My roommates and I woke up this morning to sunlight through our window, a cat ambling down the alley near our hotel, and a beautiful view of the Italian countryside. I’m pretty sure that’s as close to Paradise as I’m going to get anytime soon.
Life is slower here in Italy, especially in a town as small as Castiglione Fiorentino. There are only 6000 people here, and it feels far smaller than anywhere I’ve ever been before. Breakfast in a place like this town isn’t the rushing, frantic grab-and-go that it is back at home. Instead of searching for something to eat on the way to school or work, breakfast in Italy is at least an hour‘s affair. It’s also delicious, so I understand why people here tend to relish it.
After breakfast, our tour guide Giovanni showed us around the town of Castiglione Fiorentino. We learned about the town’s history from a museum on a hilltop, where you could see the ruins of an ancient underground temple in one breath and a view of the entire town and the hills beyond in the next. Giovanni told us about the people who lived here before the Roman empire, and explained to us how Italians make olive oil. He also told us a little bit about the people who live in this town, explaining their lifestyles and pointing out certain shops and restaurants he liked. Although I loved Florence, I think this town is my favorite place I’ve ever been in Italy so far. People here seem to live peaceful, fulfilling, and purposeful lives.
Our group planned to go grab gelato after the tour, but instead we stopped at a store to buy a soccer ball and ended up at a small playground overlooking the rest of the city. We ran around on the swings, seesaw, and playset before heading to the grocery store to buy lunch. Everyone bought pizza, sandwiches, and drinks inside. No one paid more than 6 bucks for their whole lunch! We went back up to the park afterward and the guys played soccer on the field next to the park. We played virus (not COVID, just a different version of tag) and made flower chains. Looking out onto rural Italy while sitting in the quiet little park was so peaceful. I didn’t feel the busyness a typical day in America– you can always see people hurrying around in their cars, rushing to be somewhere, but in the park in Italy, we were truly just relaxing and taking in the amazing weather. Afterwards, we met up with the rest of the group and headed to Santa Chiara, the hub for past Texas A&M students studying in Italy. We could feel the Aggie spirit– the cafe had an A&M flag and 12th man towels. I could really imagine what the center must have been like when students were still allowed to stay there and regret not be able to see Santa Chiara in its full glory.
After attending the enlightening tour of Castiglione Florentine from our favorite Italian tour guide Giovanni, we split off into groups to pursue our own interests and pleasures. The group that I was in went back to the church bell tower Giovanni showed us and basked in the sun as we attempted to grasp the beautiful Italian scenery. To end our free time, we went to the local gelato shop and attempted to speak with the owner in Italian, who immediately responded to us in English, and met up with the rest of the group to end our free time session.
When the entire Italy group finally met up, all thirty of us went to a local pizza joint where we eagerly cashed in our pizza vouchers, much to the surprise of the joint owner. After grubbing up with the boys and girls, we went our separate ways to recharge our batteries and catch a quick wink. With our bellies starting to grumble, we started to look for other means to satisfy our ravenous appetite for Italian food. My group decided to explore a local Italian restaurant, where I got pici, which is basically pasta but with thick pasta. After licking our lips and loosening a button or two on our pants to allow for the expansion of our gluttonous appetites, we headed back to the compound to celebrate the incredible day, and pi day (3/14), by enjoying some pies Dr. Kotinek bought at the local supermarket. We can’t wait to visit Arezzo tomorrow!
– Emily Mallin, Bailey Faulk, Rachel Kurian
