I had a feeling that I would really love Tuscania before I ever set foot here. Something about small-town Italy, situated neatly between farm-spotted hills and framed by mountains on the horizon seemed more than a little appealing to me. What I didn't realize was that the sun and the silence and the people would do just as much good as the beautiful scenery.
la mia casa
It's so indescribably peaceful here. My weeks in Tuscania have been almost a vacation (despite my heaviest class load so far, thanks to a history class on Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans). The walk to school takes 15 minutes, but I like to take 20 because there's just no hurry here. Even our advisor speaks at a slower rate, with the most slurred Italian accent I've heard so far. 10:00 seems a good time to open your shop or bar, but maybe 11 if you're feeling lazy. Don't bother opening on Sunday, and you might as well stay closed Monday too. And stay open late, till 9 or 10 or even 11, because the evening is beautiful here - star-studded and perfect for being all socievole.
Our backyard
In the mornings, if we wake up early enough, we go to Bar Centrale, where literally every old man in Tuscania hangs out and has his morning caffe. If we bring our homework, they give us a free "lezione di lingua l'italiana" and then buy us coffee. Sometimes they practice their English with us, which is always a fun time.
Last week was carnevale. One of my friends lives with a host family, and her host sister invited us to ride on her float in the carnevale parade! The float was Alice in Wonderland themed, and the host sister (Orleanna) was the Queen of Hearts - so we taped up some cardboard and served as her dedicated cards! Riding the float was awesome. We were surrounded by ragazzi italiani dressed as all of the Alice in Wonderland characters, blasting music and dancing and throwing confetti into the crowd the whole time.
We also went to a church party with some elderly people from the choir. Honestly, their party was just as lively as any I've ever been to. Here, Italians dance. Dancing is a huge part of any festive gathering, and not just for an hour or two. We left after 11, and people were still dancing. It was someone's birthday, so we had a huge spread of desserts and champagne and hot chocolate. I befriended a ton of older locals (despite my poor Italian grammar), who dragged me to the dance floor and led me in waltzes, polkas, even a line dance or two. When I see them around town, they always say "Ciao!" and ask me if everything is still "Tutto bene, tuttokay?"
Just in case Tuscania isn't picture-perfect enough, I also have an Italian class that perhaps outdoes my last fantastic Italian class. This time, my teacher Marina is young - just seven years older than me - but I love every minute of that class more than I can explain. Despite the language barrier, we laugh and joke and I ask Marina ridiculous questions, when I can squeak out phrases a little more complex than my go-to's: "Si" and "Va bene."
We've also taken a few day trips: to the medieval town of Vitterbo, home of the first papal conclave, and to Tarquinia, home of Etruscan tombs which we actually got to explore!
These are a few pictures from my favorite park. I try to go there whenever possible. In fact, I gotta get back out there now... but you'll hear from me soon. Arrivederci!
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