The Enchantment of Old World Italy
This morning there was no haze in the western sky as we looked out our loft window to the sharp outline of the snow-capped Alps on the horizon. The scenery in places like this is part of what breeds Italian artists. We took the train to Udine yesterday afternoon--a perfect non-touristy city with wonderful architecture and statuary. We've learned to love reposo (the 3-hour rest from 12:30 to 3:30 every afternoon), though one of those breaks was a fast trip to Aquilea the setting of the oldest church in Europe (315 A.D.)--incredible tiles and frescoes, preserved amazingly well, like nothing we've ever seen before. What a trip! We'd recommend it to anyone who loves church history. Class is going great--ends Friday afternoon--and then we're off to Venice, Florence, and Rome.
Sounds brilliant!
ReplyDeleteNow, the Enchantment of Old World London... this morning there were solid grey clouds and pelting rain. The scenery in places like this breeds artists like Ralph Steadman, who draw lots of dark ink blots and dirt, Sarah Lucas, who photographs cold fried eggs on her dirty kitchen table, or Mark McGowan, who sits shivering for two weeks in a bathtub full of baked beans. We've learned to love nap-time (the 15-second rest from mobile phone ring tones, police sirens, car alarms and clattering railway carriages, interspersed with the melancholy cries of feral schoolchildren telling passersby to eff off). What a trip! I'd recommend it to anyone who loves sticking their head down their vacuum cleaner.
No, not really, Italy just sounds good at the moment... ;-)