Italian in Assisi, Part Two

I will be returning to Rome this coming Wednesday, to begin preparation for school in October. It has been a truly profound experience to be here in Assisi for five weeks. I have seen so much! I have visited six basilicas, three monasteries, a hermitage, and at least ten churches. I have been to two concerts, watched three firework shows, and played in two soccer games (with other Italians, might I add). And yes, with the little time I have had left, I have been studying Italian.
I am amazed at how one can learn so much in a month, particularly regarding language. The human mind is incredible!

This picture is of the chapel where St. Francis received the stigmata (the wounds of Christ).

I was recently wondering why, despite all the wonderful Italian food I have been eating, I have not gained any weight (yet). One of my seminarian brothers explained to me the reason: there are two hundred plus steps between my room and the dining hall. This means, every day, I have walked approximately up and down one thousand steps (250 x 4 trips). My legs are definitely getting a workout! It is good, though, because when I return to Rome, the main means of travel will be my legs. The more I walk now, the more I will be able to travel comfortably in Rome. There is a lot to see and do in Rome, so I better get ready for it.

Peter, from New York City, and me chilling in the shade.

I am again out of time. So I will continue this blog later, and hopefully finish the other two which I have not finished yet.

Two Small Cities and One Big Mountain

I will be finishing this post soon, but until then, enjoy the picts!

Italian in Assisi, Part One

(July 26th to August 9th)

Well, it has been awhile since I have had time to post. Sorry about that! My excuse is that I am in an ancient city that has very little internet access. That’s the truth. Plus, I am in Italian class for six and a half hours every day, so I must admit that by the end of the day I am pretty tired!
Of course, I will try to relate every detail about my adventures here in Assisi to you, but I am regretfully certain that my words will not (and cannot) express the true beauty of this place. So, when my words fail....I will post pictures for you instead!

La città è bellisima, vero?

The city is really amazing. Everything is made of stone and bricks. The houses are made of stone and brick, the roads are all stone and brick, the sidewalks are stone and brick…I could go on. What I really love are the frescoes which are painted here and there on every street. There are pictures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, depictions of St. Francis and St. Clare, and pictures of the city patron, San Rufino. Certainly, I love too that almost every street has a chapel on it. I really cannot describe it well, to be honest. I will try to take good pictures for you to see!

Now let me tell a little about what I have been doing in my spare time. I have visited the Basilicas of St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. Rufino. I have been to several other churches in the city as well (I will not list them all). I have visited all the different piazzas in the area, and have eaten as much delicious gelato in each of them as I could. I will be a gelato expert in no time!
I am here with about thirty other seminarians in my class, who are studying Italian with me. They are an awesome group, and I must admit that I am youngest of them, so I am the “Little” one of the group. That’s fine with me, because they do not mind helping me pay for gelato! I just put a sad face on, and say: “aw…I don’t have enough euros on me,” and bingo, a free gelato for the “Little” one. Works every time!


I hope to travel to Siena, Perugia, and the beach in the next couple of weekends. Until then, I will just continue to enjoy the wonderful sights here in Assisi. The city is on a mountainside, so one thing that I am adjusting to is walking up and down all the time. I enjoy not having to deal with a vehicle, but walking up two hundred some steps (one way) in the hot afternoon is not my idea of an alternative! That’s okay, though. I am getting used to it, and it will only make my body stronger for the return to the big city of Roma. My room is in the highest part of the city, and as you see below, I have the best view in the whole building.








Yes, it was a random pick, and I got the golden ticket! The picture is nothing like the real thing, let me tell you. It is incredible to wake up looking out on the countryside of Umbria, and hearing the hustle of an ancient town just waking from sleep. There are a lot of dogs, cats, chickens, pigeons, and other birds around, so there is a lot to hear at the dawn, too. (My room is high up enough not to be disturbed by the noises, though.) I hope also to be able to hike up to the summit of the mountain nearby, so that I can take some amazing pictures of Assisi. We’ll see. It is a big mountain (I think 2000 meters). There is a lot to do, clearly. I have mainly been focusing on the Italian, though; but as opportunities arise I will take advantage of them, and I will let you know what happens then!

So, I will make sure to pray for you all, and thanks for yours! I will often think of you, especially as I watch the Italians live out their lives here. There are a lot of tourists, but there are also locals living here. It has been great experiencing people living in a town like this. They do not need “new” or “big” things, they have old, small houses. They take care of what they have, and they celebrate and share their lives with one another; I noticed that right away. It is ironic that the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen are in the middle of Assisi. It is not the size, but how one loves and cultivates what they have. The locals have figured that out, and I am glad for them. They have God, family, and friends, and the love to bring those together. God bless you, and I will post whenever I can! Promise!

Ciao, Americani! Pace e bene!

Adventures in Rome: First Week (Updated)

Buongiorno, Americani! I, regretfully, have been having trouble with both my camera and camcorder. I will put the awesome videos and pictures on as soon as I can. For now, though, I thought you might want to know what exactly I have been doing this week.

Well, to begin, I thought that we (the new seminarians) were going to Assisi within the first week. I was wrong. We actually have been in Rome this entire week, in order to settle in and explore the city. And we all have seen a lot already; it really is amazing how much can happen in a "happening" city!

So, let me break down the week for you:

On Monday, we arrived in the Fiumicino/Roma airport around 12:30pm. We arrived in the city of Rome about an hour or so later. I have a video of our arrival, but sadly I do not have the proper file type to put it on the blog, yet. Before unpacking, we had "pranzo," which is the italian form of lunch (but pranzo is actually the biggest meal of the day). Then we unpacked and settled in for a few hours. Then in the later afternoon, we went on a building tour of the North American College. It is big enough to hold two-hundred some seminarians, so you can imagine the size of the building and property. I will post a short tour video on, when I can, of the property.

After the tours, we went to Mass in one of the chapels in the building. Afterward, we had a cookout on the roof which overlooks the city of Rome. (One of the best views in the city, as you will see soon.)

The cookout lasted until around 9:00pm, so after that--being exhausted--I went to bed. Of course, I called my parents to let them know I had arrvied safely, and only then did I collapse on my bed. Staying awake for twenty hours is a lot harder than I thought!

On Tuesday, we had a meeting in the morning after breakfast in order to get some paperwork done. We then has Mass and pranzo. The morning was pretty easy-going, which was nice.

The afternoon, on the other hand, was not so relaxed. We went on an excursion to San Lorenzo Church, which held the remains of St. Lawrence, St. Justin Martyr, St. Stephen the proto-martyr, and Blessed Pius IX. The original building was constructed in the 2nd century A.D., and so the tomb was about 1800 years old. (Now, that is really old!) We all had the opportunity to pray by the tombs of these holy men, and I really cannot describe the experience to you. "Powerful" is a good word to use. We spent about an hour there, praying and exploring the large church (the "newer" building is from the sixteenth century). What was also great was that San Lorenzo Church was on the other side of the city, so we got to experience the Rome of today for the first time. From that experience, I definitely do not recommend driving in the city. Everyone does their own thing on the roads (and sidewalks too); there are barely any lanes or speed limits. It was also amazing to see the people who lived in the city too. (I will describe all that later)

We arrived back at the NAC around 7:00pm for dinner (cena in italian). After that we were all really tired from making our way through the city, and so must of us went to bed, though some stayed up to watch a movie. There are about fifty of us here right now, so we are even now still trying to learn one anothers' names. We are all from different states in the U.S., except for about six seminarians from...Australia (they fit in quite well, actually). So it is a great group of guys, and we all are getting along very well. I will continue this post sometime this weekend, but I have to go bed now, because tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Orvieto. (I need to sleep at least a few hours!) Buonasera!

(Okay, to continue...)

On Thursday, we went to the beach after Mass and breakfast. We went to Ostia di Lido, which is the newer part of the city of Ostia (in contrast to Ostia Antica). I was really excited to go because I love the beach, and also because I really wanted to go to the city where St. Augustine had his conversion (in Ostia Antica). Now, regarding the Mediterranean beach we went to, the water was cool (which was nice), but there were no waves (I like the waves). So we all basically relaxed and played some American football and volleyball. It was really funny when we played football, because basically everyone at the beach turned around to watch the game because they had never seen it before (at least in person). So the Europeans really had a treat with us being there, because they got to see a real game of American football, backyard style! They definitely looked fascinated!
Anyway, we were at the beach for Thursday, which was a good break from all the excursions in Rome. (I have never walked so much in my life!) A separate group, instead of going to the beach, went to Tivoli on Thursday, which is a small town outside of Rome. They said it was a great trip; however, being from Maryland, I am glad I went to the beach (I mean, the coast is my natural habitat).

On Friday, we went on a tour to St. Peter's Basilica. It was the first time I had been in St. Peter's since my arrival, so it was a profound experience to finally enter it. (I had been looking at the dome all week from the college, and now finally I was able to go there).

Something kind of funny but awesome happened while I was there (which is usual for me). I had forgotten to take off my nametag from the NAC, so I was walking in St. Peter's with it on. For this reason, two different Italians came up to me and began asking me where different places were--as if I worked there! And if this was not odd enough, I met a young man who worked there, who for some reason liked me so much (after one conversation) that he offered me free access to the cupola! So, I grabbed four other seminarians nearby, and we followed him into an elevator, and up we went! Here are some pictures:

Pretty awesome! Afterward, I went and thanked him for being so generous. We had another conversation, and after giving me the customary kisses on the cheeks, we said farewell. He was returning to his own country (Romania?) that coming week, so we would not have the chance to meet again. In the first week, and so much happened! La vita e' dolce!

On Saturday, the entire class took a trip to Orvieto. Orvieto is a small but very old city northwest of Rome. It is in this (or nearby it, technically) where the first Eucharistic miracle occurred, when the Host became flesh. The corporal from this miracle is exhibited at the Cathedral in Orvieto. You can still see the stains of blood on the corporal, which is really amazing to see. Orvieto is also where St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican saint, wrote several works of his which are famous. Msgr. Mueggenberg celebrated Mass in the Cathedral, and it was an incredible experience. He told us in his homily the importance of not becoming distracted with all the amazing things we were going to experience here, but to focus on who makes these experiences valuable: God. None of these places are much different from Maryland, except that the Church has been in Europe for many centuries, and God has transformed all of Italy--even the smallest towns--because of that Faith. I have to get going now...so more later! Ciao.

The fortunate group, on the cupola of St. Peters Basilica.