Surprise, the plane was late. Our freshly dispensed bancomat money quickly transferred into the hands of various transportation companies: a last-minute bag check that incurred an unexpected fee, an overpriced shuttle that only took us as far as the Termini train station, where we had to pay for two additional trains (one from Rome to Arezzo, and one from Arezzo to Castiglion Fiorentino). That’s THREE trains we had to, with superhuman strength, shot-put bags up onto the trains’ platforms. Madalyn wants everyone to know that her sternum is fine, but that the same cannot be said about her aging knees.
But then, we set eyes on the blue “Cast. Fno.” insignale (sign) and an angel, Sharon (a.k.a. “Boss”), welcomed us back home with open arms and empty trunk. Such a blessing not to have to haul all of our possessions up the hill to our new house at Santa Chiara. For those of you new to this blog or uninformed about what it is that Madalyn and I are doing this next semester, here’s the quick run-down:
We have been hired as Resident Coordinators at the Santa Chiara Student Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. It is a charming medieval hilltown in Tuscany, about an hour southeast of Florence. As an intern at the Center, we’re here as part of a team that hosts college students from across America who have chosen to study abroad in Italy. Most students who come here are Architecture majors, like us. Everyone starts trickling in on Tuesday, so for now it’s been a lot of training.
This is the view from our room...no, I am not joking.
Key to the map:
1: CASTIGLION'S SOCCER FIELD, close enough to hear the chants.
2: THE VALLEY
3: CASTELLO DI MONTECCHIO, castle on the horizon.
4: CHURCH OF THE CONSOLATION, built during the Renaissance.
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