September 11
Thursday night we were served some very interesting, and somewhat unidentifiable, food for dinner. And it would seem that one of these unknown dishes gave me an allergic reaction. I'd hazard a guess and say it was the strange fishy orange stuff on toast that did it... Anyway, whatever it was, it caused me to be up almost all night, so when I got up at 6 on Friday morning, I was a little less than chipper. We drove about an hour to some monastery by a hill somewhere...I wasn't really paying attention to where we were. We picnicked there before heading to Siena. I was barely conscious for the first half of the day. Dr. Skillen brought us to the town hall in Siena and talked for half an hour about Lorenzetti's Allegory of Good Government painting. Interesting though it was, I could not for the life of me focus. I was having trouble not falling asleep on the bench.
In Siena we saw the town hall, the duomo, and a few other buildings. The duomo was magnificent, but a little too ornate for my taste. Also, it is now solely a museum, which makes the experience less satisfying. The duomo in Orvieto still has mass every sunday, which gives it a more traditional and genuine feel.
On the ride back Matteo let us listen to the radio, and we were amazed by Italian radio's fascination with american 80s music. Overall it was a fun day, though exhausting. The rest of my weekend will be spent studying. In about a week and a half, I must have the details of 80 paintings memorized, as well as about 50 other terms, a paper written, and 2 projects completed. With each day that goes by, the stress level raises a bit. It'll be interesting to see how everyone does in the next couple weeks.
To have actually been in Siena whilst suffering food poisoning and not hearing a word about the Palio...my god! This is a nightmare. And you didn't shop for boots? This is criminal. First of all: always drink a glass of red wine with dinner and lunch. It's calming and the custom, AND it is meant to lessen symptoms of digestive distress...caused no doubt by your limited experience with Med cuisine. Eighty paintings, 50 terms, papers to write...ad nauseum. No bloody wonder your stress level is utterly out of control. You might as well be looking at Italy through the bars of the top cell in that monastery you call home.
RispondiEliminaThe first time I saw Siena I fell into an almost literal trance (entrancement) from which I have yet (fortunately) to recover. Well, you'll go back because you must.
Your lovely Mum gave me your blog info and a bit of an update about your sojourns. I was so happy to hear that you enjoyed our afternoon at 10,000 V, as much as I.
I look forward to reading of your adventures. Whenvever you decide to have some.
Cio Bella,
Julie Nussbaum