More from Italy - 6/22

It’s the weekend here and I have a bit more time to write about things we did last week. As I mentioned in my other email, Friday was a "required" field trip for the class. Since we don’t have our own transportation, Jason showed us how to take the bus. It goes into Perugia which is the biggest close-by city. This bus goes by the train station in case we want to go to Florence or another city by train on our free days. I also found out where the grocery store is so I can go on my own.

In Perugia I got some art supplies. I toned my canvas grey before coming to Italy and Jason said it should be a warm color instead. Soooo, I bought some acrylic to redo the grey tone. We visited a museum in Perugia and Jason took us on a walking tour of some interesting sights. They actually built new cities upon the old so there are places where the Etruscan architecture shows through. He also took us through some underground tunnels that were from medieval times where the army was housed. He walked our legs off that day.

Here’s a picture in Perugia of the Etruscan city gate, our first stop on the marathon walking tour of the city directed by Jason. This dates back to B.C. times. I’m not sure how far back. The Romans built on top it and you’ll also see where some of it has been restored at the top. That’s Jason in the bottom right.

The sun was really intense in Perugia. I decided to leave early to grocery shop on my way home. I timed it just right, so that I got on the same bus that Jason and the class were coming home on. The bus was packed and everyone from the class cheered after I got on the bus with my groceries. Jason said he was "a proud parent" that I figured it out; Carolyn countered, "now, don’t take it that far!" It was sooo funny…we were laughing so loud. The people on the bus didn’t know what to think; that certainly doesn’t happen every day. It gave them an interesting ride home with those loud, rowdy Americans!

Jason is here with his wife and kids. His mother also came for a few weeks to help with the kids until the "nanny" arrives in July. She will take my room when she gets here and I will move to an apartment just across the lawn from the villa I’m currently in. I’ll still be close to the gals I’m with now and to Jason. The villa we are in is built on a hill and has three stories with an apartment on each story. Jason and his family live in the apartment on the first floor, our Italian hosts live on the middle floor and us six girls live on the top floor. This villa is the central meeting "hub" for the class.

There are some really nice people in the group of students and faculty. It’s a typical mix of partiers and non-partiers and those in between. And, the partiers party hard! The artistic talent/experience ranges from never painted at all to intermediate painters. And get this: one student wore a dress and low-heel flip-flops on her first day of painting. She asked Jason if he had an apron. He suggested that she paint in clothes she didn’t mind getting paint on.

Our apartment is nice. It is simply furnished – think Scandinavian – but comfortable. The kitchen is VERY small; the frig is about a third the size of what we have; it has a four-burner gas stove that you have to light with a match. There is literally about 3.5 feet of counter space. The drainer for dishes in built in to the cabinet above the sink so that it drips into the sink. The drainer is a really cool design. You open the cupboard, wash the dishes; put them in the drainer above then close the cabinet door… the dishes are instantly out of sight! We have a beautiful veranda facing west the whole length of the house that has a fabulous view; although it is hot in the evening.

This is the front of the villa that shows the top two stories: notice that Sam (Samantha) waving from our kitchen door. All the doors and windows on homes here shutters. The daily ritual here is they open them in the morning when it’s cool and close them in the afternoon when it’s hot. It is hot here, usually around 90 with 65% humidity, but not as hot as you’ve been having recently in CA. The villa also has a pool on a lower level.

Here’s a view of the villa where Jason and his family are staying. This one shows all three stories from below. They have no clothes dryers here so you see sheets hanging from the second floor. This villa was build in 1993 so it is relatively new.

As you can see, this is a very nice place.