Arezzo and Cortona

I live for field trips.  They come at such perfect times.  Just when I begin to feel stressed out with minor school or money details....it's field trip time and there is suddenly no room for worry.  There is only room for a new experience.  In Arezzo and in Cortona, all I could think was...this is Tuscany.

Our train left early on Friday morning and only took about an hour to bring us to Arezzo.  We kicked off the day with a guided tour around the town.  A lot of the more snobbish travelers tend to laugh at people taking tours (and yes, some tour groups are ridiculous) but when you are led around an italian city by an italian art historian, you walk away with so much more.  Understanding the significance of the things you are looking at makes the trip so much more beautiful.  "Ohh look, a pretty church.." becomes, "Oh my god, a pretty church with a relic from the cross of Christ and the tunic of St. Francis."  There's a big difference.

The atmosphere in Arezzo is so different from Florence.  The streets are wider, the air is cleaner, and there is no sense of time.  There is no need to rush or hurry to the next event.   We walked for hours, listening to stories and seeing centuries old churches and squares.  

The lighting made it hard to take discreet photos.  The inside of this cathedral was actually very dark and lit mostly by candles.  Pope's tombs were scattered around the inside walls.  The beautiful organ above was created centuries ago ( I wish I could remember names and dates like the pro tour guide we were with) by an artist who was only 21 at the time.  It blows my mind that someone could be capable of such mastery at any age.  We humans are capable of so much, yet our generation lacks the drive and discipline.  It pushes me to try harder, work with more dedication and craftsmanship, be...better in my own way.  

At the end of our tour we stopped at church that is famous for the frescoes of Pietro della Francesca.  The place was covered.  Not only in art, but in history.  His pieces told many stories, most prominently, the story of the true cross.  Its a legend about the origins of the cross that Christ died on.  He also illustrated through his frescoes the story of how the true cross was found after the death of Christ.  The legend is one that has evolved with centuries, but the story is really beautiful.  

Some friends and I spent the rest of the day with Marta, our trip supervisor.  She is fast becoming one of my greatest friends here.  She's not much older than us and she fits in perfectly with our crazy, silly group.  She made me feel so at ease this weekend.  We talked for hours, learning about each other's cultures, sharing cuss words and slang, sharing history, sharing food, sharing life.  I will truly be so sad to say goodbye to her in December.  

We spent the rest of the day exploring with her.  We met her sister, went to visit her old school and the park she used to skip class in.  We walked to the giant French Festival taking place in the Piazza Grande where we tasted cheese and olives and turkish sweets, drooled at the sight of french pastries and desserts.  We also flirted terribly with the cute, french, scarf-selling-vendor. ( And when I say we I mean me on that last one)  We took a short nap in our hotel room and then went to dinner, meeting up with Marta again for some food.  We went to dinner at 7:45pm, and ended up talking until almost 11.  Beautiful friends.

The next day was Cortona.  Oh, Cortona.  

The medieval hill top town was more than picturesque.  It was unreal.  It was, simply, Tuscany.  The weather was perfect.  The sun shined on us all day while the air was still chilly.  Away from all of the city stink, you could finally smell fall.  Feel autumn.  It was magic.  Everything seemed to glow gold when the sunlight hit the dust surrounding the buildings and homes.  I loved every nook and cranny and broken down alley of this place.  Chipped paint, cracked stone, crooked sidewalks and broken bricks are things we usually jump to fix in the states.  But here, they are nothing but character.  It's a sign of a well loved town.  

We had a tour guide for this leg of the field trip as well.  The walk was almost completely uphill, but he was much like all the italians here, laid back, relaxed, not at all in a hurry.  He shared much of the history and pointed out spots you couldn't see by car or bus or train.  The neighborhoods were quiet and calm.  Happy.  I was so happy.

We spent the rest of the day exploring on our own.  We saw art exhibits and shops, and we ate!!!!  We met several other american travelers and swapped stories.  We tried new food and practiced some italian.  

My favorite shop was called IL POZZO, which means, The Well.  Inside this hole in the wall shop, was a well from 400 B.C.  The owner saw us looking and turned off the lights in the room before lighting up the bottom of the well.  The water level was fairly low, but perfect enough for some colorful fish to live at the bottom.  Amazing! And of course the place was selling all of my favorite things....

It was a beautiful weekend.  So much different from Milan.   Milan felt like a school day with an agenda and a role call.  Fun and exciting as a city, but sometimes stressful as a trip.  This weekend felt like a dream.  It was much needed, especially with midterm projects ahead.  (Which are also exciting....yeah I know I'm a nerd.)

I pictured every single one of you here with me.  How much you would love it.  How peaceful it was.  How you would soak up the history as much as the sunshine.  I miss you.

Oh how I love you.

Love, Hayden