Buona Pasqua!

This past weekend was Easter weekend. In Italy, Easter is the biggest holiday of the year. (as it is in most of Europe) My classmates and I got Friday and Monday off from school. Orvieto has been completely packed with people all weekend, I’ve never seen so many people here! And not just foreign tourists, most of the people in town over the weekend were Italians. As I walked through the streets over the weekend, I would hear many wishes of “Buona Pasqua!” (Happy Easter!) Most businesses were closed over Sunday and Monday. The Monday after Pasqua is always a national holiday in Italy, called Pasqualetta. Which, when translated literally means “little Easter”.

All weekend, the church bells would suddenly erupt at seemingly random times. Espeically on Easter Sunday, it was as if they were announcing to the town that Jesus has risen! At least that’s how I took it.

For me the weekend was extremely relaxing. Three of my roommates went skiing in Switzerland, so it was just me and Aaron at the apartment. We just sat around and sketched and watercolored and watched Arrested Development on DVD. And slept at least 10 hours a night. It was amazing.

Last Wednesday evening, some friends and I hiked out to La Rocca, a large rock outcropping around 7 or 8 kilometers from Orvieto. The view of the city from La Rocca is great, Orvieto looks so small from there


We also had some fun making cool Karate poses.



Sara and I on top of the Torre del Moro, the tallest tower in Orvieto, the Duomo is in the background.

A couple weeks ago, Sara came to Italy for a week! I had a great time travelling with her. I met her and Ally in Rome. As we were on the bus into town from the airport, we were driving past ancient Roman ruins and aquaducts, things that I am completely used to by now. Sara and Ally were completly fascinated by it and exclaimed, "Oh wow! Old stuff!" Its interesting because they've only been seing modern architecture in Denmark, and I am completely saturated with historic and ancient things. What different experiences we're having. Anyway, we spent a couple days in Rome, then they came to Orvieto for a few days. After a nice chilled-out time in Orvieto, Sara and Ally came with us on our class trip to Siena. Siena is a really neat city. It is preserved in basically the same condition it was in the middle ages. It’s a beautiful town.

This is me in front of the Duomo of Siena. It’s façade is very similar to the façade of Orvieto’s Duomo. Though the interior is much more elaborate.

The next day, we went and visited our buddies in Castiglion Fiorentino at Santa Chiara. Then we went to Florence for a couple days. Then Sara and Ally left for Milan and I went back to Orvieto. It was really cool to get to spend time with Sara last week.

It is hard for me to believe that I only have one more month until I am finished with school here in Orvieto. My program is over on May 8th. I’m sure that date will be here before I know it. In the first month of being in Italy, time seemed to pass very slowly, but ever since the middle of March, time has been flying by.