orientation

Above: the SYA Viterbo class of 2008-2009
Below: Eli and Caroline outside of San Francesco in Arezzo


Above: Eli and Caroline in Piazza Grande in Arezzo
Below: Eli taking in the scene

Below: I did a candlemaking activity in Bevagna with the studens in a candlemaking workshop that has been active since at least the 13th century. The leader explained to us that in the middle ages people, especially tradesmen like carpenters, used wax as bandaids to seal wounds. I happened to have an annoying cut on my thumb and the guy let me dip my thumb into a vat of hot wax. It worked really well.



Sorry for not posting in a while. Here's some recent news.

All three of us traveled with the students on the orientation trip to Umbria. We visited Bevagna, Assisi, Perugia and Spoleto and spent some quality time with the SYA student body and faculty. We stayed in a big vacation type resort thing on the shore of Lago di Trasimeno, about 30 min from Perugia. The sunset over the lake was beautiful, and it was nice to spend some time with Eli out in the country. Eli was a hit with the students (of course he was), and we now have a list of about 12 babysitters thanks to Eli putting on the charm during the trip.

We spent the weekend after the trip in Arezzo in eastern Tuscany. We decided on Arezzo because that weekend they were having the semi-annual antique photography market. As it turns out the market was only photographic equipment and not prints like we had hoped. Nevertheless, Arezzo was well worth the visit, and we plan to go back in November for the famous Arezzo antiques fair which takes place once a month and is supposed to be the best in Italy. The antiques shops in Arezzo were certainly promising at any rate. They were filled with museum quality furniture and art. We are really looking forward to the market which apparently takes up most of the town with 1000 vendors. We'll be sure to take photos of the event. Arezzo had great stuff to offer besides the antiques. We visited Vasari's house, a really beautiful duomo, some wonderful piazzas, one of the most famous fresco cycles in Italy, and we stayed inside the walls of a quintessential (and almost revoltingly cute) Tuscan hill town, Anghiari. In that town we tried florentine steak for the first time, and it was pretty freaking awesome.

Since then we have been pretty much in the routine of school. Caroline is enjoying her Italian classes with the kids at SYA, and Eli is loving his time at school too. Caroline's tummy is getting bigger, and Eli is getting used to saying, "I'm going to have a baby brother," and "fratellino" which are about the cutest things ever. I am working hard trying to impart the wisdom of the ancients on the younger generation without making too many digressions about 70's rock music, Jainism, and Survivor.

That's gonna be it for now. Eli is getting restless, and I'd better get dinner going. I hope you all are well. A presto,

Sam