July 16th
Ciaowdy, and welcome back to the blog! If you read yesterday’s post from the “Baton Rouge Crew”, you’ll know all about the elderly rock band that turned the Temple of Minerva into a concert venue. That, as Sid and Kyle mentioned, was a load of fun. Short-term fun. We quickly discovered that 80’s rock music and sleep aren’t the most compatible things, and we were tired today. Or, at least, most of us were tired.
While most of the group slept in, there were a few of us that wanted to get up early and explore the city. The walking group decided to take the more scenic route, appreciating the beautiful nature and architecture of the town of Assisi. The running group, on the other hand, decided to conquer the slopes and hills of the town. It’s safe to say that we’re still feeling it in our legs.
After everyone finally got a full night of sleep, we went upstairs to eat breakfast at 8:00. While this might not be the traditional American breakfast, we enjoyed fresh prosciutto, cheese, pastries, and cereal. We enjoyed delicious fresh-squeezed apricot juice that would give orange juice a run for its money!
Now that breakfast was out of the way, we had some time on our hands – except, we really didn’t. Today, being a Sunday, presented us with the special opportunity of attending a Catholic High Mass in an Italian basilica (St. Francis Basilica, for our more dedicated fans). And, for some of us, that simply wasn’t an opportunity we could pass up. One of the hotel staff members told us that the English Mass started at 10:00 AM, and so we ate a leisurely breakfast and marched at a comfortable pace towards the basilica. That, unfortunately, is when we found out that it was the Italian Mass, not the English Mass, that started at 10:00 AM. But those of us who had made the trip to the basilica were determined. We stuck our necks out, attended the mass anyways, and left feeling a little more Italian.
Some of us, however, opted not to go to Mass, and instead spent our post-breakfast break navigating Assisi’s many alleyways, playing card games, or chasing after beautiful hilltop views. One group even hiked their way up to a castle! Ultimately, we found that Assisi has something for everyone, and we strengthened our new friendships along the way.
But, while everyone was out and about, a few of us were hatching a plan. It all started with Sid asking a question: Would a game of city-wide tag be fun? The answer, according to the 29 people who signed up for it, was a resounding yes. The game is currently scheduled for Wednesday morning, and, needless to say, we’re pretty excited about it.
After our break was over, we spread out over town looking for something to eat. From Italian street food to gourmet pasta, the town of Assisi has so many food options to offer. A group of us went to a Pizzeria. My personal favorite was the margarita pizza, as it had a tangy tomato sauce, perfectly melted cheese, and crisp and thin crust. There were also some more unique pizza options, such as the Bismarck pizza, a cheese pizza with a sunny side up egg placed right in the middle. One culture shock that we experienced was the “coperto”, which is Italian for cover charge. While Italians don’t have a tipping culture, most restaurants do charge a fixed fee per person that covers the space used when customers sit down and eat. This charge also takes into account items such as cutlery and table clothes, and things we Americans usually get for free such as bread or olive oil. It was safe to say that we were pretty confused whenever we were handed the check.
Another culture shock: Italians seemingly don’t believe in air conditioning. Yesterday, our group was split into two hotels, but there was really only one hotel. The other “hotel” was more or less a sauna. Each room had a window unit, but not a single one worked – a mystery that, despite the abundance of engineers in our group, no one seemed to be able to solve. Luckily, one of our student leaders, John, explained our situation to the right people, and we were all able to move into new, much cooler rooms. We are much, much happier now. And, as a resident/survivor of the sauna/hotel room myself, I definitely owe John a high-five. Maybe even a water bottle (those have quickly become a hot commodity here).
With a full stomach of food from lunch, many of us got back to the hotel feeling stuffed and tired. While some people chose to shop around the town, others including myself, decided it was a perfect time to take a midday nap. We woke up rejuvenated and ready to listen to the lesson planned for us.
In the afternoon, we met for our first activity and lesson of the trip. We started off by playing the card game Spades, or so we thought. As we began to play, we realized that everyone seemed to be arguing about the rules of the game. It turned out that each group was given a similar but different set of rules. We weren’t allowed to talk, so we had to come up with creative ways to compromise on the rules of the game. This game taught us that sometimes, more than one person can be right in a situation. Each person has different perspectives and culture, especially when you are traveling internationally in a country like Italy. This game was organized for us to be open to the idea that agreement requires compromise on both sides.
After a short 10-minute break, we met again for our second lesson – a discussion of our personal strengths, as well as how we can use those strengths to our advantage. Prior to the trip, each attendee took a personality test which revealed their top-five strengths, or the parts of their character that are naturally excellent. We learned that if we want to strive for excellence, not just avoid failure, we need to concentrate on developing our strengths, not just our weaknesses. This idea, along with many others, taught us a little more about ourselves, and sparked a lengthy discussion about how each and every one of us could not only realize our individual strengths, but also make the best possible use of them. It seemed like everyone in the room had something to add, and it was amazing to see the brilliance of our group on full display.
To finish off the day, we went into town to get some gelato and listen to some live music. This time, there was live jazz music, specifically a Bossa Nova/Italian Jazz genre. The piano, saxophone, and accordion created the sweet Italian sound we know so well and brought a beautiful end to the day.
Hopefully, that’ll prove to be a little more sleep-schedule friendly than the 80’s rock concert. But, of course, that’s a topic for tomorrow’s blog.
Grazie per aver letto!
Rett Dennis ‘27 and Mason Mock ‘27
