Saturday was our field trip to and Volterra and San Gimignano. After a busride filled with a particularly large amount of crazy twists and turns, we arrived in Volterra, where we explored a really interesting Etruscan museum filled with lots of ancient pieces that filled the Etruscan tombs; each piece had a various funerary purposes. My favorite part was all the little figurine statues meant to keep the Etruscans company in the afterlife. I liked how all sorts of individuals and animals were sculpted into these tiny statues; they would be perfect for a doll house. After the Etruscan Museum, we went to another museum, this one known for its collection Mannerist paintings. Mannerism is the style of painting that developed directly in response to the Renaissance as an “anti-classical” style, one where the human form is twisted, distorted, and imaginative, and the spaces they inhabit are filled with vibrant colors but are often ambiguous with odd, illogical proportions. I love this style, and one painting that we talked about really stood out to me as a way that I would like to paint (not necessarily the content of Jesus, but rather the style). Rosso Fiorentino’s “Depostion”, aka “Descent from the Cross”. I was hypnotized by the colors and brushstrokes. After we had our share of museums, we explored and wandered throughout the town. Some girls and I stumbled upon Volterra’s Saturday food market, filled with produce, cheeses, breads, and meats. There was a seafood stand selling a lot of octopus and some other alien-looking sea creatures, which I was fascinated by. Eventually, we made our way to a cafeteria-style restaurant where you essentially point to the foods you want to put on your tray. Unfortunately, my entire program including all my teachers had the same idea, so we were all squished into this tiny place.
After lunch, we headed back on the bus to go to San Gimignano, a town not too far from Volterra. This town is known for its cathedral called the Collegiata with its famous frescoes along all the walls inside. There are also numerous bell towers sprinkled throughout this town that seem to ring at least every 15 minutes, if not more. San Gimignano is also the home of the world’s most famous gelato, although I do not know who got to judge that contest (I would not mind doing that). The gelato was delicious, but what was most exciting was the crazy amount of flavor selection they had. I had never seen so many colors of gelato in my life. I realized that this would be a very fun subject to paint. I sampled numerous flavors including passion fruit and blood orange and cantaloupe before I decided on my mango-raspberry-strawberry combination (completely uncharacteristic of me, I know). Something that sparked many of our curiosities was the Museo Tortura that we passed on the way to the cathedral. Some friends and I decided to buy a ticket to see what this was all about. It actually ended up making me feel more ill than my meat bread that I sadly ate one week ago. The museum’s three stories were filled with various graphic wax statue people being tortured or executed in various gruesome ways throughout history. Lots of horrible instruments were on display to mutilate and harm people more completely painful ways. I was shocked to read that some of the most absurd torturing devices were still being using as a form of punishment in some third world countries. I was somewhat relieved to leave that museum, and cross off going to a Torture Museum off of my list of things today forever. I definitely do not plan on going back to one. The day ended on a lighter note by raiding San Gimignano’s wonderful grocery store for amazing things like spinach in bulk and yummy yogurt. It was quite an exciting day of field tripping.
Sunday was filled with more busy work that I had to catch up on. I made sure to have a wonderful run in the morning, before I had to work in the book making studio all day long. I realized book making for me is so difficult because it is essentially the exact opposite process of how I paint. I paint rather aggressively, recklessly, and gesturely. Book making is all about precision and exactness, so I have to slow myself way down to do it right. Luckily, I had motivation to work hard, because that evening, some friends and I had plans to go to an adorable restaurant in Cortona called La Grotta. It was hidden away through an alley, down a staircase, and through another alley (I had no idea how anyone who did not know about would find this place). The restaurant itself was adorable, with stone walls lined with beautiful wine bottles, and low stone ceilings. Our waiter was a very funny man who insisted on teaching us to order our dinners in Italian. We each ordered a version of the same thing: gnocchi made from ricotta and spinach, with either a truffle or tomato sauce (I choose the latter). This meal was unlike anything I have every eaten. The gnoochi were soft and melted in your mouth. The colors were beautiful: the bright green gnocchi from the spinach, contrasting with the bright red of the fresh tomato sauce. I wanted this dinner to last forever. I cleansed my palette with some delightful lemon sorbet. It was definitely the best meal I had eaten thus far in Italy. I will probably be thinking about it for the rest of my time here. It definitely filled my thoughts as I went to sleep that night. Another week finished!
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