Sesto

When I agreed to undertake an Italian course with Sue in Assisi I never thought I would be studying with nuns and friars; or that they would come from such diverse countries as South Korea, Indonesia, Slovakia and The United States. But that is what happened, and to my surprise it has been a really positive experience, especially being given a glimpse into their very different lives. Who could have imagined that a young San Franciscan friar from Chicopee in The U.S could be so amusing in class.  We are still laughing about his creative response in an 'exerciso Italiano' about a man buying an XXL size suit for the wedding of his 'figlio stupido'! So I will never look at nuns and friars in the same way again.

Complimenti a Assisi.

Ciao, Viv

Scuola visit to La Basilica Di San Francesco

Quinto

Local artist Claudio Carli has created 100 portraits of local citizens on sheets hanging in the streets of one of the most ancient and secluded neighbourhoods in Assisi. The portraits catch the inhabitants in the act of laughing. In this photo some of the depicted  inhabitants are sitting in the street  and one man is pointing to his own portrait.

Ciao

Sue

Quarto

.....Last night Viv and I dined at my favourite place in Spello - Enoteca Properzio. It was wonderful to be greeted by Roberto and Irene like old friends(Lucca was in vacanza). Their food menu is not extensive but always seasonal and deliciosa and their wine menu is nothing short of amazing - best vintages of both bianco and rosso. We were spoilt with some of the best of the crop - my favourite being the Montefalco Sagrantino Rosso. Every sip needs to be savoured after taking in 'il profumo'.
The mixed bruschetta and pasta tartuffe which accompanied the wines was 'meraviglioso'.

When we returned home I watched 'Italy Unpacked' ( a BBC tv production) on YouTube and learnt that we have one of the greatest masterpieces of the Umbrian Renaissance just a few minutes walk away from our doorstep in The Baglione Chapel at Santa Maria Maggiore, the town's most significant church. The artist , Pinturicchio was underrated and forgotten for centuries until rediscovered as one of the most important Italian painters of the period.
Pinturicchio had assisted Perugino in creating frescoes for the Sistine Chapel in Rome before he painted the series of frescoes in Spello on his way home to his native Perugia
In 'The Annunciation', his depiction of the Archangel Gabriel with his realistic and detailed wings and beautiful face is breathtaking. There is also a self portrait of Bernadino Di Betto Pinturicchio next to his Spello masterpiece.

Ciao
Sue x

Terzo

Today my co- studenta Viv and I are having a well earnt rest following a week of studying Italiano intensivo. We have settled in well with the three nuns and two friars. There are two other women in the class, both from the U.S.A, one is an Anglican priest and the other a  Catholic.  Viv and I are the only non believers - 'ateo' .

Last night we stopped at a little shop in Spello that sells black truffles (tartuffe) and decided to cook pasta al tartuffe for dinner. The 'negoziante' placed eight small truffles on the scales and I blanched as I realized that that would empty most of my ozforex bank account. I was just about to say 'molto troppo' when she told me the amount was only ten euro! Quel buon mercato! We followed this amazing dish with the sweetest figs I have ever eaten. Of course all washed down with a Montefalco bianco.

Buon fine settimana a tutti!

Sue 

Secondi

...Leticia at Bar Bonci proved herself indispensable this morning when I told her that ... ' La chiave dentro casa mia e sono al fuori di casa mia ( the house key is inside my house and I'm outside it). She helped solve the problem which involved me running around the streets to get a duplicate......... And we still made our usual train to class.

My Italian vocabulary is expanding in ways I could never imagine...... Today I learnt Pregare (to pray) Pellegrino (pilgrim) and refettarii ( a nun's equivalent of il ristorante ).

Class was urgently interrupted today and tutti I studenti were quietly ushered together to sing Happy Birthday to one of the teachers. 15 minutes later we were still singing the anniversary wishes - iItalian, English, Croat, Czech, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Indonesian ..............

Ciao, Sue xx

Prima!

The day greets you early in Spello.  The giant bell of Santa Maria Maggiore sends out it's first insistent peels at 6am. For someone that is no longer a morning person I feel excited to meet the day. It's a long time since I was up with the birds.

Breakfast is the first highlight of my day at Bar Bonci where Leticia has our breakfast on the table within minutes. The caffe Americana is a real heart starter which is what I need if I'm going to spend the rest of the day studying Italian. The panorama from the giardino at Bar Bonci is breathtaking with the early morning mist caressing the beautiful Umbrian countryside.

I'm ready for another day of studying Italian with the nuns in Assisi. Stay tuned.

Ciao

Sue x