once a small town girl, always a small town girl

Since our arrival in Sansepolcro I have had the chance to go on beautiful Sunday afternoon bike rides under the Tuscan sun(really!), go on early morning jogs when the temperature is just right, and walk with John Rose learning about all of Sansepolcro’s small town charm. We have even been here long enough to wonder why the heck we would hear any English on the streets of Sansepolcro, so when we do our heads quickly turn to see who is in OUR town. This place begins to become like home each day with each new thing I learn, or each new place I discover. There is a church right down the street from the Palazzo Alberti (also known as my home!) that is from the 9th or 10th century, and as if that wasn’t beautiful enough inside was a beautiful oil painting of the “Deposition of Christ” which holds enough significance of Christ’s death in the first five seconds you are looking at it to just make you speechless. After seeing this I hear that ¾ of the world’s art is in Italy. Again, I just thank God that I am in that same place with that same ¾ of the world’s art.

Today when I went out into the city after Italian for the market in my running shorts and t-shirt and quickly remembered this seems to be unacceptable to the Italian culture. Everyone leaves their homes dressed to a tee whether it be going to the market or out for passagata each night. When I sit at the CafeK with my Italy Sorrow book I get distracted by all the people walking by because you can learn so much just from people watching. There are so many grandparents pushing their children and sometimes families going for a stroll at times my parents would still be working. It makes me wonder how these peoples work days work when they have to fit in a three course lunch and nap in the middle, and we as Americans are lucky to fit in a burger from a fast food restaurant. While people watching today over my amazing cup of cioccolato caldo (hot chocolate) I see some people walk by me more than once. As I try to shove Italian history in my head these people have time to walk circles around me. They take the gift of time in a way I only wish I could. I can barely do one thing without thinking about what is coming next. This slow pace is really making me learn that I need to take a moment to breathe in the midst of classes and traveling. If I want to learn from classes and traveling I have got to have a moment to think about it. That desired slow pace may come from always being a small town girl. I always lived in a slow paced town but my mind and heart worked in a way that was anything opposite of slow.

Although I am looked at as a stranger by some I have made friends easily in this town. Soon enough we will all be figuring out ways we can meet up to see one another every week. There is Sara and Miro from the Gellateria, Nicole’s friend Giacomo and his friend also named Giacomo (we like to refer to his as Giacomo due) that we have spent time with, and Guilia who is Giacomo due’s friend that we now talk to! They are all so sweet, and I even got to use my Spanish from high school and freshman year with my new friend Cassandra. We were all hanging out on the main road over the weekend and I hear Cassandra say “come se llamas” and think I am in ITALY. I look at her and we laugh hysterically, but it is so weird too because she knows barely any English and I know only a bit of Italian after my brief time here. It is good to know that I am not only making friends with the girls in the Palazzo but with people in the town.

I could probably write all night about all the things I have seen and thought, but instead I better get to the new and excited Italy Sorrow book for Dr.Webb’s class... I must say it sure best Degrands Italian Fascism! Ciao, <3