Last night:
The contrata party last night was spectacular. For the length of almost three blocks, tables and chairs lined the street for the men, women, and children of the contrata to share their meal. The people of ondi (I wish I knew the exact spellings of some of these Italian words that I am guessing) gathered and marched through the street, singing their war song and celebrating their contrata. I took a small video of the flag bearers.
Today:
I miss my coffee maker...and iced lattes from Dunkin Donuts. The great bar where I get my morning caffe was closed because it was Sunday; thus, my long bus ride into the Sienese country side began sans coffee. The ride was beautiful, but the roads were curvy, which resulted in a few people being very sick on the bus- literally. The reward for not joining them was a delicious caffe latte for me. :)
The Gruppo Dante (our group of participants and their families) sat at the top of a hill getting our morning buzz while we stared into the Tuscan hills. It was a breathtaking sight. Even the children in the group seemed to understand the unspoken beauty of Siena. Here is a few pics from the bar:
After our quick fix, we walked down the hill to the Sant' Antimo Cathedral. Built in the early part of the tenth century, this duomo has been rebuilt several times- using mostly the original building materials. It still has an order of monks who live there in the monastery and say mass daily. It's hard to equate in words the feeling of awe that overcomes you when you walk into a building that has been there since 1100 ad. How can you even come to understand the importance of touching stone and walking on floors where the Sienese have worshipped for over 800 years?
Perhaps most startling was the quiet reverence of our group. Most walked about alone-- contemplative-- probably tasting their own mortality. I know I was. The mass held each Sunday is a musical mass (the entire mass is sang) in Latin. The spoken directions were in Italian. As I listened and took time to truly appreciate my surroundings, I had one of those moments people always claim to have and I laugh at...an epiphany? a realization? a change? It was overwhelming.
More than anything I wanted to pull out my cell and record the voices of the monks. It was the most mellifluous sound reverberating throughout the stone structure. The pitch and tone of their voices raised in harmony reminded me of the nature of life-- the harmony that is necessary in our day to day. The connections we make with our world, and the connections that our group will continue to make as we take our reading of The Divine Comedy and study within the context of this city.
The relics in this duomo were brought to the town by Charlemagne and his army. When they all became ill and stopped in the area, they were healed by local herbs and medicines. In return, Charlemagne gave the relics that he'd just received from the Pope while on his pilgrimage to Rome--the relics of Sant' Antimo.
This cross has been in the church over 800 years
I lit a candle and said a prayer for my momma! :) I knew she'd be so excited about this mass.
Many of the columns had carved pictures of Daniel in the lion's den.
After our mass, we went to the town of Montalcino. At the castle...yep, a real castle, we had a picnic lunch of fresh breads, prosciutto and other Italian meats that I can't remember the names of, a selection of cheeses, fruits, and wine. One of my favorite lunches ever!
The castle
My view at lunch!
Some of the Gruppo Dante
My lunch spread
Each day here ( I can't believe it's only been two) brings new experiences, new words, new friends, and new ideas for teaching. Inspiration is sold short sometimes by our "powers that be." What could make an educator want to teach more than an experience like this one?
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