Ciao!
Well my Romeo did not find me, nor I him; but Verona and Desanzao were very enjoyable this weekend. Verona was not the charming, small town I envisioned however I discovered a few sights I am thankful to have visited. Along with my new friend, also named Natalie, (from Canada interning in Milan as an interior designer, we talked on a train a few weeks ago and exchanged emails-how random is that?) I discovered Verona has quite a history. Dante fled and was housed here after being exiled from Florence. Of course you have the supposed houses of Juliet and Romeo which we haphazardly stumbled upon. And then the best in my opinion, one of the oldest gardens in Italy. This garden offers the quiet and tranquility I thought I would experience in Verona, but too many tourists caused Verona to lose its Italian feel. The garden was complete with mazes made of bush, statues, cypress trees, fountains, and after climbing a winding path, a complete view of the city's roofs, bell towers, and hightest point: the churches. Not only was this garden breathtaking, but in the background was live opera music. Maybe there is a school of music in the garden, I do not know, but whatever the cause, it made the garden that much more pleasurable. I really enjoyed this music because prior to the garden venture, we unfortunately discovered we could not purchase tickets as planned for the performance that evening, Tosca, because it was opening night. Tosca, was held in the famous arena (cannot remember the name) built in 1st century a.d., intact with original walls. I am sure it was amazing but instead we headed for a cooler temperature via the lake.
The lake was a nice retreat after sweating and fighting the crowd for hours upon hours. The big cities here are very hot now. We arrived Sat night to the lake and much to our surprise at midnight the town was still hopping with tourists, young people headed to the disco, and even children eating gelato. I guess the summer vibe keeps these people going. Sunday we swam and took it easy. I miss a hike with Cesare and his friends, this time higher and longer! I cannot honestly say I was too disappointed, but I do hope to go at least once more before I leave.
I have been to a few church services with the family, and though I did not understand what the priests were saying, have remained intrigued by the eleborate paintings, marble, art, and so on that occupies all of their churches. One Sunday in particular, the congregation began singing a contemporary Christian song of course in Italian, but I was able to sing along in English. This occurance made me very happy and made me feel close to home. That makes two of the churches here in Italy I have visited that were contemporary with their preaching ( I can tell by the way the priests would walk around without a script, talking with gestures, and enthusiam to the people) and the choice of songs...very interesting.
Caterina continues to learn faster than me, and with curiousity and dedication. We swim and play constantly as well. I am becoming more comfortable around the extended family and am always meeting new people. This provides more learning experiences as life here is very different.
Here life is more laid back, dinners always lasting at least an hour (sempre vino), also I have noticed less worry and organization in their lives. Things just always work out for the most part. I have stopped asking when, and just enjoy the moment and wait for the next surprise. The family never provides me with rules, insights into the running of the household, plans for the upcoming day; we just exist. When something out of the ordinary is about to happen, I usually have a five minute notice! It makes things interesting to say the least! In America I would always know what was on the agenda for the entire week, but here it is different. In America, I would know my boundaries, what to do, what not to do, when to do it, here it is different.
Thanks for reading, your thoughts and prayers, and I am sorry for any mis-spellings as I do not have spell check. Love, Natalie