Friday was a nice change of pace from previous Fridays because I only had one class today, as opposed to my usual eight long hours of class. As usual, my day started out with a run. I decided to go farther than usual on one of my mountainside routes. Before I was about to turn around, I noticed two dogs barking down the steep valley below me. About a minute later, when I actually did turn around to go back the way I came, I realized the two dogs had some how made up onto the road and were coming straight toward me, barking angrily. It is critical to take note that these two dogs were actually two extremely large, EXTREMELY ferocious, crazy dogs. After one good look at their dangerously looking sharp teeth, I panicked and decided my only option was to rock climb up the mountain on my right side. (My other options were to turn around with the dogs chasing me or fall down the steep valley on my left side). I climbed a few tree limbs, but realized that trying to climb up the mountain would be a near-impossible feat. I really had no idea what I was going to do; the dogs were pacing around right below me, barking louder and louder. THANK GOODNESS that a few minutes later, two large vans drove by, which startled the dogs who ran back down the valley where they came from. I took this opportunity to sprint away as fast as I possibly could. I did not look back, and I never plan on returning to this spot, despite how beautiful it was. After I arrived back to Cortona, thankfully in one piece, I made a delicious vegetable lunch and went to my one class of the day, book making, to get some work done on my final project. It took me the full three hours of class to sew the twenty-one signatures of my book together. A signature is one grouping of folding paper that forms the pages of the book. I am very excited with the progress I am making…I cannot wait to see what the final product will look like!
On Saturday, we went on our last field trip of the semester to Siena. Siena is yet another beautiful old Italian town with a gorgeous cathedral and a museum containing a famous Duccio altarpiece painting that we studied in depth in art history class. I took my time in the cathedral because every element of it was so ornate, from the mosaic floors to the sculptures and ceiling. However, when I emerged outside, I could not find a single member from my program. There were swarms of tourists, but none of them were familiar faces. So, I decided to wander on my own to explore Siena. It was nice to move through the town at my own pace. Of course, because I was my own tour guide, I made sure to visit every fancy grocery store and fine food shop, because Siena was packed with these types of places. These stores sold super luxury cheeses, wines, biscotti and other cookies, spices, honey, pasta sauces, and my favorite: beautiful pastas in all colors and shapes, including pastas that were striped candy colors. Everything looked so beautiful and delicate. I grabbed some pizza for lunch, and wandered up and down the streets of Siena all day. There is a gigantic open piazza in the middle of town where horse races are held annually in the warmer seasons. Apparently these are very big deal, because the piazza, which is probably the size of several track fields put together, is packed with people to watch the race. At the end of the day, I was getting a little worried, because I had no idea how to get back to the area outside of town where the bus dropped us off and would pick us up again. I was especially stressed, because I knew the bus would leave without me if I did not show up. The streets of Siena twist and turn quite a bit, and I had very little sense of direction here, even with my map. Luckily, just as I was making yet another circle, I ran into my group who I usually walk with (and who can read maps very well) and knew exactly where to go. So, I am not still lost in Siena as I type this. Phew. When we arrived back in Cortona, we had a painting party all night, working on our final painting projects. I am working on my super-large canvas, another painting of a juxtaposition of a figural pepper and my own hands, legs, and feet. I love painting on such a big scale. I can imagine myself painting on a huge wall, so big, that I would need a sliding ladder or something to reach the entire surface. I went to sleep that night smelling strongly like turpentine and oil paint.
Sunday, like the week before, was another dreary day. This was probably a good thing, because it forced me inside to study for art history all day. By the afternoon, I was too antsy from being inside all day, so I went out into the drizzling weather for a walk. Little did I know, that when I was about a mile away from Cortona, it starting violently ice raining on me, with ice pellets falling aggressively in every direction. I sped home as fast as I could to get out of the treacherous weather. I spent the rest of the day finishing up my final painting until dinner when Jeanette, my friend Chloe, and I went to out to another new restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was in an extremely old 15th century building that used to be a rich family’s mansion. The restaurant was only part of the entire mansion, and we ate in this spooky, yet beautiful room in the basement, where the horses were kept. There was another American couple eating there (we can seek out American couples with their north face jackets) who we talked to for a little bit, recommending to them places they should not miss. Our food was wonderful! I ate a triangular shaped ravioli stuffed with fresh spinach and was served with chicory, grape tomatoes, and a pine nut sauce. It was incredible! I was also interested in what Jeanette ordered: a mushroom, walnut, and apple risotto. We also each ordered a side vegetable. I decided on some grilled vegetables, which came in the most lovely rainbow format with red peppers next to yellow peppers next to green zucchini next to purple eggplant. I almost did not want to eat the grilled vegetables, I enjoyed looking at it so much. Before long, we had spent almost three hours in the restaurant; it was such a delicious evening.
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