Everything's in Italian!

Wow! Yesterday was a LOOOONG day! We woke up early and had our delicious breakfast again. These Italians can really do wonders with bread! The chocolate filled croissants are dangerous. Then we boarded our buses to head to the vatican for a tour of the museum, sistine chapel and St. Peters. It was more of a "highlighted" fast tour because we were low on time but it was amazing. The museum is located in the old papal residence and I can't imagine living in a place like that with ornate gold ceilings and incredible frescos all over the walls. Think about your hallway being decorated by some of the best artists in the world...Raphael, Michelangelo, etc. We quickly made our way to the Sistine chapel and let me say whether you're Catholic, Christian, Jewish, spiritual, or anything in between, that place is breathtaking. I literally teared up looking at the shear size and magnitude of the art on the wall. The frescos (a technique of painting right onto the fresh plaster so it soaks into the wall) cover the entire interior of the building and words cannot describe the amount of detail and artistry that is in this place. And to think of all the big decisions that happen in there (this is where they elect the pope) and the amount of history that has happened in that building is mind numbing. I'm not Catholic so I may not understand everything but I can certainly appreciate the thousands of years of importance that has occurred in the vatican city. Unfortunately they don't allow pictures in the sistine chapel so you either have to burn the image in your head or buy the 20 postcards for 1 euro from the guy outside the walls. After the sistine chapel we went into St. Peter's and had a look around. Like I said in my last post, I went yesterday but it was nice to have our local tour guides giving us information about all the things inside. For instance, everything in there is a mosaic, tiny bits of glass placed together to look like a painting. EVERYTHING!! Can you imagine the meticulous task that was. After our tour we had some free time in St. Peter's square for shopping and lunch!

Next we went up to Rieti for rehearsal and our concert. Rieti is a small town about an hour outside of Rome to the north. The bus ride was absolutely breathtaking with the rolling hills and countryside. Along the way we saw an olive garden...and I don't mean the restaurant...I mean an actual garden of olive trees. Very cool! It was gorgeous and when we arrived in Rieti it looked like one of the old towns we see in movies and pictures. There were large walls that surrounded the city. The theater was sitting on top of a hill in the center of the city. The outside was pretty an assuming but we once we walked inside it was like we were transported back to an old Italian opera house. Words can't describe what this place looked like but I'll try and I'll also try to get some pictures up when I get back to a computer. The ceiling had a giant chandelier surrounded by and incredible fresco depicting old Roman battles. There were three levels of box seating just like the ones I studied in music history. There were even some that were on the stage that were back then reserved for the most affluent patrons. The stage itself was very old and actually slanted down from the back to the front. This is where the theater world got the "upstage" and "down stage" terms. You were literally up the stage from someone else.

We rehearsed for about an hour and a half. Well...the winds rehearsed. Our percussion equipment along with several of our larger wind instruments were still not there yet. (The MDB tubas, trombones, and uniforms were also in the shipment but we won't need them until tomorrow. We were in dire need of the percussion equipment and our music.) Long story short, they got caught up in shipping and customs and were held up in the states and again in Germany. They literally arrived just before the concert so we were saved. But it was stressful there for a little while And on a personal note, I shipped my tux in an extra box so I was worried I'd have to play in my street clothes.

While the wind ensemble rehearsed, the MDB members had a personal tour of the town. Then we ate at a nice restaurant close to the theater. In Italy there are usually multiple courses. A pasta course and then a meat course. There may also be an appetizer course and a desert course but those aren't necessary. I'm used to just having pasta or a meat...not both so I'm hoping my clothes will still fit after this trip!!

The concert was supposed to start at 9pm. Very late to us but typical for them. We finally got started around 9:30. Again, late for us but normal for them. Apparently starting times are a mere suggestion, not a rule. The concert was fantastic. We performed both the Italian and American national anthems with the local community band we were sharing the concert with. Then they played some pieces and we played some pieces and we played two more selections together. If that sounds like a lot, it was! The concert wasn't over until 11. But then there was a fantastic reception for us after wards. And I'm not talking finger foods and juice...this was a full spread of cheese, meats, a full roasted pig, desserts and champagne. Unbelievable!! The people were so nice and appreciative that we came to play for them. It was a great experience for everyone.

It was after midnight before we started the 1 hour trek back to the city so needless to say my bus was much quieter than normal. We slept in this morning until 8:30 and then had to pack and get everything loaded to head to Florence.

It's a 3.5 hour drive to Florence through Tuscany. There are little towns scattered throughout this hills that look like something out of a movie or for lack of a better description, the pictures on the olive garden menu. Little clay roofs dotted in between trees with a church poking up in the middle. And vineyards with grapes a far as the eye can see. Our tour guide gave us a great explanation about the wine business here in Italy. Very interesting but too much to type here. I just can't believe we're hear seeing this and experiencing all that is Italy.

The group stopped at an Autogrille for a bathroom break and lunch. Italy's version of a truck stop. But this ain't no flying j. This is a deluxe restaurant, grille, grocery store, and more. Think gourmet convenience store. I had a delicious panini and a baked tart thing. I literally just pointed at both because I couldn't read the names or descriptions but they looked good. It worked out for me...this time. So far I've been lucky and haven't eaten anything I don't like. But something tells me that's just the way Italy is. I also had a coke lite. That's not beer...that's what they call diet coke. The shift in language here in Italy is very interesting and while some of it is easy to kinda translate, there's no way I could ever understand the way they talk. It seems so fast and so connected I don't know how they breathe. They also always sound agitated or upset when they speak but I think that's just how they talk.

We've got about another 30 minutes until we get to florence and we get some free time in the city. Hopefully I'll get some internet when we finally get to the hotel this evening and can post this. I would be lying I said there weren't parts of home I miss, like the people I talk to daily that I can't really right now or the conveniences that I'm used to, but I would not trade this opportunity for the world. We are so lucky to have this experience. Until next time...Ciao for now!



- Marea Rotolare

Location:Rome, Italy