Italy Week 4
I forgot last blog to put down what I did for the fourth, so for the fourth of July my teacher took us to the best pasta place I have ever been to. It was a cute restaurant in the local part of town. They make homemade pasta, and desserts. It was probably my favorite meal of the trip. That night me and my friends decided to go out to burger place so that we could have some American food and celebrate a little bit. On Saturday morning we woke up early and made our way to the train station. We met up with our school group and took a two hour drive through the countryside of Tuscany, up toward Mantova. I personally had no idea what to expect from this city. As we drove up, we crossed a long bridge that led into the town. The lakes under the bridge were all man made which helped keep the town protected from the other cities around it back in the day. When we arrived we headed straight towards the Basilica di Sant’Andrea. This church was stunning. Every inch was covered in paintings while using the idea of perspective in the work. We had an Italian man show us around the building and had my teacher translate for us. We also got to go downstairs, where it was said some of Christ’s blood was buried. After this church we headed across the street to a small church that looked like a small tube. When entering it was very simple and different from the last place we had been. Church’s in Italy were often used as the first art galleries so they are covered in artwork. After seeing the churches we were free to get food. Me and my roommates headed to a small restaurant down a back alley and got wood fired pizza. After lunch we had free time, yet the town was mostly shut down. Around 3 to 6 every day most of the stores close and go to lunch. The way of life here is directed towards spending time together. Later that day we then entered the Gonzaga family castle. We learned how the Gonzaga family loved to build new wings to their castles all the time so their house was huge and had many different styles. The whole day everyone was sweating like crazy because of how humid it was. I have become used to constantly sweating here in Italy as the humidity and heat are very high. After the castle, we loaded back up on the bus and took an hour and a half bus ride to Verona. When we arrived we checked into our hostel, and left to get dinner. I had an amazing vegetarian lasagna for dinner. After being so drained from the long day we went to bed. The next morning we had breakfast at the hostel which was good except somehow I put some weird salt/sugar in my coffee and made it taste like a pretzel. Not the best way to start the day. After breakfast we got a tour of the town from our school leaders. They showed us plazas, important burials, statues, the arena, the political plaza, and ended with Romeo’s house, and then Juliet’s Balcony. I was very disappointed in Juliet’s balcony and her letter wall. The letter wall was covered in bandages and gum. Not romantic at all. I fell in love with Verona’s large streets and beautiful buildings. They live life a lot slower up there and also have a bit more of German influence. During the week we did some shopping, ate lots of good food, and went to a small opera that had English narration so we knew what was going on. I am so thankful to be able to experience such an amazing, loving culture here.
Ciao