it. Prof. Remillard let me borrow a small watercolor set, so I set to paint the fountain:



Comparison:



We returned to Montepulciano Sunday afternoon, completely exhausted.

In other news:

Classes are going well! Here are a couple of things I've completed recently:



and



This weekend I decided to stay in Montepulciano to recharge my batteries, so nothing too exciting to update on.

This is not as in-depth of an update as I would've liked, so I'll be sure to elaborate in the future. Thanks for the comments everyone!

I have so much to update on, and I'm sure I'll be forgetting to note many noteworthy things...

So, Thursday afternoon we had our first Painting class. I was dreading this to some extent because I had not bought the right watercolor paper for the trip--it's too absorbent, so the watercolors blend easily and I can't keep crisp lines. Regardless, class went on...

We were directed to a spot facing Via del Gracciano (the main corso and the street I live on), and as soon as all 13 of us set up, people (tourists and residents of Montepuciano alike) began to crowd around us in wonder. It was really curious and a little amusing at first, but then as we continued to work, people continued to weave between us as we attempted to work on our paintings, looking over our shoulders, taking pictures shamelessly, and even interrupting us to ask questions. After ten minutes of this, I became very, very annoyed. Most of us did. Joe (aka Professor Remillard) allowed us to pull out our iPods, which gave some relief, but it didn't stop me from doing everything next to scowling at the passersby.

( Pictures of our first painting class... )

On Friday, we went to Florence, which is, (I believe) north west of us.

Oh, while I'm at it, this is where Montepulciano is in relation to the country of Italy:



Back to the subject at hand...

( Field trip to Florence... the Uffizi and the Academia )

After the visits to the Uffizi and the Academia, we were left to our own devices.

Myself and 7 other people had decided to make a trip out to Cinque Terre, which is situated in the Rivera and on the Mediterranean sea:



Cinque Terre is comprised of five villages. We stayed in a youth hostel in Riomaggiore, but our time was spent mostly in Monterosso. The highlight: finding a cliff to jump 20 feet into the water... But for the most part, we acted like a bunch of really excited college students on a vacation with copious amounts of wine in the picture. Another note: several things could've gone terribly wrong, but every little thing worked out perfectly.

( The weekend trip in photographs and a video! )

Needless to say, it was a very long weekend.

Up ahead (as I wrote that, I noticed a really cute Italian guy staring at me... it's starting to get old, though), more art, pictures of the apartment (I need to space this stuff out!), and a three day weekend in Venice!

Ciao for now!

The trip has already reached a point where so much happens and yet it feels normal and expected, so it's a little difficult to recall interesting points. That might not make any sense, but I'll be struggling just a little to update on recent events.

I made a video of the apartment and also a few others, but the connection in Cafe Poliziano is slow, so uploading a video longer than a couple of minutes is impossible, so I'll just take pictures and upload those in the near future, and then upload the videos when I return home.

Our classes began this week. I'm taking Italian I with a young female teacher from Chiusi (pronounced kew-see, which is the town south of us). We learned today that she has a degree in Art History. The class is small (there are only 8 of us, and the other Italian I students in the group have a different teacher.) The guys enjoy the class especially since she's adorable. But us girls discovered today that our Italian Art History professor is pretty attractive (and has very good English... he is a professor at the University of Siena but studied for his doctorate in England). I might be able to sneak photos at some point. ;)

I had Drawing yesterday. I'm fairly rusty... it's been about 2 years since I've had to do any trompe l'oeil (realistic) drawing or painting from life. We were assigned to visit Piazza Grande, the town's square at the top of the hill, and draw in graphite in our moleskine sketchbooks. I went to the Duomo, a large catholic church (I've learned that Italy is absolutely drenched in the Catholic religion), and drew a statue of what a friend said was Saint Mark, but I dubbed as the patron saint of exploding pigeons.



Story: Jonathan noticed that the side streets of Montepulciano are littered with bird feathers, and imagined that the pigeons spontaneously explode. I will be adding the exploding pigeons after the drawing is turned in on Tuesday...

A couple other recent artworks done:

This is part of our moleskine homework. I drew gestures of friends and other people at the steps of St. Augustina church while waiting for the Bravio della Botti parade to begin...



This is also part of the homework. A peach...



In other news, we enjoyed a wine tasting last night from a local winery, (who, at this very moment, I can't remember the name of). I really enjoyed it. Perhaps a little too much... They provided us with copious amounts of wine to sample.

( Pictures and anecdotes... )

Also, I thought I'd comment on adjusting to Italian life. There isn't much that I miss about living in the States (it's weird to refer to home like that... or as "negli Stati Uniti", but I am making a small list of conveniences I do miss. So far:

-toaster
-microwave
-butter
-cheddar cheese
-large showers and bathtubs
-fans
-paper towels

However, I find that I'm so comfortable here, I don't desire my usual "escapisms": music, reading, watching movies, and sitting on the internet. The biggest shock is my lack of a need to constantly be listening to music wherever I go. I'm perfectly content to let my surroundings provide a soundtrack. I've never experienced this elsewhere. Plus, listening to the music I do have lends itself to slight disappointment, as the music is related to memories back home which feel pretty foreign at this point and almost unwelcome.

One last note: I'm picking up the Italian sleeping/resting schedule. I've been falling asleep around midnight or so, waking up with the sun around 6:30, or at least the morning bells at 7:00, and taking a "siesta" in the afternoon if I can afford it.

That's all for now! I need to leave for dinner. Coming next: more artwork, pictures of the apartment, and this weekend I'm traveling to Cinque Terre with a group (we're staying in a hostel), and Friday is our first field trip to Florence (or Firenze, as it's called here... pronounced "fur-enntz-say").

I promised I'd write an entry about the Bravìo delle Botti

"It is the last Sunday of Augustn of the "Bravìo delle Botti" takes place. The original challenge between the eight Contradas (divisions) of Montepulciano who compete for a painted cloth banner by rolling barrels which weigh 80 kilos in an uphill race lasting around 1800 metres along the main street of the town. The barrels are rolled by two athletes called "spingitori" whilst the course of the race winds through the streets of the town's historical centre until it reaches the churchyard of the Duomo in Piazza Grande. The word "Bravìo" derives from the Vernacular language "Bravium" and is awarded to the winning Contrada, in the form of the Panno a beautifully painted banner bearing the image of the Patron Saint of the town San Giovanni Decollato, in honour of whom the Bravìo delle Botti takes place. The event is linked to a chapter of local history directly dating back to 1373 the year in which the reform of the Municipal Statute dedicated the entire chapter 30 to the arrangements of the Palio. It appears as its own institution in honour of the Patron of Montepulciano (29th August), perpetual and happy memory of the popular regime."

- From here. This link has more information as well.

There are eight contrata, or neighborhoods, in Montepulciano. The contrata that I am currently living in is Gracciano, whose symbol looks like this:



Each contrata's flag lines the streets in which they inhabit (which you'll see in photos and videos I've uploaded). I'm not sure if they'll be taken down since the race is over...

Anyhow, at 9am, they had a blessing for the race, which I missed. At noon they had opening festivities. At 3pm they had the parade, complete with flag twirlers as entertainment. And at 7:30 they had the actual race, which lasted about 7 minutes, I think.

( Here are some pictures from the opening ceremonies... )

Between the afternoon parade (of which I will upload a video later) and the barrel race, I staked out a spot on a ledge of the church of St. Augustina and drew my surroundings (I will take pictures and post artwork later on as well).

Here is the portion of the barrel race I saw:



The race lasted about 7 minutes and the yellow and red team won (although the team I was rooting for, Gracciano, was leading when I took this video at an early checkpoint.

I'm currently uploading a video of the opening ceremonies as well... stay tuned and check this entry later on!

All of that aside, it was a real treat to witness this piece of cultural pride and I enjoyed it immensely. The costume was beautiful!

In other news, my first Italian class was this morning. I seem to be picking it up well enough (having taken 4 years of French, it helps to have that background). Italian is very musical and very fun to speak and listen to. The town itself is in constant, excited chatter. In fact, last night I heard around 3 am someone yelling, "Luciano!" which sent my roommate and I into a fit of giggles, which was followed by some inebriated people (who had come from an after-race celebration) emulating the sound of a motorcycle that had passed just moments earlier.

There is no boring or dull moment here. I'm in constant wonder and have never felt so comfortable in any atmosphere. I could easily move here after graduation.

( More recent pictures... )


Coming up soon: a video of the apartment I'm staying in and pictures of the art I've done thus far. Our drawing class is tomorrow!

I'm here!

I made it safely into Montepulciano Friday evening, (as we're 6 hours ahead of Atlanta time here). Getting here was quite an ordeal... the plane flight was 9-10 hours long (I sat next to two bickering German children), we landed in Frankfurt and had an hour layover before we left for Rome, which was a 2 hour flight, and it took us an hour or so to get to our bus for a 3 hour ride to Montepulciano (on which I slept, since I couldn't get more than 20 minutes of rest on the first flight).

It didn't become real to me until I woke up from my nap on the bus and looked at the rolling Tuscan countryside. My first hazy thought was that it was California and the valleys I'm used to seeing when visiting family there. But everything was greener, lusher, and earthier. All of us seemed to rise around the same moment and our collective reaction was open-mouthed gaping.

We were brought to our apartments. I'm sharing an apartment/loft/flat with 7 other girls. We're spoiled. We have a large kitchen, three sitting areas, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a laundry area. I have a bedroom upstairs with a girl named Ashley, who is an English major and Italian minor (but convinces us she can't speak it). I don't have pictures yet (as we're just settling in), but I'll upload a video this week.

Once we settled in Friday evening, we had dinner at a restaurant in the town, which provides our meals 5 days of the week. They are three course meals: a pasta dish, a meat dish with vegetables, and a dessert. We usually order a bottle of wine for 5 euro... it's delicious. The meal usually takes two hours to complete and the food is unbelievable. I can't remember eating so much!

Friday night I slept from 10pm until 5:30, when I woke up with the sunrise. I fell asleep again and then woke with the 7am church bells. I'm going to try to make a habit of going to sleep before midnight and getting up with the bells.

It's breathtakingly beautiful here. My eyes don't know how to take in so much at once! The weather in the morning and and evening is perfect. It's hot during the day, but it is late summer. The sun is bright and the breeze is refreshing.

The town itself looks as if it's straight out of a movie. In fact, some of the film, "Under the Tuscan Sun," was filmed in Montepulciano, although the novel takes place in Cortona (so I'm told). It's a medieval town and a patchwork of architecture developed over centuries. I was shown yesterday some original Etruscan writings of sarcophagi in the walls (I will take pictures later).

What else? I'm head over heels in love with Italy so far. I've only been here for two days and I'm picking up the language at a decent speed. Our first Italian speaking class is Monday. So far I've been using the token words/phrases on a frequent basis: "thank you" (grazie) "excuse me/sorry" (excusi) "hello/goodbye" (ciao) "good day" (boungiorno). I could've spelled those wrong...

Here are a few pictures from the last couple days:

( Click here )

There's an update for now!

Up next: Pictures/videos of our apartment, the town, and the big festival taking place today: "Bravìo delle Botti" in which the 8 neighborhoods, or contratas, compete against each other in racing uphill with wine barrels. A huge parade is at noon and the race is at 7pm tonight.

I will try to update a few times a week. There's wifi in the cafe I am in now (where I am sipping a cappucino and eating a croissant), but I'm required to purchase something and pay a little extra to sit at a table (whereas if you're at the bar, you don't pay extra).

PS: Yes, the men here are gorgeous. The women are beautiful. And the children are precious. And there are cats everywhere.

OH! and I have a cellphone! If you want to give me a call, my number is 39.348.694.9694. I don't get charged if I'm called. :D

I decided to finally put this journal together. My regular account is over at leliophelia, but I prefer to keep that one private, so I made this account so that anyone who wanted to hear about my trip is able to without making an account!

I was just delivered my brand new Macbook, the free iPod touch (back to school promo), and my digital camera - a Canon Powershot A590 IS, which I've had my eye on for over a year. I also did some small shopping today for essentials, such as shoe inserts to help the high arches of my feet, a huge bottle of extra strength Tylenol, a cheap pair of sunglasses (since I'm back in my contacts), and some other goodies. I have yet to find a good pair of shoes and a backpack for the trip.

I'm hoping to also get my hair cut and dyed before I leave so I might be able to get away without dealing with it on my 10 week trip. I imagine it'd be difficult to convey to a hairdresser what I want in the Italian I'll pick up. I'm not sure if I want to chance it, so I'm going to play it safe.

I also have to make a trip over to Blick, an art store, to pick up supplies for the trip. My drawing and painting professor over there is allowing me to continue working in watercolors, gouache, and other water media (like ink, tea, wine, bleach, etc) whereas the rest of the class will be working in oils. So I need to restock on my current supplies and pick up some watercolor paper to tea stain before I leave. (If you're unfamiliar with my artwork, click here to see some of my recent stuff).

Anyhow, I think that's enough for now! I can't believe it's almost here!