Making it in Macerata

I apologize for the huge delay in writing this entry. Time has gone by extremely fast. I can hardly believe that I’ve been in Italy for over three weeks! Many of my initial perceptions have changed and I feel much more comfortable living and navigating in Macerata, and even conversing with Italians. It’s so nice to finally start seeing some familiar faces because Macerata is a small town. For example, we’ve made friends with the man in the vegetable shop across the street (where we buy at least thirty mandarin oranges a week--they are so addicting!), the two ladies in the shop where we buy fresh prosciutto and cheese, and some Italian university students who participate in the Tandem Program.

The Tandem Program started during our second week. Each of us was paired up with an Italian student that we meet with at least two hours a week. Because I just started learning Italian, my partner Andrea practices his English with me. We’ve met three times so far and we have a lot in common because he’s a philosophy major and I’m studying history. It’s so comforting to know that he’s happy to answer any questions I have about Italian culture. We usually meet from 7pm to 9pm in a café for aperetivo. During the hours of aperetivo you can order a drink at any bar and they provide free snacks like bruschetti and olives.

Since I last wrote, we’ve gone on two different excursions. The first was a walking tour of Macerata to see the historical sights. The tour lasted all day and we were absolutely freezing the whole time. But regardless of the cold, learning the medieval and Renaissance history of the Macerata region is so fascinating to me. We examine the architectural features of every building we see. I’ve learned that the Romanesque architecture is known for its semi-circular arches, thick walls, and small windows because people were still figuring out how to build windows and doorways without making the wall collapse.

In the Palazzo Comunale, we saw ancient tombstones and plaques of the Etruscans (the people who settled in Italy before the Romans) and the Romans.

We saw the old headquarter of the Universitá di Macerata that was established in 1290. On the wall of the Universitá, there were a variety of plaques that commemorated famous professors.

We examined the ornate interior of many churches, including Chiesa di Santa Maria Della Porta, the Cattedrale di San Giuliano, and the Basilica di Santa Maria Della Misericordia. We also walked to the Fonte Maggione, where Roman women would wash their clothes and collect clean water.

My favorite was the Cattedrale di San Giuliano (the main cathedral in Macerata dedicated to Saint Julian, the patron saint of town). It was built in 1313. At that time, clergy included stories of Christ in vast paintings and carvings to educate the illiterate peasants. Because of this, all of the ornate details in the cathedrals are full of symbolism. The paintings are breathtaking.

The following day we visited Civitanova, a town located on the Adriatic Sea known for its fish market. We went to the market and ate at a seafood restaurant for lunch. I’m not much of a seafood person, so I was less than thrilled to see deep-fried fish with their heads and tails still on and whole shrimp that still had their beady eyes. After awhile though we couldn’t help but play with them (something only stupid Americans would do), which seemed to amuse the Italians who were seated at nearby tables. After lunch we walked along the Adriatic Sea. It was beautiful even though the sky was gray. I can only imagine how pretty it is in the summer.

Last weekend during out excursion, we visited the nearby town of San Ginesio, the Abbazia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra (a Benedictine abbey) and the Castello della Rancia (my first castle!). Each location demonstrated material culture of a historical period we’ve discussed in class. For example, in San Ginesio, we examined many frescoes in the crypt of a church that were painted during Black Death. The expressive faces in the paintings emphasized the atrocity of the Black Death. We learned how the images were meant to give comfort to those who were mourning plague victims. In one fresco, Mary is sitting in a chair with Christ’s dead body across her lap that is covered in boils, implying that he too died of the plague.

We even saw Roman artifacts from the ruins of a nearby Roman town called Urbs Salvia that was destroyed by the Barbarian Migration that caused the fall of the Western Empire. There were Roman roof shingles that still bore the stamp of town, marble signs that marked the entrances to Roman temples, and artifacts that were buried with people in the Necopoli, the city of the dead.

Sorry for the history lesson. I could go on and on about this stuff. I can’t even explain how amazing it is to learn about these things in class and then go out and see the history during our excursions!

This Sunday we’re going to Venice for Carnevale, which is an annual 10 day festival that takes place across Italy before Lent. Carnevale in Venice is very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It’s a big masquerade where people dress up in medieval costumes. It’s been a tradition for hundreds of years. I am so excited!

I inserted some pictures to my previous blog entries. Feel free to check them out. I’ll try to update more frequently. Also, thanks for everyone’s feedback. It’s very helpful because I’m new to blogging. Feel free to tell me what you think!