Monsoon Season

Tonight there was a spettacolo in Piazza Maggiore put on by a gallery that has just acquired a book by Michaelangelo. They've been setting up for it all week and it was so neat to see it realized! There was a huge stage in the middle of the square, with tons of lights set up. The stage even had a waterfall! There were beautiful dance performances all themed around the seasons of the year, complete with a live orchestra and beautiful costumes and sets. People were flying around on wires with flowing gowns and inspiring choreography...it was quite magical, like something out of Fantasia or Cirque de Soleil. The best part was that the whole thing was backdropped by lighting and thunder! As we were watching the show I felt a huge drop on my face and then all of a sudden it just started pouring. Umbrellas were popping up and people were running like crazy for shelter. Charlotte and I didn't have protection so we just got drenched. The rain went on and off like that for the whole hour. The coolest part of the production was when a man on a wire climbed up San Petronio and did lots of flips and such off of it...with lightning blanketing the sky! Eventually Shawn, Ian, Alessandro, and Azzurra found us and we enjoyed the ridiculousness of the weather together. As soon as it ended it started pouring harder than I've ever experienced...so I up and ran home like a crazy person! I passed by a man on my street contemplating going out and I recommended he not! After I was all dry and the girls caught up with me, we turned off all the lights and watched the lightning from my window while listening to Enya. Hehe...it was sooo awesome. Hopefully the weather will straighten itself out a bit. I don't know what to do with myself when it changes so frequently. Eighty degree humidity and then pouring rain is just too confusing!

A Dip in the Fountain

Last night was James' last night in Bologna...this morning he is currently on a flight home to America, the first of us all to leave. So that means...We had to do something special for his last night. We all met up at the Irish Pub, spent a bit of time toasting and chatting...

The UCSD gang :)

James' sexy pose

...and then moved on to Piazza Maggiore for the REAL festivities. You see, Mikaela and some of the others have always wanted to swim in the Fountain of Neptune at some point this year, and it turns out that last night was the night! By the time we arrive there from the pub, Mikaela's already in...Andrew's on his way...James is making a fuss because they didn't wait while stripping down to his speedo...everyone's laughing and wondering if anyone's going to come and break this party up...but it's Italy and they couldn't care less apparently...and everyone's snapping photos...and before you know it Shawn's stripped down and he's in the fountain...Katie's in her underwear and she's in too...Mikaela wants to go again and so she does...Ashley shows up and jumps in without a second thought...Julia and Gio are contemplating but don't want to ruin their dresses...Julia says if Kelly goes I'll go...and so I'm like what the hell...and so off come the shirt and the heels...and before I know it...I'M IN THE FOUNTAIN...and it's so cool...and kinda slimy...and all the mermaid's breasts are splashing water around me...and by then the girls have joined me...and Julia pulls me all the way in...and we're laughing and screaming and photos upon photos are snapped and it's incredible oh my god I can't believe I actually just jumped in the fountain what a feeling I'm going to be able to tell my kids about this one day...and then Charlotte decides she doesn't want to be left out of the fun and neither does Sarah so in they go too...and by the end of the night at least a baker's dozen of us had dipped in the fountain and MAMMA MIA was it glorious.

AND just to top it all off...Andrew finally lived up to his bet with Charlotte (which he lost) and did a naked lap around Maggiore! He said at one point he had to apologize to a policeman as he ran by! And then the night had to turn to the point where we all say our sappy goodbyes to James. He goes to UCSD with me, I'll see him lots next year, and yet I was pretty worked up about it. I can't imagine what it's like for the people who will probably never see him again. Let alone for him! Bologna will have lost some of its magic now that he's gone. And so this is what I face now...at almost every event someone says, this is probably the last time I'll see you here...and it's really difficult to be here while everyone's constantly up and leaving. But that's just the way it is...I guess we're all getting a little used to good-byes...and yet learning that they're always followed by hellos.

Silvia's First Communion

This weekend I went down to Castrovillari, Calabria with Azzurra for her little sister's 1st communion. It was a relaxing weekend spent hanging out around the house with the family, preparing for/going to/recovering from the communion, and eating amazing Calabrian cuisine. It was so great to return and see all the family again, especially grandma and grandpa! Silvia was adorable as usual. At one point she was gawking at me because I was talking on the phone in English. I gave her an English book and we spent one morning reading and translating it. She said she wants to spend all her communion money on coming to America to visit me when she's 19. I was really pleased because many of the family members complimented me on my Italian, saying that now I can speak really well (and before, not so much) hehe. Here's some photos:

Me with their brother, Giuseppe

Zio Roberto and Nonna

All the girls :)
This one's my favorite!

Firework fruit platters!

She was sick of photos and so she started eating the shavings off the cake!

La famiglia Giorno

Bologna vs. Messina

Saturday a group of us got together and decided to go to the Bologna/Messina soccer game. It's something we all had wanted to do before going home...and we finally made it! There was such heavy security because these soccer fans don't mess around. We didn't encounter anything dangerous though and instead just had a really fun time watching the game and the crowd. Their fans have amazing coordinated cheers and flags and colors and they emit such a spirited vibe. Bologna ended up winning the game 3-0...there's talk that they might get bumped up to the professional league next year!

I'm sorry but they both look too funny for me not to post this one.

We sat in the old men corner to be safe.

People were so excited when we scored...
I wish you could see all the hand gesturing.

Go Bologna! Navy and Red!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, the excitement after a goal!

Zuffa Wine "Tasting"

Centro studi organized a gita (trip/tour) for us to visit a winery in Imola, a town right next to Bologna. It was really nice to get (quasi) everyone together, for what was really our last group activity, to eat and drink and be merry. We had a very long-winded tour by the young, flirtatious guy whose family owns the winery and then we sat down to pasta and a cheese plate accompanied by 5 different types of wine, which he would bring out one by one. The thing is...in Italy you don't just taste the wine, you really drink it. So we each had 5 full glasses of wine with lunch and afterwards floated merrily on to check out a small town filled with murals and a castle and then finally returned home. Lunch was at 2. I could still feel the wine at 11. And these are class trips in Italy. What a life!

Ian & Me

Elizabeth & Me

Ashley & Me

Gio & Me
Did that seem redundant to anyone else?

Corto Maltese!

Me in a postage stamp, all ready to be packed up and shipped home...only I'm not. I'm really not.

The Black Sheep: Sardegna

I recently had the most awesome opportunity to go to Sardegna with a true Sarda. Gavina, a friend whom I met through Azzurra, took Shawn and me with her to her small hometown of Perfugas in northern Sardegna. Her family lives the school/work year in Bologna and then spends summer and all holidays in Sardegna. Sardegna's population is outnumbered by sheep...and it's often considered to be kinda the outcast of Italy (hence my title).

It was so relaxing to go and stay with such a hospitable family in a tranquil little corner of the Earth. The weather was kinda icky so the beach didn't come into play as often as we'd hoped but it made the trip even more chill. The climate and terrain of Sardegna actually remind me of a cross between Ireland and NorCal (it certainly has all the plants of NorCal because I nearly died of allergies), but also made me think of the Azores because there were so many things about the island that made me imagine my mom exclaiming, "Oh, this reminds me of home!" Gavina tried teaching us lots about the history and culture of Sardenga but I'll be honest-a lot of the vocabulary went over my head! I'll stick in tid-bits when I can, though! Sardenga is really well known for, as far as I can tell, these three things: Sheep, Cork, and Mirto, a sweet, local liquor. Here goes show and tell through pictures...

Mirto, in cork bottles! I bet one even has a sheep on it.

This is a shop that sells supplies for shepherds.

This is not the house we stayed at, but it is Gavina's family's beach house. Oh, to have a beach house in Italy. Maybe we would have hung out here more had the weather been more pleasant.

Extremely worn-down hotel Shawn and I kinda fell in love with.

We went to a hot springs river...the water was too hot to touch in some areas...notice the steam!

Some old men in speedos went for the plunge.

Shawn and Gavina looking terribly cute.

One night we went to the bar. The soccer team had just won and there was a live band so it was really quite exciting. The guy you see next to Shawn kept buying rounds of drinks. My allergies were pretty bad so I didn't feel like drinking anything but in the end I had to help Shawn finish some of the drinks this guy kept bringing him! It was far too funny. MUCH later that night the three of us reached sleepover status when we sat up talking about our lives and change and friendships and how difficult it will be leaving Italy.

This is the church where Gavina will be getting married. I've already been invited. Now she just needs to find a groom.

Elephant made out of rock! Elephant made out of rock!

I acquired a crush on the boy in this picture. Isn't he lovely?

Castelsardo

Last night goodbyes...that's Roberta, Gavi's best friend.

I forgot to mention (because I don't have a picture) that the first night we went to Roberta's birthday party out in the country. We had to take a dirt road and stop to let cows pass on the way there. They made a full, four-course meal for 50 people! There was lasagna, roasted sausage, lamb...you name it! I've never seen such a thing. Another neat experience was when we found a mama and baby horse roaming around back. They were so magestic.

Tonight Gavina's mom has invited us over for dinner! There is nothing better than when Italian moms offer to cook for you.

Update: I just got back from the dinner...there was only 7 of us...and here's what we ate: lasagna, meatballs (well, something similar), eggplant parmesan, roasted chicken, and deer sausage! So much food! I had never eaten deer before...and it was hilarious because when they said the name of the animal, we didn't understand, and so Gavina told me I was eating Bambi's father.