Arezzo (Day 2)

Arezzo ... It's a hard town to sum up. It was very modern, but it also had an old Medici castle, a very old Franciscan chapel, and (they think) the house where Petrarch was born. For any English majors out there, Petrarch developed the Petrarchan sonnet, one of the three main types. The house was damaged by bombing in 1943, but it has been restored since.

Pictures:

The duomo in Orvieto in the morning

A chapel in Arezzo

Outside of Petrarch's house - we couldn't take pictures inside.

Inside of the first chapel we went into - not Franciscan. It was absolutely stunning.

I almost bought one of these. 

Statue of Francis

Outside of the Franciscan chapel in Arezzo. Notice the difference between it and the chapel in Orvieto!

Here's the inside - very different from the earlier chapel.

The next pictures are from the fresco cycle inside the Franciscan chapel. Fresco cycles were used to illustrate stories and legends for illiterate worshipers. This fresco cycle tells the legend of the true cross. According to the legend, the cross Jesus was crucified on was made from a tree from a seed of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. After the Great Flood, it continued to grow, until it was cut down and made into a bridge. The Queen of Sheba crossed that bridge and had a vision that the wood would destroy the Jewish kingdom. Solomon had it buried, but it was dug up and made into the cross. Three hundred years later, after Constantine's victory over Maxentius at Milvian Bridge, his mother Helena went looking for the cross and found it in Jerusalem. Later it was stolen by a Persian emperor and retaken by the Byzantine emperor. 

This is Constantine's tent where he dreams that God shows him a cross and promises, "In this sign, you will conquer." I believe the sign Constantine actually claimed to see was a chi ro, the first two Greek letters of the word cristos, meaning Christ.

Helena proving the wood they found really is the true cross.

There was also an old, out-of-repair Roman amphitheater in the town.

Orvieto Pictures

Orvieto is an old city that popes have stayed in in the past. It's divided into two parts: the lower part, which is the modern part, and the walled section, which is on top of a hill. We're staying in the historical part; the hotel we're in is in the same plaza as the duomo, or main cathedral, and it used to be the workers' quarters when they were building the duomo. It is older than the USA; in fact, I'm pretty sure it was built before Columbus sailed.

Pictures:

This is the duomo. Our hotel is in the Piazza del Duomo, so we can see this right when we go out the front door. This is my favorite cathedral.

In the distance between the yellow building and the white building, you can see the front of the duomo.

The view of the valley below Orvieto.

Another view of the valley and the wall

The wall

We went to a little cafe, and it was chilly so I ordered a hot chocolate, and I got this. It was more like really hot pudding. :)

This was a shop that sold anything to do with really fancy writing.

Look! Dreamcatchers!

Climbing the clock tower. This is one of the clocks from the inside.

My roommate Erika inside the clock tower

The Duomo from the top of the clock tower

Eating dinner! Doesn't it look like we're in a cave?

Luggage Scramble

For whatever reason, the suitcase I checked didn't make it to Rome from Frankfurt. I had a nightmare of a time contacting the airline and getting help, and because this week was Epiphany, which is to the Italians what Christmas is to Americans, there were no deliveries on the 6th. Of course I was worried about my stuff, and I spent a lot of time trying to distract myself from thinking about it all, but by yesterday I was at the point where I just wanted to scream.

Fortunately for me, however, yesterday was also the day of our visit to Assisi. For those who don't know, Saint Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan Order, a religious group of friars which stresses humility and poverty. Francis himself lived the life of a beggar. Wandering around his town yesterday really put my missing suitcase into perspective. By the time my group got back from Assisi, the clothing stores in Orvieto were closed and I was resigned to spending the next day without any fresh clothes. However, thinking of St. Francis reminded me that no matter how frustrated I was - and I was very frustrated - God was still taking care of me.

On the way back to the hotel, my roommate Erika and I met two of the other girls in our group, and they told us that my suitcase had finally been delivered. We got back to our room, and sure enough, there it was. Thank you Lord God for ensuring that my luggage followed me safely. More importantly, thank You for the joy of visiting Assisi and being reminded of St. Francis' lessons.

Okay - pictures later today. :)

Italy!

I arrived safe and sound (although with much hassle with my checked bag - but whatever, it should be delivered today) in Italy an successfully met up with my classmates. So far we've had two days to mess around in Italy after the day of our arrival. We spent the first day in Orvieto, the city where we're staying, and yesterday in Arezzo, Petrarch's birthplace. I have a bunch of pictures, so I'll make two posts later today when I have time.

For now, here is a picture of the olive trees in Arezzo. (At least we think they're olive trees.)

Travel Begins

I remember thinking when I stated this blog that it would be a long time before I would be able to use it regularly. But the time went by fast! I am waiting at SeaTac airport for the flight to Frankfurt, where I get on another plane to Italy.

It all begins!