A Monastery and a Medieval Village!

For those of you that actually make it to the end of my blog posts, I applaud you. I know they are very long, but I have never really been good at consolidating. And because of that it takes me a long time to write them and because of that I don't write them very often. This makes the days pile up and makes them even longer. It is a never ending cycle of long blogginess! Yes, I said blogginess. In short, thanks for reading.

This is my last week of my Italian Practicum, I have Italian for 3 hours a day Monday-Friday. I'm actually looking forward to starting my other classes about Roman Urban History and Ancient Civilization.

Last week it rained a lot, like every day so I didn't get many pictures. But I do have some good news; I got a job!!! I am going to be babysitting this little boy 2 days a week and every few weekend nights for his parents date night. His name is Shane and he is adorable! It's nice to know that my bank account is no longer only being depleted. I met with his Mom on Wednesday night and went with her to pick him up from school on Thursday! It is pretty close to where I live and it is really convenient.

On Friday night, Rose and I went to dinner at a little restaurant around the corner from our house. I think we sat there for at least 2 hours talking and drinking wine. After dinner we walked to this little cafe that is in the Piazza near our house and had some delicious pastries.

On Saturday, I slept in! It felt so good. It's amazing how much you miss sleeping in when you really only get to do it once every few weeks. I sat in bed and watched a movie and did absolutely nothing for the beginning of the day. I'm sure some of you are saying, how could you do that?!?!?! You are in Rome!!! But the truth is, it's like living anywhere else. You need at least a little down time otherwise you just get so tired and overwhelmed that things that you do see aren't enjoyable anymore, so I sleep. Anyway, after my sleeping and movie watching was over, I went over and watched Shane so his parents could go to the movies. He was so cute and such a good kid. We watched a show called Dinosaur Train that teaches kids all about Dinosaurs and the different eras. He was asking me the cutest questions.

Sunday is when all the fun happened! I went on another excursion through the school, but this one was much better. No sick people or freezing cold weather and we only got a little lost. We went to a town called Subiaco, which is south of Rome. In Subiaco, there is a monastery that was built in the 13th century and it is the home of the Grotto in which St. Benedict held himself in complete solitude for 3 years. The monastery was built into the side of the mountain and has been changed and adapted through the centuries since it's original construction. I wasn't the biggest fan of the pre-renaissance paintings, but the architecture was truly beautiful and there were some gorgeous mosaics and tiled floors. The hike to the top was a little intense but because of it's location the view was beautiful!

I just thought this view was beautiful. You really don't
see wrought iron rails with such beautiful designs
anywhere anymore. And the view behind it is only a
small glimpse of its true beauty.

This was the view of the monastery from our entrance.
It really was incredible to see it built right into the face
of the mountain. 

I promised that I would get at least a few pictures of myself while I was on this trip. It's a little hard sometimes because I am always the one taking the pictures. Fortunately, I have Rose who also is a photographer so I can just hand my camera over every once in a while and get one of me. What a wondrous view, right?

So this time, I trusted my camera in the hands of
someone else, which I rarely do, but I figured it's about
time to get a picture of the 2 of us together. My
European travel partner and picture taker! 

So it's a little hard to believe, but according to our tour
guide, this is the actually grotto that St. Benedict spent
his 3 years of solitude in. Like I said, the monastery was
built to encase this grotto. You can kind of see how the
back wall is the actual wall of the mountain. That is how
the entire building is. Pretty great. 

This was the entrance to the monastery. Well sort of anyway. We had to walk about a 1/2 mile from here up the hill and then up a very steep staircase. It was much more intense than I was expecting. One thing I don't understand is how Italians can walk up these huge hills while smoking a cigarette and not be out of breath but when I walk up, I can barely move by the time I get to the top... I'm so out of shape! That is going to change!!!!

Okay, so after Subiaco and the monastery, we all piled back on the bus and went to Fumone. It was about an hour drive. Fumone is known in Rome as a medieval village. And boy is it. They even wear medieval shoes! We had, quite literally, a medieval feast! I wish I had thought to take a picture before we devoured it. We started out with bread with some meat and cheese, then had some bread with olive oil. Then we got a heaping bowl of pasta. Then some more bread. Then another bowl of this pasta stew. Then some salad and then some more meat and potatoes. And then to top it all off, we had dessert. It was INTENSE!!! After lunch, we got a chance to walk around the town for about an hour. It was so tiny! The main city of Fumone rests atop this little hill so it had an amazing view of the surrounding valley.

This was one of the views from the top of Fumone. I was bummed that the clouds had moved in because there is a gorgeous mountain behind the clouds that is covered in snow. You can sort of see the base of it. 

This was the guy that came to entertain us while we were eating. So medieval!!! Look at the shoes, not to mention the fact that he was playing the accordion! He even included a dirty Italian song...

I just thought this sign was so funny. The town is so small I can't image getting lost let alone needing a map. And we were pretty much the only people there so I can't imagine it's a huge tourist town. Made for a good picture though!

I just loved these doors. The contrast in not only color but style. Even the steps. Some things you just can't find in the good old US of A.

This was the name of the restaurant we ate at. I have a feeling it's the only one in the village and I'm pretty sure the sign has been there since its inception. It's actually on a piece of raw would with a family crest above it. Talk about medieval!

After Fumone, we all got back on the bus and went home. When we got off the bus, Rose and I decided that gelato sounded really good. So we took the metro home and decided to walk from the metro stop to our house and just get gelato on the way. To our dismay, there wasn't a single gelato shop open. So we walked all the way home, dropped our bags off and walked back, past the metro station, just for gelato. It is that good!

Today, I had my Italian class and afterward, had a meeting about my core courses that start in a few weeks. I sent out a few post cards and then went home, went grocery shopping, finished my homework, and cleaned my room. It was quite the productive day! After dinner, Rose and I are going to drink wine and play cards. We are such old ladies, but it's awesome! So much more enjoyable than going out every night and waking up hung over or still drunk and having to be in class at 9:30.

Friday is my last Italian class and then I am going to Venice for Carnevale!!! Everyone, keep your eyes open for those pictures!