Exciting Happenings

It has been one week since we arrived in Sansepolcro! It seems like we are all settling in and now our classes are starting to pick up. Today I had Italian, Italy Today, and Learn to Travel in the morning, then lunch. After that I decided to take a nap. My excuse for napping is that it is part of the Italian culture, and so while I'm here I ought to try and experience it, right?

Later this afternoon we had our first Bible study. Three other girls and I have decided to read Crazy Love together this semester while we are here. It was such a blessing and I am very thankful that we can support each other, especially while we are away from our church families and other Christian friends.

I cannot wait for tomorrow because my art history class is going to the Museo Civico here in town to see Francesca's Resurrection. I don't know if words can express just how thrilled I am to have the opportunity to study art here, where I live down the street from some of the best paintings in the world.

In Italy Today I learned an interesting story about this painting. In WWII Sansepolcro was occupied by Germans. At one point the British army was advancing with the intent of bombing Sansepolcro to rid it of the Germans. However, the British Captain in charge of the advance remembered reading a piece by Aldous Huxley, where he proclaimed Francesca's Resurrection to be the the greatest painting in the world. Because he did not want to harm the painting, the Captain ordered the army to stop. The Germans ended up retreating, and so the Resurrection saved Sansepolcro from destruction. I thought that was a really neat story.

Starting last weekend and continuing to this weekend there is a festival called Balestra going on. There are several events, one of which involved us dressing up in medieval dresses and walking in a procession. You might have seen pictures of it on facebook. Last weekend and this weekend there was also a pasta festival. I did not go because it cost 10 euros, but it seemed like fun. On Wednesday and Sunday there are crossbow tournaments. Yes, crossbows. Sansepolcro is divided into two sides, the side closer to Rome and the side closer to Florence, and the tournament on Wednesday is between these two sides. Then on Sunday the competition is between Sansepolcro and Gubbio, our arch rivals across the border in Umbria. I will definitely write more about it later this weekend. Until then, arrividerci!