Sunday, November 23, 2008
Even More Pictures to come!
Sorry folks but this computer takes way too long to upload photos! I'll add the pictures of the actual olive harvest as soon as I can! In the meantime, enjoy the views of Casa Faustina.
Casa Faustina
Olives, Olives everywhere!
My job here at Casa Faustina has been to help out with the olive harvest and at the end of each day its not unusual to find olives everywhere - in your shirt, shoes, pockets, hair. I'm enjoying it for the most part as I have learned quickly and now have plenty of time to think during my monotonous tasks of moving nets and picking olives by hand. My Italian vocabulary is also improving because I hear the same words over and over again. I've mastered 'this one', 'that one', 'tree', 'olive', 'wait!', 'stop!', 'net', 'basket', 'where?', 'up', 'over', 'rain', and 'sun' and repeat them often to my Italian harvesting cohorts. If you ever need a translator on an olive grove in Italy, I'm your girl. In the end it will have taken one month to harvest 1,300 trees and the final results will be high quality organic extra virgin olive oil! I've tasted the new oil and it's wonderful! It's fun being in the 'land of delicious food' and really learning to taste and enjoy what you eat. I guess that's been true for most of my stay here in Umbria - my senses seemed heightened and I've become accustomed to really experiencing things fully. I take great hikes almost everyday and am appreciating the amazing view and sunsets which I think have colors in them that I've never seen before.
Otherwise I am loving everything about farm life. At times it seems so simple but then you realize how hard you're working. I love how practically everything we eat comes from within walking distance of the house and you really do feel proud that youìre literally eating the fruits of your labor. The downside of this, however, is that I permanently have dirt under my fingernails. Such is the life of a farmer. I'm becoming fascinated with ecology and am amazed how God created all of nature to work together in a perfect cycle. The tricky part for us humans is figuring out where we fit in and how to benefit from what God's given us without totally ruining everything!
I have about 10 or so days left here and will miss it when I leave. I get along very well with my hosts, Giordano and Tamara, and have had the chance to work alongside and live with South Africans, Australians, Italians, and a German all during my stay at Casa Faustina. My favorite thought, is Benvenuto, Giordano's father, who is a renowned sculptor and artist. He's hilarious - smokes like a chimney, sings opera, and yell all day at the two men they hired to work the harvest. He tells me stories in Italian and I barely understand him but I just smile at him a lot and it's all ok in the end. See the attached picture and look his work up online if you get the chance - www.benvenutogattolin.it.
Anyway, included are some pictures of Casa Faustina and the olive harvest that were taken by Giordano and Tamara's camera seeing as I have not yet purchased a new one, but I can't complain because these pictures turned out better than mine ever would! Enjoy!
My job here at Casa Faustina has been to help out with the olive harvest and at the end of each day its not unusual to find olives everywhere - in your shirt, shoes, pockets, hair. I'm enjoying it for the most part as I have learned quickly and now have plenty of time to think during my monotonous tasks of moving nets and picking olives by hand. My Italian vocabulary is also improving because I hear the same words over and over again. I've mastered 'this one', 'that one', 'tree', 'olive', 'wait!', 'stop!', 'net', 'basket', 'where?', 'up', 'over', 'rain', and 'sun' and repeat them often to my Italian harvesting cohorts. If you ever need a translator on an olive grove in Italy, I'm your girl. In the end it will have taken one month to harvest 1,300 trees and the final results will be high quality organic extra virgin olive oil! I've tasted the new oil and it's wonderful! It's fun being in the 'land of delicious food' and really learning to taste and enjoy what you eat. I guess that's been true for most of my stay here in Umbria - my senses seemed heightened and I've become accustomed to really experiencing things fully. I take great hikes almost everyday and am appreciating the amazing view and sunsets which I think have colors in them that I've never seen before.
Otherwise I am loving everything about farm life. At times it seems so simple but then you realize how hard you're working. I love how practically everything we eat comes from within walking distance of the house and you really do feel proud that youìre literally eating the fruits of your labor. The downside of this, however, is that I permanently have dirt under my fingernails. Such is the life of a farmer. I'm becoming fascinated with ecology and am amazed how God created all of nature to work together in a perfect cycle. The tricky part for us humans is figuring out where we fit in and how to benefit from what God's given us without totally ruining everything!
I have about 10 or so days left here and will miss it when I leave. I get along very well with my hosts, Giordano and Tamara, and have had the chance to work alongside and live with South Africans, Australians, Italians, and a German all during my stay at Casa Faustina. My favorite thought, is Benvenuto, Giordano's father, who is a renowned sculptor and artist. He's hilarious - smokes like a chimney, sings opera, and yell all day at the two men they hired to work the harvest. He tells me stories in Italian and I barely understand him but I just smile at him a lot and it's all ok in the end. See the attached picture and look his work up online if you get the chance - www.benvenutogattolin.it.
Anyway, included are some pictures of Casa Faustina and the olive harvest that were taken by Giordano and Tamara's camera seeing as I have not yet purchased a new one, but I can't complain because these pictures turned out better than mine ever would! Enjoy!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Assisi
I arrived in Umbria a week ago and have already concluded that its rolling hills and mountaintop vistas make it one of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth. Today I had the privilege of spending the day in Assisi - a town where over two million people visit every year to experience the spirit of the town's two most famous and pious inhabitants - Saint Francis and Saint Clare.
I also visited Assisi to better understand the 'holy ground' and quickly fell in love with the hilltop town. Assisi is small and you can visit all the famous sites in half a day but I prefer a longer stay to really get a feel for everything. I spent most of the day wandering around climbing the steep streets. Who needs a StairMaster when you have medieval, cobblestone walkways?! I walked most of the town, even making my way up to a really cool fortress that sits at one of the highest points in Assisi.
After doing some reading about Francis and Clare, I found myself picturing them in Assisi's streets. They both grew up in privileged families but later shed their lives of comfrot in exchange for sacrifice and simplicity. One of my favorite spots in Assisi is the place right outside of Santa Maria Maggiore on a tree lined street where Francis denounced his father and his inheritance by stripping naked in front of a crowd. Very dramatic but I guess from then on no could doubt his seriousness about his conversion. Francis stricly followed the commands in Scripture to 'deny thyself' and to this day his following of Franciscan priests and the Order of the Poor Clares (both groups inspired by Francis) are notorious for their simplicity and strict rule following. I am amazed at the commitment of these two saints and ended up spending most of the day wondering why Christians dont do more to show our love of Christ. We do believe, after all, that the God of the Universe came down from heaven, suffered greatly to take our place on the Cross all so we could be in relationship with the One who created us. I am reminded of this when I read a quote from St. Clare posted in her basilica where her remains are located. 'Totally love Him who gave Himself over totally for love of you.' Hows that for convicting.
On another note, I dont think I have seen more priests and nuns in one place before. The ratio of clergy to laymen in Assisi is far above average. I loved seeing a bunch of nuns stopping to eat their bagged lunches in front of the Basilica di San Francesco and was surprised to find out that they like drinking soda and energy drinks. I guess fully devoting oneself to God requires a sugar boost every once in awhile.
I was going to attach pictures of the numerous churches and sites I visited in Assisi as well as some of the amazing views overlooking the green Umbrian hills, but alas, I either lost my camera or it was stolen. It was probably my own carelessness, but I cant help but notice the irony of it all. I was near San Damiano - another favorite spot near Assisi and the place where Clare was cloistered for most of her life and the setting of where the crucifix spoke to Francis, sparking his conversion. I cant believe someone stole my camera outside of a place like this! For a moment I got upset, but then learned a lesson from Francis himself and realized something. Francis vowed to own no property once he committed his life to Christ. In light of this, I guess I can handle the loss of my camera and well, whoever took it while standing outside of a church probably has bigger issues to deal with if he's willing to steal something as trivial as a camera near a place as inspiring and other-worldly as San Damiano.
On another note, the sunsets in Umbria are incredible and I watch them everyday from my temporary residence at Casa Faustina. We've started the olive harvest and so far I'm enjoying it. Theres nothing like working alongside old Italian men wondering where they told you to put the nets to catch the olives because you can barely speak the language. Anyway, more on that later, but for now, in the spirit of St. Francis, pace. (peace)
I also visited Assisi to better understand the 'holy ground' and quickly fell in love with the hilltop town. Assisi is small and you can visit all the famous sites in half a day but I prefer a longer stay to really get a feel for everything. I spent most of the day wandering around climbing the steep streets. Who needs a StairMaster when you have medieval, cobblestone walkways?! I walked most of the town, even making my way up to a really cool fortress that sits at one of the highest points in Assisi.
After doing some reading about Francis and Clare, I found myself picturing them in Assisi's streets. They both grew up in privileged families but later shed their lives of comfrot in exchange for sacrifice and simplicity. One of my favorite spots in Assisi is the place right outside of Santa Maria Maggiore on a tree lined street where Francis denounced his father and his inheritance by stripping naked in front of a crowd. Very dramatic but I guess from then on no could doubt his seriousness about his conversion. Francis stricly followed the commands in Scripture to 'deny thyself' and to this day his following of Franciscan priests and the Order of the Poor Clares (both groups inspired by Francis) are notorious for their simplicity and strict rule following. I am amazed at the commitment of these two saints and ended up spending most of the day wondering why Christians dont do more to show our love of Christ. We do believe, after all, that the God of the Universe came down from heaven, suffered greatly to take our place on the Cross all so we could be in relationship with the One who created us. I am reminded of this when I read a quote from St. Clare posted in her basilica where her remains are located. 'Totally love Him who gave Himself over totally for love of you.' Hows that for convicting.
On another note, I dont think I have seen more priests and nuns in one place before. The ratio of clergy to laymen in Assisi is far above average. I loved seeing a bunch of nuns stopping to eat their bagged lunches in front of the Basilica di San Francesco and was surprised to find out that they like drinking soda and energy drinks. I guess fully devoting oneself to God requires a sugar boost every once in awhile.
I was going to attach pictures of the numerous churches and sites I visited in Assisi as well as some of the amazing views overlooking the green Umbrian hills, but alas, I either lost my camera or it was stolen. It was probably my own carelessness, but I cant help but notice the irony of it all. I was near San Damiano - another favorite spot near Assisi and the place where Clare was cloistered for most of her life and the setting of where the crucifix spoke to Francis, sparking his conversion. I cant believe someone stole my camera outside of a place like this! For a moment I got upset, but then learned a lesson from Francis himself and realized something. Francis vowed to own no property once he committed his life to Christ. In light of this, I guess I can handle the loss of my camera and well, whoever took it while standing outside of a church probably has bigger issues to deal with if he's willing to steal something as trivial as a camera near a place as inspiring and other-worldly as San Damiano.
On another note, the sunsets in Umbria are incredible and I watch them everyday from my temporary residence at Casa Faustina. We've started the olive harvest and so far I'm enjoying it. Theres nothing like working alongside old Italian men wondering where they told you to put the nets to catch the olives because you can barely speak the language. Anyway, more on that later, but for now, in the spirit of St. Francis, pace. (peace)
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Venetian Arc
Today is my last day in Northern Italy and the last day of my stay here at La Via Antiga. My time here, although short, has been wonderful, mostly because of my two wonderful hosts who spoil me so much! I spend most of my time working in the kitchen with Meris and have cooked and eaten so many delicious things! Ricotta cake, cookies, ravioli, buffalo, pork, espresso, and on and on...The ony thing i have not tried yet is horse (a normal meal in Europe!) since I guess the horse here are not fattened up enough to slaughter, yikes! Meris has made it easy for me to explore some of the so-called Venetian Arc: towns and sites outside of Venice that are less popular, but still worth seeing! The other day I visited Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet and saw Juliet's famous balcony along with a bunch of magnificent churches and Verona's own Colosseum (a smaller version of the one in Rome, but was used for the same purposes). Being in the Colosseum was very interesting. I instantly got a weird feeling because I realized that many people stood in the same spot hundreds of years ago and breathed their last breath. Christians especially - sent to die before a crowd all because of what they believed. History is fascinating to read about but its another to visit the actual places things occurred.
Tonight I head to Treviso with Meris for some shopping and maybe a taste of the town's famous Tirimasu, since it claims to be the home of the delicious dessert.
Tomorrow morning Ill take a train to Assisi where I will be staying and working at Casa Faustina, (www.casafaustina.com) an agriturismo on a mountain overlooking the birthplace of St. Francis, that also makes extra virgin olive oil. I'll be helping out with the olive harvest among other things. I'm very excited for this leg of the journey because it will allow me time to travel around one of the most beautiful regions of Italy and also the region where my family comes from - Umbria. I will be at Casa Faustina for a whole month and am looking forward to settling in.
Otherwise I am doing well and enjoying lots of peace and quiet. I watched television yesterday for the first time in a long time and was amazed - it was nice to have an outlet to the outside world even if it was all in Italian! I started watching Italian kids shows since the language isnt as tough to follow. Oh and another thing about Europe that Ive noticed but am not a fan of - mens fashion. Every guy under the age of 30 wears tight pants. I dont get it, but theres something wrong when the men's pants are tighter than mine... oh well. Ill try to post pictures later - not only of tight pants, but of other things as well, but for now im due back to work!
Ciao!
Tonight I head to Treviso with Meris for some shopping and maybe a taste of the town's famous Tirimasu, since it claims to be the home of the delicious dessert.
Tomorrow morning Ill take a train to Assisi where I will be staying and working at Casa Faustina, (www.casafaustina.com) an agriturismo on a mountain overlooking the birthplace of St. Francis, that also makes extra virgin olive oil. I'll be helping out with the olive harvest among other things. I'm very excited for this leg of the journey because it will allow me time to travel around one of the most beautiful regions of Italy and also the region where my family comes from - Umbria. I will be at Casa Faustina for a whole month and am looking forward to settling in.
Otherwise I am doing well and enjoying lots of peace and quiet. I watched television yesterday for the first time in a long time and was amazed - it was nice to have an outlet to the outside world even if it was all in Italian! I started watching Italian kids shows since the language isnt as tough to follow. Oh and another thing about Europe that Ive noticed but am not a fan of - mens fashion. Every guy under the age of 30 wears tight pants. I dont get it, but theres something wrong when the men's pants are tighter than mine... oh well. Ill try to post pictures later - not only of tight pants, but of other things as well, but for now im due back to work!
Ciao!
Friday, October 24, 2008
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