Events to look forward to in our front yard!

Calcio Storico

Testosterone abounds when four teams of 27 youths apiece face each other during the Historic Football, or Calcio Storico, a 15th-century style tournament of fighting and football in Florence's Piazza Santa Croce.
The game itself is said to originate from an ancient Roman ball sport, which became a Florentine speciality in the golden age of the Tuscan capital. Once the sport of princes and noblemen, who used its violence to prove their own skill and strength (for the benefit of the watching damsels), it is now fiercely fought between young men of the four Florentine quarters: San Giovanni, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito and Santa Croce. Clad in medieval garters and pantaloons, players seem more preoccupied with attacking each other than putting the ball anywhere, though the rules of Calcio Storico in themselves are fairly complex. The aim is to seize the ball and put it in the net (which runs the entire width of the pitch) by whatever means available. Precision is everything, as misses and interceptions provide points for the other team. The winners are rewarded with a mass of steaks equivalent in weight to the more traditional prize of a white calf or bistecca fiorentina, which was historically butchered for the occasion. Great entertainment for enthusiastic spectators, but a pitch invasion is probably a bad idea. This event was cancelled last year because it became to violent in 2006. Not sure if I want to see this or not. The bleachers are already set up. Next they will fill the entire piazza with sand. Amazing!!

My pictures to come...

Bologna

Just down the train tracks about an hour is the town of Bologna. We read it is the culinary capital of Italy so we thought we would check it out. Who hasn't heard of Bolognese spaghetti sauce? It was a beautiful, sunny day but we threw in our umbrellas just in case as the weather has been very strange lately. It's a good thing we did that because it rained much of the time we were there. We got to the station. We hadn't checked on train times but assumed there would be lots of trains. There were. The next train, however, was a Eurostar which means its twice the cost. We paid 19 Euro each instead of 9 Euro each. We had 45 minutes before the
next train so we sat outside on the grass in front of the station watching a little
Asian boy chase the pigeons.
We were hungry when we got to Bologna. We were looking forward to the best food in Italy! Well... scroll down to the first picture and you will see what happened!

YES! Our first McDonalds in Europe and it's in Bologna! And it was 15 Euro!! One should never have expectations.

As we were walking around, we liked what we saw. We really liked the architecture with the red bricks. The buildings were painted a variety of reds and oranges. We just walked around and took it all in and then got on the 8:15 bus back to Firenze. We met a group of 4 young American travelers in our compartment. They were spread out all over the place when we opened the door. They all had hangovers. We had a very eye opening conversation with them all the way back. I learned a lot about this new generation, the drinking and drug taking. They talked about classmates who had died from strange combinations of drugs and alcohol. They talked about students who can only study if they are on certain drugs. I know this all goes on but it's shocking when you hear it from kids who do it themselves. The only drug I ever took studying in university was NO DOZE. That probably doesn't even exist anymore.
Anyway, another good day. What a joy to be able to explore like this. It's incredible how each town creates their own world. These towns were all built in different centuries so they all have a unique look. The people, as well, are a world apart from people from a town an hour away. Bologna felt more like real Italy as there weren't as many tourists. All for now. Tomorrow we are off to yet another Tuscan town with our friend Marta who works in a stationary store down the street.

Our culinary treat in Bologna!

a display in a store window

The leaving tower of Bologna. There used to be hundreds of these towers. There are only five left.

The streets of Bologna.

modern art

Couldn't resist taking the next two pictures...

glad to see they had humor way back then

minutes before it down poured

From the writings of Jonathan Mack

Finally I Had It All Worked Out

On the first day at the monastery in Taize, Brother Pedro explained the book of Genesis. He told us all about the irony of creation, about God’s irony, about our participation in that irony. Wow, I thought, maybe I can relate to Christianity after all. I have often thought that God must have a wicked sense of irony. Brother Pedro explained that we just needed to find our place in God’s irony. Sitting there on my folding metal chair, I thought I had a whole worldview pretty well worked out.Then I realized that Brother Pedro was from Madrid and what he was saying was harmony. He was talking all about God’s harmony, of which there are not so many examples, it seems to me, as of God’s irony.

From the writings of Jonathan Mack

Owls

Have I mentioned someone is here with me? My husband.Anyone who reads those words must necessarily feel a pang of sympathy for him. Poverino! Certainly he is first-rate, has chosen me the way my brother used to rescue baby owls and attempt to nurse them back to health in a cardboard box.A hopeless endeavor, but still admirable, don’t you think?

From the writings of Jonathan Mack

Monica Hates Giotto

“I hate Giotto,” says Monica, when we are alone in her shop. “You’re not supposed to say that. And I know he changed everything, perspective, et cetera--but I hate him. I had him for nine months in high school. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be an Italian high school student? History! Two thousand five hundred years of history--though of course of modern times nothing is said. Twice a day at least they must tell you that the best times were seven hundred years before you were born. If you are unlucky you get a teacher who wants to do a whole year of Dante. Not just six months--a year. Or Leopardi, the most depressing writer ever. I know you say you like these things--but imagine you are in high school. Imagine it is Spring!"Your teacher announces, ‘And now we will study Giaccomo Leopardi’ and you think, ‘That is it. I am going to kill him.’"As for me, I keep my own opinions. Of course I sell whatever calendars but if the customer asks me a question I am like, ‘Giotto, who?’"

From the writings of Jonathan Mack:

History Can Happen To You

Monica says, “You think it’s easy to live with so much history? When they removed the cobblestones of Piazza Signoria they found an entirely new city. For three years they blocked it off while they decided what to do. Finally they covered it up again. Too much trouble.“But history is something that can happen to a person. My house was being built and I got a call: there was a problem. What now? I said. They’d found an Etruscan kiln beneath my house. Enormous thing. For three months I had men digging in my backyard with tiny spoons. They want to cover my backyard in plexiglass, light it up from beneath and give tours. I’d make a lot of money. Of course the government will never get around to it.“Still, when I park my bicycle I like to think of what is under there. I’d like to be able to see it. I would have the most wonderful parties, looking down at the ancient times in my backyard.“On the last day two hundred people came and sat in my back yard. I sat in my upstairs window watching them. Very nice, I thought. But give me back my house.“Of course they made a book about it, the history I’m living with. Then they came and covered it back up with dirt. Now I get special tax breaks and in return I must plant no trees. Small plants only, nothing with roots.”