Written by Italy & Greece Students, Rob & Josie
Roads knotted and paths forked, the rebellious stature of hundred-year-old cypress trees, and the subtle sound of bushes on our path whispering out the name of the wind. This is the picture we would like to paint of our few days spent tracing the cobbled steps of history on the Via Francigena. Along they way, we took took a trip to the past and lived out what would be a fairly typical morning for a medieval peasant in a full reconstruction of one 9th Century village courtesy of the archaeologist on site. That was hardly the end of our trek, however, as we took time to admire the many historic monasteries dotted around the area, and ended in Siena where we learned all about the Palio, a historic horse race that we highly recommend you watch next summer. Battered, bruised, and quite frankly exhausted, we made our way to Panta Rei—an eco-friendly living community on the Umbrian countryside. Here we have gotten some much needed rest, and begun our training in Italian culture (yes, we made Ravioli, and yes, it was delicious (no, you can’t have any)). Italian language lessons have kicked off in full now, as well as lessons in permaculture and sustainability. At this rate, you’ll see us home in December as paragons of Italian cuisine.
Our Highlights of the Week:
⚔️ Sword Fighting – Our stay in the medieval village would not have been complete without some training in traditional swordsmanship. With only a few minutes of training we were already capable of besting our instructor.
🍝 Pasta Making – Yes, the aforementioned ravioli. With help from Chiara, we made fresh pasta filled with Ricotta and topped with an absolutely delectable tomato sauce. There was none left, and we all have the recipe catalogued and saved.
🎃 HALLOWEEN – BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Luckily, Panta Rei was able to provide a projector so we could watch Walt Disney’s Magnum Opus on the big screen fully dressed. Everyone’s costumes came together in the end, and it was certainly a night to remember.
But growth always comes with challenge … how did you grow this week?
Sleeping in a different bed every night after long days trekking the Via Francigena was certainly a challenge for the group. Not being able to spread out and make a home of what little space you have can be difficult, especially since we have been plenty of places to grow roots previously on our trip. Now that we have made it to Panta Rei we are taking full advantage of our privilege to spread and unpack before we head off to Rome next week.
What’s coming up next week?
Rob’s tenure as leader will continue into the following week as we make our way to the cultural capital of the world, Rome. The journey by train will be long and arduous, but we can’t wait to explore our third major city. On the 7th some of the students will be attending a Champion’s League football match, and the following day will be spent exploring Vatican City. The food and city environment after weeks camping have got us excited, so be sure to check back in next week to see what we got up to.
