I've been in Rome for only one evening and I've already fallen totally in love with the city. After I'd arrived I showered and we ate, then Jim took me on a night time tour of the inner city. We walked into the centre of the city where Jim led me past an array of historical sites and tourist hot-spots.
We walked first to Saint Peter's Square, where the Pope comes out to talk every Sunday; we passed the Pantheon (which I intend to go inside later this weekend); the Trevi Fountain and many Piazzas featuring many impressive obelisks, the best of which being the Lateranense obelisk; that's just to name a few of the places we saw. Even with just this brief trip I could feel the history that the city seems to bleed from every pore. Jim told me time and again that this being February it was extremely quiet and empty, but even so it has such a vibrant feel. Every street and every square has history painted on its walls and culture bursting from the seams. Even the people seem exceptionally beautiful.
We stopped at a cafe which Jim informed me was famous for it's coffee, and I can see why - it was absolutely delicious. We talked about the history of the city and how it effected the politics and the attitudes of the people today.
Jim has kindly bought me a ticket that will get me around the city and last all weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to visit the ancient part of the city, the Forum, and I'll get to see it all in daylight this time. In the evening Jim and Donna have arranged for us to go and see an Italian folk musician they know, so I'll get to sample the traditional music of the country. In short: I just can't get enough of this city!
Until next time, ciao!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The adventure continues
As my stay here in Canestrello approaches its end I review the time I've spent here. My stay started out lazily - the weather was appaling on Saturday so we couldn't really work outside, and Michael doesn't work or make his lodgers work on Sunday. But gradually I began to learn the ropes as the work got harder throughout the week. Since then I've sorted and carried a lot of wood, sawed logs, pruned trees and bushes, cooked meals, landscaped a slope, built a dry stone wall, mixed concrete and mortar, helped to build a gate and smashed the ice on the surface of a duck pond.
Another workawayer arrived a few days after me; a middle-aged ex-banker/businessman and marine geologist called Philip. Although not a musician like Aron, Jaci and my host, Michael, he knows plenty about garden landscaping/building and adds some good diversity to the conversation. On the subject of playing music I've done plenty of that. Michael and Aron were delighted to have my folk influences mix in with their usual repetoir of soul, jazz and classical and flamenco guitar, and Aron and Jaci had me play some accordion to a couple of their songs.
We've had some fun times cooking meals too, such as round robin soup. By which I mean one person makes an enormous pot of soup, after which there is plenty left over, and then the next day someone else takes the soup and adds their own signature, changing it into a different soup. We've had soups that lasted for three or four meals!
Ultimately it's been a pretty isolated experience though. I've been down to the village a couple of times and had coffee in the little cafe there, but otherwise have spent my time on and around the property here at the top of the hill.
I finally received my camera today, so tomorrow I'll upload some images!
Another workawayer arrived a few days after me; a middle-aged ex-banker/businessman and marine geologist called Philip. Although not a musician like Aron, Jaci and my host, Michael, he knows plenty about garden landscaping/building and adds some good diversity to the conversation. On the subject of playing music I've done plenty of that. Michael and Aron were delighted to have my folk influences mix in with their usual repetoir of soul, jazz and classical and flamenco guitar, and Aron and Jaci had me play some accordion to a couple of their songs.
We've had some fun times cooking meals too, such as round robin soup. By which I mean one person makes an enormous pot of soup, after which there is plenty left over, and then the next day someone else takes the soup and adds their own signature, changing it into a different soup. We've had soups that lasted for three or four meals!
Ultimately it's been a pretty isolated experience though. I've been down to the village a couple of times and had coffee in the little cafe there, but otherwise have spent my time on and around the property here at the top of the hill.
I finally received my camera today, so tomorrow I'll upload some images!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Arrived at long last!
After a long and tiresome journey spanning three countries, three dingy trains and a metro with too-narrow-for-an-accordion ticket barriers, and then a car trip through hills and countryside up to a remote but pretty cottage, finally I'm here and have some time to chill out.
It's an odd but homely house, with narrow stairs and mismatched furniture and a nice stone kitchen unit. There's also a horse, a donkey, a dog and a big fat cat (with whom I've already made friends). I've heard that there's often loads of people staying here at once, but right now there are only two besides myself and my host, Michael. They are couple from, of all places, Wales! I come all the way out here only to meet a pair of gogs! Still, it's a nice slice of home in an otherwise foreign place. Probably the best room in the house is the music room, which has a grand piano, a big double bass that belongs to Aron, the welsh guy, and an assortment of other instruments. Adjacent is a room with a new-looking iMac and a load of recording and mixing equipment.
It's an extremely chilled out atmosphere here, which is lovely. Michael is a massage therapist so he knows the value of relaxation. I asked him what the work would be like and he essentially described the chores I do at home; carry some logs, keep the fire going, generally contribute to the smooth running of the household. Upon arrival I was told to make myself at home, go and have a nap if I was tired or help myself to some food. (I had bread with homemade peanut butter before coming upstairs to write this blog entry).
The cottage sits at the top of a hill, a short walk from a village lower down. The views are lovely but it can apparently get quite cold at this time of year. The weather wasn't much of a change from home - overcast, and judging by the state of the fields it's been raining. Michael told me he was worried he might be snowed in last night which would render him unable to come and pick me up.
So that's a picture of my trip so far. Until next time, ciao!
It's an odd but homely house, with narrow stairs and mismatched furniture and a nice stone kitchen unit. There's also a horse, a donkey, a dog and a big fat cat (with whom I've already made friends). I've heard that there's often loads of people staying here at once, but right now there are only two besides myself and my host, Michael. They are couple from, of all places, Wales! I come all the way out here only to meet a pair of gogs! Still, it's a nice slice of home in an otherwise foreign place. Probably the best room in the house is the music room, which has a grand piano, a big double bass that belongs to Aron, the welsh guy, and an assortment of other instruments. Adjacent is a room with a new-looking iMac and a load of recording and mixing equipment.
It's an extremely chilled out atmosphere here, which is lovely. Michael is a massage therapist so he knows the value of relaxation. I asked him what the work would be like and he essentially described the chores I do at home; carry some logs, keep the fire going, generally contribute to the smooth running of the household. Upon arrival I was told to make myself at home, go and have a nap if I was tired or help myself to some food. (I had bread with homemade peanut butter before coming upstairs to write this blog entry).
The cottage sits at the top of a hill, a short walk from a village lower down. The views are lovely but it can apparently get quite cold at this time of year. The weather wasn't much of a change from home - overcast, and judging by the state of the fields it's been raining. Michael told me he was worried he might be snowed in last night which would render him unable to come and pick me up.
So that's a picture of my trip so far. Until next time, ciao!
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