Written by Laura and Jonah, Italy & Greece Semester Students
This week we finished up our stay at Panta Rei, and went to Florence. In Panta Rei, we helped give back to the community by picking up any trash around the property that we could find. We also made some challah for us and the community, which they loved. During our last day on Panta Rei we had quick Yoga class lead by Chiara. Chiara’s kids also joined us during our last few days there. They were so fun to be around and brought o much joy to the community. We then left for Florence on Monday morning. While there we went to to shops and spent lots of money on clothes, and had a walking tour of Florence that started in the Square of the Republic and ended at the Academia and the Statue of David. Then we went to Orti Dipinti, an educational garden where we learned to make tea by picking the herbs from around the garden. The next day we went back to the garden and made smudge sticks, a magical healing balm, and herb salts (which we hopefully will be bringing back home). After that, we had lunch with Curry at the garden. Curry made all of the contacts and created the Italy and Greece program. We were able to tell her about all the wonderful experiences we have had so far as well as give her some constructive criticism. She also talked about joy in the sense that it is an energy and how it has shown up in our lives both while on the program and while back at home. Then we went off to the Uffizi, where among other things we saw the birth of Venus. Then we went to the Medici Chapel, where we saw many expensive looking things, including a showcase showing off a skull. The next day we took a bus up to Fiesole Hill to go wine tasting. We went to a property on the hill that grew olives and grapes. There we tried fresh wine and olive oil, as well as home made brownies and a few other snacks that were prepared for us. We also got to hear about the process involved with growing and making both wine and olive oil.
What were the top highlights of the week?
Three of the top highlights of this week were walking around Florence, as it is a beautiful city, going up to the Fiesole hills and seeing the wonderful view of Florence and the Tuscan countryside, and going to that WHITE BOAR RESTAURANT!!! The White Boar was special to Jonah because he went there last time he was in Florence with his family.
Our transformations are never without challenges – what was most challenging for the group this week?
We were challenged to be able to communicate with each other in a way that is both healthy and creates spaces for us to be vulnerable and have deep conversations. Though we are close to being half way done with the program, all of our days have been filled with amazing activities, but as individuals we haven’t had a chance or have created a space to have deep and meaningful conversations. We have had a few deep conversations with each other in group facilitated actives, but we haven’t had much besides that.
Other challenges included not impulse buying clothes, although it happened anyways. There are so many great vintage shops we often get sucked into and are filled with so many amazing things.
What are we looking forward to in the coming weeks?
Next week we will be hiking the Via Francigena, which is the pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. We will only be hiking a small portion of it, but it should be beautiful and we are expecting our feet to fall off by the time the week of hiking ends! We plan on trek for three days the first and third day we will walk 8.5 miles and the second we will walk 4. During the trek we will stay at different camping sites and abbeys at night and luckily our big bags will be shuttled from place to place. That’s all for this week! Thanks for tuning in and see you next week for a little hiking excursion!! Buh-bye!!!
❤️ Until next time, Spring 2023 Italy & Greece Semester!
