In 1451...

...Columbus was born in Genova (Genoa - like the salami), Italy. While he may have not been an upstanding gentleman as a whole, he still discovered America and his hometown is beautiful. Two other girls and I were planning to visit the city on Saturday, but as of Friday night we still didn't know what we should do when we arrived. Fortunately, Nice had friends who were visiting for the night who happened to be from Genova. They told us everything we should do and everywhere we should go.

Some colors of the market

Farinata

Once our early morning train got in, we wandered around the city for a few hours. We visited the Church of San Giovanni, the Museo di Palazzo Reale (an old palace that's now a museum), and a food market full of delicious cheeses, salami, and pesto. We ate farinata (an unleavened pancake made of chickpea flour that's traditional of Genova) in Piazza de Ferrari. After asking several people for directions on how to get to bus #31 to take us to Bocca d'Asse, we finally navigated our way to the bus stop. My weekend trips are really teaching me to be less of a compulsive planner, which is something I need to keep learning.


I think contentment would be the one word I would use to describe my hour in Bocca d'Asse. I was sitting on the coast of the other side of the Atlantic, in 50 degree sunny weather (which is warm for me right now), having girl talk with my friends, and eating fragola (strawberry) and nocciola (hazelnut) gelato. It was such a relaxing day and I'm so glad I chose this trip over a cold and expensive weekend in Switzerland! God really does make all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Sometimes that good is manifested in difficult situations that help us grow, but other times it can be found in a simple cone of your favorite gelato.

Bocca d'Asse from Corso Italia

Leonardo in Milano

Beautiful Gothic Duomo of Milan

My second to last Art History excursion was this past Friday to Milan. This trip far surpassed the first time I went to Milan three years ago. Honestly, I barely remember my first visits to many of the cities I've been going in Italy. I also feel like I'm learning a lot more about what I'm seeing this time that the things I "should" know about these places are sticking better.

We went to a few museums and the Duomo (main church) in Milan, but the main reason for our visit was to see Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper. My professor had to make reservations months in advance for our 15 minutes of seeing the glory of this fresco. No more than 30 people can enter the room at the same time, and everyone must pass through two rooms with the doors closed behind before making it into the old refectory (dining hall) of the Dominican convent where the fresco still stands today. We all stood in awed silence for the first five minutes. I love how the vanishing point of the painting is Jesus' right temple, because the viewer's eye immediately looks directly at Him, where all of our eyes should stay fixed daily (Hebrews 12:2).

It amazed me just how massive and faded the painting was. When Da Vinci painted the Last Supper in 1495, he experimented with different kinds of paints, some of which slid right off the concrete requiring immediate touch-ups. Had he stuck with traditional paints, it may be better preserved today. Yet over the past four centuries, the room was also used as a stable and barn, military barracks, and its adjacent walls were hit by a bomb during WWII. I think it's safe to say those factors also contributed to the fresco's fading appearance. Regardless, it is still arguably the greatest quality painting of all time.

Perugia vs. Assisi

St. Francis Basilica

These two parallel Italian cities warred against each other centuries ago, but the beauty of each still rivals the other today. A group of 15 BC students and I took this last-minute weekend trip together, and I think it's been my best investment yet. The four of us who went from Nice's apartment had the privilege of staying with her friends in Perugia for the weekend - another unofficial host family! They were so welcoming from the moment we arrived (no surprise there), showing their hospitality by making us a full meal of spaghetti and sides at 11pm after our 5 hours of traveling.

The whole group reunited the next morning for a 20-minute train ride to Assisi. The walk from the train station to the city was breathtaking. We walked through a strange weather mixture of snow and heat to make it to the top of the hill where this medieval city rests. Since this is the birthplace of St. Francis (who is credited with creating the first Nativity Scene and a well-renowned saint for Catholics), we visited St. Francis Basilica and attended part of a mass there. It's a beautifully fresco-ed two-story church where St. Francis is also buried.

The walk to Assisi

The hills are alive...

We continued up a road to further explore the city and somehow found our way to the Rocca Maggiore. When we first caught sight of the fortress surrounded by magnificent rolling hills, a group of us instinctively started shouting "the hills are alive with the sound of music." I stand in awe of my Creator when I see landscapes like this. In these moments, I can't help but think about how creative, awesome, and mighty He is!

View from Rocca Maggiore

My slightly new obsession with castles and anything medieval made exploring the fortress an exciting adventure. This also brought me back to the days when I went to Medieval Times. But this was real.

After making our way back down the mountain, through the town, into the McDonald's taxi van, and to the train station, we arrived safely in Perugia to make pizza with our weekend host "sister" Milly. (Don't worry, Britt, she could never replace you).

(left to right) Me, Vanessa, Milly, Paul, & Kelley in Perugia

Milly became our personal tour guide around Perugia on Sunday. She showed us the churches we "had" to see, the Rocca Paolina fortress, and five different angles of the same beautiful landscape. Even though Perugia is known for its chocolate (Baci especially), I sadly didn't purchase any while there. After our unofficial 2+ hour walking tour with Milly, we rejoined the family for a delicious lunch of white lasagna, fennel, and several types of chiacchere (a traditional pastry made during Carnevale, the days/weeks before Lent). Fortunately, this lunch held me over for the 4-5 hour train rides back "home" to Parma.

Not only did I save money this weekend on food and a hostel, but I got delicious food, an extremely comfortable bed, authentic Italian company, and unforgettable experiences!

Every Nation, Tribe, People, and Language

This also relates to the theme of hospitality, but I thought it deserved it's own post.

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." ~ Revelation 7:9
   
Sunday was a beautiful, sunny, blue-sky day that I haven't seen yet since I've been here. (It's been cold and rainy/snowy). I biked to a nondenominational Latino-Italian church not far from me and I loved it! I had a one-to-one translator of the sermon, I sang some English worship songs in Italian and Spanish, and I met a bunch of great, really welcoming people. During the service, I kept thinking of the verse from Revelation mentioned above. It was such a beautiful thing to be worshiping the same God with strangers of different languages, and to know that we will one day be reunited when we are gathered around Jesus' throne in heaven!

After the service, I was invited to a church member's apartment for food and I wasn't sure what else. But normally if someone invites me for food I will accept. Ten of us squished around a tiny table to feast on pasta, ribs, salad, potatoes, and pastries. I didn't say much during the lunch, but I did a lot of smiling and spoke whatever broken, elementary-level Italian I could. It was nearing 4pm when our lunch turned into an informal Bible study, which was a great surprise! We read some of 2 Rei (2 Kings...that took me a while to figure out), Salmi (Psalms), and Luca (Luke) and I followed along in my English Bible and attempted to share my thoughts. These wonderful people prayed over me for my studies, my understanding of Italian, and probably other things I couldn't decipher. I biked back to the Parco Ducale next to my apartment, sat on a bench, and prayed. God was teaching me to sabbath and to "be still and know that [He is] God" (Psalm 46:10). There was so much to take in from this wonderful day. I have so much to be thankful for.

Love. Humility. Hopsitality.

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.^"  ~ Romans 12:9-13

These three themes have been resonating with me throughout the past week, especially this past weekend. They have also been recent focuses of prayer in how I how I feel God is wanting to use me for His glory.

Love. For Jesus ultimately, for the people He's placed in my life right now, and for His gift of life every day. In light of 1 Corinthians 13, I am seeing how my heart needs to change in order to better love the people around me and, therefore, better love God. "Love does not envy or boast." "Love is not self-seeking." "Love is not irritable or resentful." When faced with a situation in which I am tempted to do the opposite of what the Bible describes as godly love, these verses keep reminding me that it's good to admit when I'm wrong, to take joy in others' achievements, and to focus on God and His Word, not myself, as my source of Truth.

Humility. It is inextricably linked to love. I see how tangibly the Spirit has been responding to my prayers for humility and where He's been saying, "You need to let go of your pride in this. Trust Me. Come and follow Me." He's pushing me far out of my comfort zone in this, but I always think that's when I grow the most in all areas of my life.

Hospitality. Love and humility are also necessary for this. Every time I've entered a person's home here, I've felt so incredibly welcome and like I am truly a part of someone else's famiglia. My parents serve as a great example of this - consistently going above and beyond opening up their home to others and cooking more food than the guests are ever able to finish (Mom normally cooking and Dad normally eating ;)). As someone who has a difficult time sharing even one wedge of a clementine, I definitely need to work on hospitality. It's great I have so many wonderful examples around me.

When I first met Nice, she gave me a big abbraccio and bacio (hug and kiss) and fed me lots of
food. She takes her students on special trips, buys us gelato because we "have to try it," and makes reservations at restaurants for our birthdays. Nice doesn't need to do any of this, but she acts out of love, humility, and hospitality.

Anna with homemade tiramisù

Last week, I had a welcome dinner for my cooking class at Anna's house. Her and her husband Aldo welcomed 12 of us into their tiny apartment for a delicious love-cooked meal. I don't know where she gets the money to pay for the food she'll make to feed 23 students each week, but she is too humble to ever let us feel like a burden. It really feels like her joy to have us.
   

Kelley, me, Nice, Vanessa, and Paul with the balsamic vinegar

On Saturday, three other people from the apartment and I went with Nice to "the mountains" to visit her friends who make and sell valuable and delicious balsamic vinegar. (Don't worry, I'm bringing some home!) The couple gave us a tour of their home and prepared an unexpected four-course lunch for us. I didn't even know these people, and I could barely converse with them, but I felt like they were old family friends. It is a gift to make others feel loved in this way.

Montebarazone (can you tell I like panoramics?)

Things I've Learned in Parma...

...so far, outside of class:

1) As a pedestrian, don't walk in the bike lanes. People will get angry.
2) It takes an average of 5 times to flush the toilet in my apartment. Don't give up.
3) To pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to pre-heat it to 204.4 degrees Celsius.
4) No nearby bars/restaurants play the Super Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday.
5) If you are purchasing produce at the Billa supermarket, remember to weigh your items and get a sticker for the price before getting to the cashier. Also remember to do this the second time you go.
6) White wine vinegar is a natural fabric softener and will not make your clothes smell like a salad when you air dry them.
7) Nice's apartment used to be part of a castle in the 4th-Century (?!). Jackie and I are living in the old servant's quarters.
8) Shops that sell real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese will have a special sign indicated outside.
9) Celine Dion has a barrel of expensive balsamic vinegar in Montebaranzone and it tastes very good.
10) Sweet balsamic vinegar is surprisingly delicious on vanilla ice cream.
11) It takes about 2 hours to book your first independent weekend trip. It's much easier to jump onto someone else's already-planned travel experience.
12) I have overcome my fear of lighting matches. If I didn't, I would never be able to use the stove.
13) The time it takes to shop for, plan, and cook a meal is worth it in the end.
14) Anything with hazelnut is delicious: Ferrero Rocher's, Nutella, nocciola gelato, etc.
15) Biking is the most convenient form of transportation in the city of Parma. You will fit in with the locals if you ride a bike.
16) People will think you speak Italian wherever you go, because few people speak English in Parma. It is still polite in this culture to nod and smile along if you don't understand something.
17) If you eat a meal at someone's house, pace yourself. The pasta dish and the meat dish are just two of four or five courses. And you will always want room for dessert :).