Written by Italy & Greece Semester Students, Tai & Henry
After we arrived in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana by train we were excited to finally arrive in Paladini. We were met by wonderful volunteers from Ireland, France, Italy, and Hungary. Our partner, Colm, his sons, and multiple fluffy friends made us all feel like a part of the community and family. We spent nights in tents and slept in some very cold nights and thankfully woke up to some very warm fires. After our first full day there, Colm started to put us to work and it was very enjoyable, because there were multiple different volunteer activities that we got to choose from. We did so much, from gardening, cleaning up a 14th century wall, working on a house, gathering firewood, and building a fence.
What were the top highlights of the week?
🇮🇹 For me the first one was capture the flag. While at Paladini, we played a big game of capture the flag with most of the campsite. The boundaries were pretty much the whole property and it was super fun because we could run through the woods and the whole property. It was something I hadn’t played in a long time so it was really fun to get moving and play a team game again.
🔥 My second thing would be all of the time we spent around the campfire in Paladini. Every night – and even sometimes during the day – we would all sit around the campfire with the volunteers there and our group and do everything from eat meals, play games, and play the guitar. It was really fun to hangout as a group around a fire, talk, and chill. It reminded me of camping with my family when I was younger, which are really great memories.
🍝 For me I think my other top highlight would be our last night in Italy. It was a really fun day as we went to the Vatican and did a tour there but the final dinner was my most memorable meal this trip. We went to a very fun nice restaurant where the workers were really nice and kept bringing us food. It was amazing food and we had such a fun time as we talked about our time in Italy and what we were going to miss and what we enjoyed most while there. Also, at one point, a man came in playing the accordion which was very memorable and a great way to end our last day in Italy.
Our transformations are never without challenges – what was most challenging for the group this week?
I think a big adjustment and somewhat of a challenge for the group was staying in the cold at Paladini. We have experienced the cold before in places like Sora, but considering we were camping and had an outdoor toilet, it was a big difference for us. Even with the fire at times it would be very cold. The hardest thing for me was simple but doing the dishes. It seems simple but we didn’t have hot water so doing the dishes in already cold weather and then the water being freezing tended to be a big struggle. Overall we pushed through it but it was hard without proper heating here and there.
A little gratitude for the week:
I am most grateful for the community/family that we were very graciously accepted into at Paladini. Since our long travel day to get there, it felt like once we arrived we had found our second home, surrounded by amazing and helpful people. I loved the late nights with the volunteers, Claire singing, and the lovely vibes around the fire. Altogether, the vibes, the fire, our second home, and the community is something that we’re all grateful for.
❤️ Until next time, Spring 2023 Italy & Greece Semester!
