We are settled in Spoleto and it is beautiful!
Since arriving on Friday morning, we have been on the go. The students have taken a few walking tours of their new town, moved into their rooms in the convent, visited with new friends, met their teachers, and visited the nearby town of Assisi. Their classes will begin in earnest on Monday morning.
On Saturday, the students met their teachers (see below). There will be blogposts almost everyday to address the different specialities, trips, and events. On Mondays the vocal musicians and actors will be highlighted. Tuesdays will focus on the visual arts. On Wednesdays and Saturdays we travel to various towns in Tuscany and Umbria and these blogposts will pull from the Arts & Ideas, Art & Architecture, and Italian classes, and highlights from the trips (posted Thursdays and Sundays). Thursdays will focus on photography. On Fridays the creative writers will be spotlighted. Sundays will emphasize the highlights of the week, performance classes, special events, and other items of interest.
On Saturday morning, the group traveled to Assisi. This town was home to St. Francis and St. Clare. Lorenzo Muti led the students on a tour of the town while explaining its significant history. Two of our stops in the town were the Basilica of St. Clare and the Basilica of St. Francis. Mr. Muti spoke about the architecture of these structures, the symbolism in some of the sculptures on the facade, and the spectacular murals by Giotto in the Basilica. The focus of this summer's program is "The Town as Text" and Mr. Muti's introductions naturally incorporated this theme. Below, are some highlights from the trip.
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| Mr. Muti explain's the biography of St. Clare, a contemporary of St. Francis, and the architectural style of the basilica. |
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The flying buttresses of the Basilica of St. Clare.
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| Mr. Muti and students at the Basilica of St. Clare. |
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| All of the students below the Basilica of St. Francis. |
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| The view of town from the Basilica of St. Francis. |
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| The view down the hill from the Basilica of St. Francis. |
The weather has been delightfully cool and it has rained in the evening. The cloud cover has added to the amazing scenery.
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| View of the countryside from Monteluco, across the aqueduct from Spoleto |
A domani!
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