A Very Full Weekend -- July 16 and 17

Well, my last weekend in Italy was quite eventful, although it did not turn out exactly as planned.

I spent Saturday with Max. I am sure that by now some of you have been reading between the lines a little and figure that he is a little more than a new Italian friend. He would like to be much more than a new Italian friend, but for now a little more will have to be what he settles for. Anyhow, having some small romance in a foreign country has always been a dream of mine, and several friends did predict it, and who am I to stand in the way of fate? OK, now it sounds like a lot more than it was, but on to the stories:

On Saturday I asked Max to take me somewhere that he thought I would like to see, since he is a native of this area. He drove me about an hour north to a tiny medieval town called Gradara. There is an incredibly well-preserved castle and small town complete with the original walls. The castle itself was not as beautiful and picturesque as the ones perched in San Marino but, as Max pointed out, the ones in San Marino are "fake", meaning that the Republic built them specifically because they wanted pretty castles (they are still old, which makes them interesting to me, but I do see his point). By contrast, the castle at Gradara is real...it was the home of whatever powerful individual held a certain post that I can't remember the name of in Medieval Italy. Because the post was held for only a short time, several important historical families have made this their residence...the Malatestas (their modern-day descendants still occupy the top floor...talk about posh!), the Borgias, the Sforzas, and several others. It is also the castle in which the historical Paolo and Francesca, the famous lovers in Dante's "Inferno" were killed.

Not only is the castle itself interesting for the architecture, but much of the furniture and decorations are still intact, so its like walking through a big empty, very rich home. One of the highlights was the room of Lucrezia Borgia, which is beautifully frescoed and still contains her chair and wardrobe. Also, since several of the families were families from which popes were drawn (the Borgias and the Sforzas at least), there is a Cardinal's Room, complete with massive four-poster bed with red velvet draperies and an incredibly posh kneeling bench for prayers.

The torture chamber is also intact...my very first oubliette! In addition, the guardroom still contains much of the original weaponry, and the dining room holds several large sets of decadent dinnerware. Overall it was an incredible experience and one that is not in any of the guidebooks I own, although I don't understand why.

I also had the best meal I have ever had in Italy in this town, in a small restaurant built into the walls, with windows overlooking the mountains and the sea. It was a ravioli dish stuffed with a local cheese and served with a cream sauce made with pears and poppy seeds. MMMMMMMM!!!!!

Then, as it seems is my habit in small Medieval towns, I visited the local wax museum. Not much in wax here really, just small dioramas of peasant life and rooms of the castle, in which the dummies were all inexplicably dressed in plaid with lumberjack-type stocking caps. Very odd. The diorama of the torture chamber was the best, though...it was like those multiple sclerosis coin-drop things at Taco Bell where you try to get the coin to land on a certain level to get a free burrito, but in this case if you dropped your coin correctly it landed on a bullseye on the back of the executioner's axe and caused him to chop a lumberjack's head off. My aim is impeccable!

Later that evening, back in Ravenna, Max took me to his younger sister's birthday party. Everyone seemed very excited that Max was bringing a girl over, and even more excited that she was American, and his eldest sister (although younger than him), who is my age, knows some English so we were able to talk a little. At least I can say that I had the experience of the Italian mother trying to force me to eat more than I wanted, and offering to make me anything I wanted in an attempt to fatten me up. All set in the beautiful countryside outside Cervia, complete with salt lakes and flocks of pink flamingos. Yes, you read that correctly...flamingos!

The next day Max and I drove to Venice. I am glad that I made it there, and it is definitely a beautiful city, but we did not realize that this weekend was the weekend of the Redentore festival, one of the biggest inthe city, during which they celebrate their deliverance from the plague in the 16th century. There were tons of people and it was very hot, although not as smelly as some people say it is. Of course my sense of smell was destroyed in New Orleans, so I may not in fact be the best judge of stinky.

Regardless, we were able to do quite a bit...San Marco piazza is beautiful and the church itself is stunning...I will definitely have to post pictures online to show the full effect. My favorite part of the church was the Treasury, which has many many reliquaries and relics on display, including some relics of the Passion.

We also visited the Doge's Palace which is filled with amazing art and is an incredible building in its own right. Thanks to a very handy guidebook we were able to navigate successfully to cross the Bridge of Sighs from the council chambers of the Inquisition and into the prisons. The bridge is so-named for the sighs of the prisoners who glimpsed their last views of freedom from it. The prisons are interesting as old prisons always are. This one is most famous because it is from here that Casanova escaped through a hole in the roof, only to appear later the same evening at a dinner party a few blocks away.

Afterward we had to decide on one quest to undertake...two churches on one side of the Canal or one church and a major statue on the other side...I decided on the church and statue, the equestrian statue of Gatto Mulatto (the Spotted Cat...a condotiere (hired soldier) who saved Venice, but I can't remember his real name right now). Anyway, it took us over an hour to navigate there because it is difficult to know whether a road will end in a bridge or just at the canal bank, but we finally made it, only to find that the statue is currently enclosed in a wooden box for restoration...of course.

That was all we had time for, besides a whirlwind boat taxi ride up the Grand Canal and out, so Venice will have to be re-visited. Anyone want to come along?

Today at the dig was also somewhat eventful...we are still uncovering the skeleton, although very slowly. I say we, but the anthropologist is picking at it with dental tools, so there is really no we anymore, although I still feel a great personal sense of attachment to it. Also, there was a headstone of sorts by it, a marble slab, although by the shoulder, not the head. It looks a lot like a slab I found earlier this week about 4 feet or so away, and has the same orientation, almost due north, so maybe we have found a cemetary of sorts! Only time will tell, and I probably will not be here to see it.

Oh, and we have uncovered other important things as well...apparently after the heavy rains of last week and now our heavy picking, the leeches have come out in force. Yet another reason that we wear those heavy boots I suppose.

That's about it for now...this very well may be my last post, so a quick trip into the future...we are having the Italians over for Thai food at our hotel tomorrow night, going out for Jenn's birthday on Wednesday night, then I will be on a train home by Thursday night! Can't wait to see everyone!

Ciao,
Candace