Pagliacci, Pompeii, e piu!

The last week has been quite eventful and fun and piu! (piu= a little more/anymore) Friday I went to Teatro di San Carlo (again, the OLDEST opera house in the world!!!) and saw Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. While I do understand a lot of the Italian language now (after two months of studying it, I certainly should understand it!), I had no idea what was going on for the majority of the show. All I can say for sure, the clown got mad and killed everyone, then said "The comedy is finished." That was our clue that the show was over. (In comedies, you know it is over when everyone is married; in tragedies, everyone dies- quite Shakespearean). Despite not understanding it, I enjoyed it very much! It was beautifully sung, staged (the show included a ballet company, adding a real acrobatic level to the circus setting), and acted.

That alone would have been enough adventure for one week, but the adventures were just beginning! My friend from Oberlin-In-Italy-2011, Caitlin, visited us for three days, and she and I went to Pompeii together. Never before have I been in such a place! To see a preserved city was very humbling and the very definition of the word awesome. Pompeii is very huge, and a lovely place to just wander, which is what we did. I kept imagining the stories that happened in this place. What kind of person lived here? What did this shop sell? How did he feel when he died? The possibilities are endless, and we'll never know what the lives there were like. Getting to Pompeii and being there took up the entire day, and it was something I enjoyed and might do again.

Not only do I live in Napoli, I live in Lago Patria, a lovely little town with our own beach. That's right, I live one mile from the beach. At this beach we can see Ischia and Capri, two islands of Campagna (our region of the country). After Pagliacci and Pompeii, a full day at the beach was quite appreciated and lovely!

Two weeks left in Italia for me....I hope to have several more adventures before my time is up!
Buon giorno tutti! <3

Miei Amici

One of my defining qualities is that I'm quite a social person. When I go on trips or see friends I love to have pictures with them; these are the memories I treasure and look back on often. Remember the old days of printed photos? Remember film? In my home in Alabama we have a box of old photos. Hours can be lost when I decide to go through the box and peruse the captured moments. When there is a friend in the picture, the moments are all the more treasured.

On my trip (where I went to Milano, Arezzo, Firenze, e Cortona), I met some wonderful people! I am so grateful! These friends came from all over the world, and somehow our journeys meshed in this beautiful land we call Italia. I treasure my friends, and can't wait to make new ones.


Milano:

My friends had a little going away dinner with me :) 

At first I quite disliked this picture of myself, but my friends all loved it for one reason: that is me. I am the girl who laughs with my whole body and this picture captured the energy and love of us all.

My bello neighbor Eder, after we decided to take a random walk one evening (so we are tired and on the metro in this picture)

Arezzo:

 My dear friend Julia and I at La Giostra!!!

 Firenze:

In front of the Duomo: Jackie, Julia, and Me

 Cortona:

My darling roommate Sophia and I in the theatre before the opera

 Arezzo:

Emily and I before performing Radamisto 

More pictures to come :)

A Little Tease

The best part of studying in Arezzo was the end- getting to perform in Arezzo! We sang in a beautiful museum courtyard complete with columns and an open sky. My opera was Handel's Radamisto, and I sang the part of the queen Polissena. For those that didn't see the show, or saw it and couldn't understand (yeah....it is complex), my husband Tiridate is trying to take over my brother's, Radamisto, kingdom, and has fallen in love with my brother's wife Zenobia. In our scene Tiridate is choosing to not surrender, and the rest of us are trying to figure out what to do. Emotions are running high, and you can see we are all considering the stakes and future!

Here are some pictures from our scene: (Photography by Lana Austin who can be seen at her blog http://www.lanaaustinmotif.blogspot.com/ )

I truly loved playing this character and would love to explore it more; maybe someday in the future I can do Radamisto again.

If I ever acquire a copy of the video I promise to post that too. Handel's harmonies are quite glorious and I loved singing in them.
Buon giorno amici! <3

For more stuffs :)

Please drop by and visit Lana Austin's Blog Motif for more pictures of Arezzo, Firenze, and other lovely Italian things and places!

http://www.lanaaustinmotif.blogspot.com/

Side note- She's my loving wonderful mother whom I love and adore :)
Thanks ya'll! Ciao amici!

Mia Vita Bella

Ciao! Io tornata a Blogger ;)
I have so many stories to tell...how do I go about writing it all? Thank goodness for pictures! The instant memory capturing device saves us for sure.
With only four weeks left in Napoli I feel anxious and excited. I want to see more of Napoli, and plan to definitely, but I will be quite happy to be home when the time comes. I'm gonna make the most of this last month!
Looking back on all that has happened this summer, I am comfortably saying that Arezzo is my favorite city in Italia (mio preferisco!!!), and Cortona is second. Milano would be third.
Let's discuss Cortona. If you can handle a long bus ride up a windy mountain, let me rephrase that- Up up up up a wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinding spinning circle-y mountain, then the city is well worth visiting. You can walk from  one end of the city to the other side in less than 20 minutes. But even though it is small in size, I went back several times and loved it each time. I never got bored or tired. How could I? The view from above is amazing, and the people there are quite lovely. I think they love getting the chance to practice their English while you practice your Italian. If you are feeling tired, or sorry for yourself, take a walk through Cortona.Get a grasp on perspective- you're in Italy! And not just anywhere in Italy, but lovely Tuscan Italy.

If the small loving size of Cortona or Arezzo is not enough for you, try Firenze; a lovely touristy big city. Honestly, there were too many Americans there for my enjoyment. No offense to my nationality, but I don't travel to see my people. I travel to experience the wonder of a new culture, and to learn about life outside of my comfort zone.

A few things this year has taught me:
*I love traveling and want to travel so so so much more. I have been bitten by the travel bug (yes, I made that up).
*I have fallen deeply and passionately in love with music, specifically opera. I want to fight for that and make it my life. Music truly has captivated me in a way I never thought possible.
*There is a difference between a metro and a bus...yes, some things have humbled me....
*It's ok to ask for help. Again, humility to be learned.
*You can learn new things every day, and really should try to be open to new experiences. Be open in general!
*God really does have a plan, and we should give Him more credit for that. He knows what He is doing ;)

Of course I learned a lot more than just that. Those are the things off the top of my head!

More stories and pictures soon :) I plan on seeing Pompeii, Spaccanapoli, and possibly some other neat Neopolitan places!!
<3 

A Tale of a Dinner in Arezzo

Arezzo, mi manchi! Milano, mi manchi! Time for one last month here in Napoli. I cannot believe I've been here for 5 months! Incredible! My life has changed, I've met such neat people, and had fun in every place!

When I lived in Arezzo I had the amazing opportunity to see a historical event- La Giostra di Arezzo! Yes, I saw a real legit joust!!!! What was neat about MY experience was I went to the joust dinner the night before! It was neat and special because typically Americans are not allowed to attend this, and it is an all Italian event. How lucky am I?! We learned drinking/game songs from the Italians, enjoyed several courses of a lovely meal, and enjoyed the energy building up before the joust!

A nice little waiter decided to steal our photo ;) 

Aw muaw!

 Aw, they wanted to dance :)

He taught us the songs that basically say "the other team plays like ----" ;)

Yum yum yum food! Just ONE of the many plates we had!

This night was super duper fun, and we met some very interesting people. The funny thing about Arezzo, because of its small size, we ran into several of those people again! 

Mi mancha Arezzo!!! <3

Mamma Mia!!!!!

Ciao tutti!
I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged last. I promise I have not forgotten the blog world; I have been immersed in opera world. I spent the month of June in Arezzo taking Oberlin Conservatory's Italy program. So so so much has happened, and my life truly has changed. How? I fell into a deep passionate love with music, and am now working harder than ever. But, I feel more joy than ever too! Music makes my day worth waking up for. I'm at the point where I'm excited to practice!

And what better place to practice music than Italia? Mi piace!!!


More stories and pictures to come! Buongiorno amici!
-Tuo Alessandra Anne <3