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During our week in Todi we overlapped with the Torneo dei Rioni. Rioni are the different neighbourhoods and towns that belong to Todi.

Each night soccer teams from each Rione played each other in this very competitive tournament. Teams had to respect strict rules on the age of players: the majority of players were over 40 with some over 50yr of age.

The nicest discovery of the Torneo dei Rioni was the Sagra (food festival) connected to it.

After the stunning visit to Assisi, several of us went to have dinner there experiencing great local food and wine on a very informal atmosphere. Tables were set up inside the gorgeous medieval cloister which is today Todi's classical high school.

Everything was so fun and special!

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The fan section of Blue&White team hyping their players, Green&White’s goalie blocking a shot, searching for the lost contact, and an action shot.

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Martina, the teacher for the A1 Class let us know that this week a football championship was happening at the Parco della Rocca at 2100 and 2200. We arrived for the 2200 match and were amazed at the amount of people coming to cheer their teams . The football pitch was erected on a stage and around it were erected stands packed with people. The colors of the teams facing off were green&white vs blue&white. The blue&white team’s fan section had brought their best - drums, flares, horns, banners, etc, which seemed to bode well for the match, so we decided to sit in their section. We were quickly proven wrong as the green&white team’s goalie proved to be an astoundingly skillful player, blocking nearly everything that came his way. Midway through the match his eye contact fell out while blocking a shot and no matter how hard they tried to find it couldn’t be located. Blue&white team thought this would be the turning point, their chance to claw back the score , but instead of getting swapped out he decided to soldier on and help lead his team to final victory! After the match it seemed from what we heard the blue&white team was visiting from Perugia and the green&white team was hometown champions from Todi!

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A special thanks to Sig.ra Ivana who welcomed us into her amazing kitchen and walked us through pasta, ragù and delicious zucchine making and dessert.

We saw how Italian cuisine is simple and flexible. All unwritten recipes she shared were based on Sig.ra Ivana's children and grandchildren taste.

Grazie Ivana! Abbiamo imparato e mangiato divinamente.

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I must be feeling somewhat nervous because I dreamt the Todi program sent me home because I was a bad student. 🙁. The upside was the ride home was some kind of fast Italian luxury car.

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I landed in Milan over the weekend. This week I am staying between Brescia and Lake Iseo, I am visiting family and, among other things, I am getting ready for a wonderful week in Todi together.

I am very excited to spend a wonderful week in Umbria with 23 amazing travelers and language lovers from AIS-Phila. We have someone who never studied Italian before and others who are very familiar with the language, people staying with host families and others in hotel. We will see beautiful places, learn Italian and eat great food.

I know everyone has been doing the most important thing to get ready for Todi: walking and getting excited!

Todi arriviamo!

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The Rock, the main fortification of Spoleto as well as a Roman arch, medieval walls built on Roman building material, and examples of Spolia.

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Spoleto: A Stunning Medieval City with Roman Bones 

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Spoleto: A Stunning Medieval City with Roman Bones 

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Our guide Leonardo took us on an amazing tour of the city of Spoleto. The main castle is extremely well preserved and a testament to the strategic importance of this city to the Papal States. The journey up the side of the hill with the neat escalator system showcased how difficult of a time an army attempting to besiege the castle would have, but, as a result, the views from the walls are jaw dropping in their expanse.

A really neat bit of Spoleto is the features built by the Romans which are still visible today. One is the aqueduct which is in the valley next to the castle and can now be walked across. But in the city itself, many arches and walkways are labeled with plaques illustrating their construction at the height of the Roman Empire. It feels in many ways that as the city evolved in medieval times they absorbed much of this Roman architecture into its bones as more buildings were constructed and the streets became narrower. It’s a testament to quality work of the craftsmen of the ancient world as well as the care of the people of Spoleto that these have survived to be in use today!

If one looks closely at many of the important buildings of Spoleto, they can see some really cool Spolia! Spolia is the use of old architectural materials in a new building. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the logistics and technology involved with quarrying, carting, and carving new stone became prohibitively expensive in many areas. As a result, the stone found around the ruins of former Roman- era buildings got reused when new buildings went up in the Middle Ages and one can see a lot of extremely awesome examples of this practice in buildings around Spoleto. Thus, the cities’ Roman period lives on through the ages and can be glimpsed by those who look closely! One can spend a day in Spoleto looking for just these details alone, it is a truly spectacular place

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The remarkable design program of the Chapel. It is all painted in Trompe-l’oeil and not actually carved! Even what appear to be marble panels are actually painted!

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Galavanting Around Todi - Chapel of  Santissima Annunziata

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Galavanting Around Todi - Chapel of  Santissima Annunziata

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We had a break after class today and decided to galavant around Todi before heading out to cook dinner. Wandering around the picturesque streets we thought we had hit a dead end and had to turn around, but before giving up we stumbled upon the entrance to the chapel Santissima Annunziata. Upon entering, we were greeted by the stunningly bright and extremely colourful interior of the chapel. What we thought were deep carvings and cuts of polished marble were actually all tricks of the artists’ craft! The entirety of the designs were painted (including the shadows) in such a manner as to convince the eye of true three dimensional effects. One has to see it to believe it! What makes this chapel truly special is that while the site of the building dates back to at least the 1300s, the current designs and decoration are from the 18th century. The 18th century in Italian art tends to not receive much attention compared to the focus on art from the Renaissance - 1600s; but, as this chapel attests to, 18th century Italian art is remarkable as well. While there, we had the place to ourselves the whole time and could truly soak in the effects as well as reflect on the space. We highly recommend people check it out!

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Our guide Leonardo took us to Spoleto a hill town that has an incredible system of underground escalators that take you to different parts of the city, just like a subway system. There are three different lines with stops.

On the way back to the bus, Leonardo and I (Elisa) led the entire group to the wrong escalator line. When we got out and could not recognize were we were! Just a couple of phone calls and some map orientation were enough to have our bus driver kindly pick us up on complitely different spot in the city.

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At home, asking for help—and God forbid accepting it—can sometimes feel like defeat. If I put too much on others, what will they think of me?

But shortly into this immersive trip, I had no other course of action but to abandon my rigidity for the following reasons:

1. a foreign country readily presents new, unexpected scenarios that require relying on the kindness of strangers

2. truncated sleep from the PHL–FCO flight diminishes that firmly guarded sense of bravado; you’ll find yourself plainly speaking your mind before you even realize it (in both English AND Italiano)

3. the generously warm temperatures will force you to sweat off your “emotional walls,” if the previous reason didn’t take care of that already

4. a sense of psychological safety becomes immediately apparent—in the classes, while bopping around with classmates on the field trips, and from yourself as you untangle your Italian

The results of letting my guard down?

1. A mini class field trip in farmacia during our pausa where my teacher helped me navigate a conversation with a pharmacist to get me the medicine—magic—I desperately needed; yes, the entire class was there

2. A just-in-time wet wipe from a classmate when Baci-flavored gelato began cascading down my hands

3. An offer to get me a pizza slice da portare via (or even a few bites of theirs) because they knew I was pressed for time

4. A pep talk from classmates who genuinely cheer for you

5. A well made, ready-to-use circle of kneaded and rolled out dough for tagliatelle fatte in casa

6. A collection of new friendships that I was truly craving (even more than that pasta)

Nicole in the US not only would have wanted to deeply and repetitiously edit this blog before posting, but she also would have never asked for and accepted help. She also would have never had the beautiful interactions that followed.

Nicole in Todi, however, is going to post this working draft anyway as a reminder that giving in to vulnerability is just…worth it. Now, dimmi, is there anything more Italian than that?

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I left Philadelphia on Monday evening at around 10:15pm and arrived in Naples at 1:00pm or should I say alle tredici. I was exhausted and opted for the taxi. The line was long, but it moved quickly and within 25 minutes, I arrived at my Residenza. I had already been contacted by ⚡️Bruno who asked me to let him know when I reached the address, and he would meet me. ⚡️

Bruno was adorable. He showed me how to enter the residence and gave me all of the codes. He was beaming with pride at this residence that he and his brother are managing. He gave me the tour of the lobby and breakfast areas and listed all the amenities they offered. He showed me my room, with a window and terrace and pointed out all the new fixtures, all the while repeating, “beautiful, yes?”. ⚡️Bruno told me that he “has 23 years” and he is in charge of all this, and his dream is “to come to New York at Merry Christmas”. What I was most impressed with was ⚡️Bruno‘s bravado as he demonstrated his English, clearly doing all he could to connect with me, his guest. It made me realize how cowardly I am, not attempting to use what little Italian I have.

After I settled in, I decided to walk around the neighborhood. I was out for about an hour and a half. I had only intended to walk for about an hour, but I got lost. No worries, though. I always tell myself when I get lost that I will find my way back and I did. When I got back to the residence, I decided not to take the elevator since it was only two flights. As I approached the first landing, I fell flat on both knees, tripping on the last step. It just so happened that the door was open to the hairstylist on that floor. Three people came running out to help me. I was fine, but incredibly embarrassed. However, today I made it a point to stop in and say thank you. As I entered, the gentleman came up to me and I said, “ Mi scusi, grazie per avermi ieri. Sono la donna che e caduta.” Then, in Italian he asked me if I was OK and I pointed to my shoes saying I had better shoes on than last night. In English. But, I had made my first attempt and it was OK.

PS I can’t figure out how to use the accent over the e for essere. I don’t think it’s possible.

Jean

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Rubbing Pulcinella’s nose for good luck today during a food walking tour. The hair is a mess; it is really hot here. BTW if anyone else is coming to Naples, there is a wonderful exhibit by the American artist, graphic designer and activist, Shepard Fairey at the Galleria d’Italia entitled Power to the Peaceful. i’m trying to upload some images from the exhibition. I also captured a couple leaving the church after their wedding. I hope they come through.

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Day 1 in Todi. Today we are a group of strangers with a shared passion for all things Italian but I’m confident that by the end of the week we will be a group of friends with a shared memory that will last a lifetime

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Correction: Il primo giorno! A shining example of the reason I need to attend school today🤣🤣🤣

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The best part of going to Spoleto, aside from the incredible landscape, the informative guide Leonardo, and the great company, was the Filippo Lippi frescoes in the Cathedral. I love the way he makes the figures so that some turn away from the viewer in a cheeky way. The chapel of the passion (?) with the statues of angels carrying instruments of torture was also beautiful

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Jennifer and I were excited to start classes but took time to take our “first day of school” photos 😊

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These are some photographs I’ve taken in Umbria where the colors come together in a really beautiful way :)