This past weekend, Lauryn and I visited our friend Letizia at her home in Teramo, in the region of Abruzzo (southeast of Firenze). Letizia is working on her Ph.D in veterinary medicine at WSU-Pullman and we met at church in Pullman. She was here in Italy for two weeks for school and was able go home to Teramo for about a week and was kind enough to let us join her for the weekend.
On Friday we met Letizia and her sister in Perugia, where they both attend/ed university. Perugia is in the region of Umbria, which is known for its beautiful, hilly landscape. We ate at a fabulous pizza place where the normal portion is a WHOLE pizza per person... no complaints from me. Italian pizza beats all. Letizia drove us the final three hours from Perugia to her home in Teramo where we met her parents and dog, Sully (after Dr. Quinn's hubby). Her parents don't speak English and our Italian is very poor but we were able to exchange some simple conversation and I really appreciated their efforts (and vow to work on my own). They fed us another wonderful meal and then we three girls took a walk around Teramo before retiring.
On Saturday morning we walked Sully by the small river that runs through town, out to where we had a good view of Letizia's mountians, namely Gran Sasso. The view was spectacular and the walk was refreshing:
We jumped in the car and drove to a small hill town (quaint as you can imagine) were there is a father-son ceramic shop that Letizia frequents. The son was there working and he led the three of us around his workshop to show us the whole process of forming, firing, and painting while Letizia translated. The actual retail part of the shop felt like a candy store... there were so many beautiful pieces. I splurged and bought a set of espresso cups (true to Italian coffee style) with the Abruzzo landscape painted on them. The son joked with us and gave me a discount on my purchase.
We stopped by Il Santuario di San Gabriele dell'Addolorata (the Sanctuary of St. Gabriel, patron saint of students). It is a tradition for Italian students in the area to come to the sanctuary 100 days before their final exams. The sanctuary is at the foot of the mountains and is a beautiful retreat.
We searched for an agriturismo for lunch (a designation reserved for local, traditional agriculture businesses that are usually family-run... you know it will be a real experience) but were unable to find one open. We ended up at another restaraunt that was still really good (cheese and meat, pasta with tiny meatballs specific to the region, spinach and tomatoes, finished off with a caffe macchiato). Below, searching for lunch:
After lunch we drove to our final destination, Prati di Tivo, a ski resort in the Apennines. There were people skiing, kids sledding, and all age groups hanging around on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I have heard about these mountains numerous times from Letizia so I was really happy to finally see them in person...very stunning landscape less than an hour from her home!
We headed back to Teramo to meet a high school friend of Letizia's for aperitivo. People go out to a restaraunt and buy a drink which comes with aperitivi (sausage spread on bread, cheese, meat, and a pastry/quiche-like dish) and just sit and talk. It's a great way to gather with friends. Before aperitivo we walked the corso, a street designated for walking... people of all ages turn out simply to walk up and down the street, stopping to talk to people they know. It was amazing to see how packed it was on a Saturday evening. It was pure Abruzzo culture without the dilution of tourists!
On Sunday morning we said goodbye to Letizia's parents. They had been so kind the entire weekend and constantly checked in to see if we were having a good time, sleeping well, enjoying the places we saw, and of course- that we had had enough to eat. We drove to Pineto, a seaside town on the east coast, where we attended mass. It was the first mass I have been to that felt like a normal parish from home...families, a great choir, a baptism, and a funeral right after. We had lunch on the beach (generously packed by Leti's mother) and took a little walk down the beach.
After lunch, we headed out to Letizia's old horse school where she took lessons and competed in jumping competitions. The school is operated by a father-son duo and we found them there lunching with several adult students. They were all very excited to see Letizia and talked very animatedly with her about her life in Pullman. Italians would pronounce 'Pullman' more like 'pool-man' which sounds like the word they use for 'bus'... this particular group got a kick out teasing her about riding a 'poolman' to 'poolman'. They were a fun crowd that reminded us very much of small-town folks here at home... it was a fun visit to observe.
Just before catching our bus, we stopped at a medieval church in another hilltown. It was locked when we arrived but the bar (cafe) nextdoor gave Letizia the key and we were able to go in... it was a little surreal to be walking free in a church (still in use) that dates back to about the year 1000. Below 1) getting the key 2) the facade 3) inside 4) Letizia locking up 'her property' :)
We bused back to Firenze on a bus with mostly Italian university students and arrived home around 12:30am... quite the full weekend. Lauryn and I digested the events of the weekend on the ride home. I think the conversations that we shared with Letizia about life and culture, and all the interactions we were privileged to either observe or take part in were the best parts of the weekend. It was great to see her life here in Italy and we are tankful for the window into Italian culture that we were able to access because of her. For me personally, I hope to bring home the Italian attitude toward:
- socializing, which focuses more on people/conversation and less on escape-reality entertainment
- food and health, prioitizing quality over convenience
This weekend felt like a turning point for me in my experience here. I feel more comfortable in my life in Firenze. While I'm not homesick per se, I am very excited to come home and implement the habits, attitudes, and feeling of capability that I am acquiring here. There are so many levels to this experience that I didn't anticipate and they are hard to convey here in a timeline of our travels.
In future entries we will detail some of the everyday aspects of our life here. If you have any suggestions, email us!
Jenny
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