Arrivederci, Italia!

May 22– It was a very early morning! Since we didn’t arrive back at our hotel till after 1:30am, we only got a few hours of sleep before our 8am departure for the airport. It was well worth it because of the wonderful evening we had with our friends in Camgliano. It was a quiet ride from Florence to Rome, as most everyone slept. We checked in at the airport and boarded the plane without any problem. With lots of superb memories of our trip, we bid Italy, “Ciao” . . . until next time!

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Concert in Camgliano

imageMay 21–Free time in the morning and early afternoon included shopping in the market and numerous stores, and visits to a few museums and churches. We departed at 2pm for Lucca, the birthplace of opera composer Giacomo Puccini.  Upon arrival, we met Claudia, member of the Corale Giacomo Puccini who gave us a brief tour of the city. We saw Puccini’s house, ate some yummy pizza and cecina, a chickpea pizza, at Pizzeria da Felica, and sampled some amazing gelato at Gelateria Veneta.image
imageimageAfter a sunshiny afternoon in Lucca, we depart for Camigliano, where we rehearsed and then had a joint concert with Corale G. Puccini. imageThe concert scheduled to start at 9pm didn’t actually start till almost 9:20pm. The Corale sang about six songs and finished performing at approximately 9:50pm. The Chamber Choir started singing shortly thereafter and the concert ended at almost 11pm. The church was packed with an audience of choral music lovers. They were so appreciative of the high-quality musicianship of the Chamber Choir. imageOf all the choirs they hosted, they said that we were the best! Following the concert, we adjourned to a fabulous reception with home foods, including pasta, bean, cheeses, meats, dolci and, of course, wine and prosecco. There was more singing and exchanging of appreciation for each other’s choirs; we made some new friends. The evening finally came to a close after midnight. Well-fed and happy, we boarded our bus and heading back to Florence; it was a wonderful way to end out trip in Italy!       imageimageimage

Concert in Florence

May 20­–We began our day with guided tour of the Accademia, where we saw Michaelangelo’s The Prisoners, a series of “unfinished” sculptures for the tomb of Pope Julian, as well as his masterpiece, David. Our local guide, Sasha, did a great job of engaging us to think critically about this most famous sculpture. Following the tour, we had free time, which included shopping, dining al fresco, and, of course, eating gelato. We rendezvoused back at the hotel for a 5:15pm departure for our rehearsal and concert at Chiesa di Santa Margherita in Santa Maria dei Ricci. The church was built in 1508 and had amazing acoustics, which made singing there a true pleasure. The concert was well attended from with people from all over the world. After the concert, we celebrated our successful concert over dinner together at a local restaurant.

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First day in Florence

May 19–This morning we had an early departure for Florence via boat and high-speed train. The train was extremely comfortable and cruised along at 300 km per hour (186 miles per hour). Upon arrival, we met a coach bus for transfer to our hotel. We checked in and had a little time to settle in before walking into the city center. Once Daniel gave us the lay of the city, we were free to explore on our own for the rest of the day.

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The sights of Venice

May 18–We began our day with a guided walking of Venice. We saw St. Mark’s square, the Doge’s palace, the Rialto Bridge (which was under renovation), and the church where Vivaldi worked, among many other sights. The afternoon and evening was free for us to explore all that Venice had to offer.      image

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Thus far, and on to Firenze….

What a thoughtfully planned tour–grazie, Dottore Antonio! Each day brings more unique and memorable experiences. Of course, beginning with private time in St. Peter’s–the quiet, ernest mass, quiet, unhurried time with the Pieta, St. John XXIII, and singing Lassus and Palestrina in the center of St. Peter’s is hard to better . . . Bravo! (and, wonderful leader–Daniel–and traveling companions). So happy to be a part of this!

From Spoleto to Venice

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We departed Spoleto just after 8am and traveled via our coach bus to Mestre on the mainland, just across from Venice. The trip, minus a few stops for a restroom break and lunch, was approximately 5.5 hours. Upon arrival, we boarded a private boat with our luggage for transfer to the hotel. Our hotel was formerly a imagedormitory and tradeschool for orphans in the 19th century that had been completely renovated and updated. After we checked in, we had a little while to settle in and explore the city before our rehearsal. We then walked through the narrow street and on several bridges over the canals to St. Mark’s square. At 6:40pm, we sang mass for the Feast of the Ascension in St. Mark’s Basilica and received accolades from the priest and worshippers, including a couple from Connecticut. It was very special to sing in such a historic venue! Later, we had dinner on our own and enjoyed a beautiful evening in Venice; though we discovered that they do not serve gelato after 10pm.image

Concert in Bevagna

Today we were free to explore in Spoleto. The weather was a bit cooler than it has been since we’ve been in Italy. Still that did not deter anyone from shopping, sitting al fresco, and, of course, eating gelato! This evening we traveled to the nearby village of Bevagna. There we rehearsed for our joint concert with the Ensemble di Musica Medievale Bevagna. We ate dinner in town at Ristorante delle Mura, which serves traditional Umbrian cuisine. We enjoyed a three-course meal, including pasta, pork, and fruit. We performed in the jewel-box Torti Theater in the heart of town for a small, but appreciative audience. Tonight, after returning to the Convent, we are packing to be ready to leave Spoleto at 8am for our long drive to Venice. Buona notte, Spoleto!image image image image image image image

Turkey whispering in the hills above Spoleto

imageWe began today with breakfast at the Convent at 8:30am and then drove about 45 minutes to the town of Assisi. We toured the beautiful papal Basilica of San Francesco (St. Francis of Assisi), perched high on the mountain. imageOur guide Friar Julian, who was originally from Brooklyn, NY, shared with us the story of Francis’s life and devotion to serving those in need. With the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, Francis began the order of the Franciscans. We viewed the crypt where Francis was buried as well as the frescos of both the lower and upper churches that recount his life’s journey.Our visit concluded with an informal concert in the upper church for all of the many visitors.

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We first met the husband-and-wife owners, Antonio and Suzanna. Antonio, who spoke little English, took us on a tour of the farm, and our own Mark Sayre served as translator. Great job, Mark! We learned how they recycle and purify water, provide land for retired race horses to roam freely, and are restoring the population of rabbits to the Umbria region.

While on the farm, Antonio explained that the turkeys respond to certain frequencies, and gave everyone a chance to say, “Bongiorno Signore Tacchino!” (Good day, Mr. Turkey!) to see if they would respond. They responded a bit to Dr. Paparo, and more to Matt Garrity, but imagethey went crazy when they heard Ben Walton. To further encourage their excitement, Ben sang his solo from the spiritual, “Lord, I Got My Ticket” and we all joined in with a rousing performance, while the turkeys continued with their rhythmic exclamations.

After the tour, we had some time to relax around the cabana overlooking the pool, hot tub, and volleyball court, and whet our appetites for the degustazione that followed. During the degustazione, we had a very hearty tasting of the local specialties, including cheeses, focaccia bread, grilled vegetables, prosciutto, pasta, sausages, ribs, wine, and much more. It was truly a feast!

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Following dinner, we showed our appreciation by singing two songs, before saying goodnight to our gracious hosts. With full bellies and happy hearts, we rode back to Spoleto for the night.

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Bus driver Luciano and tour manager Daniel