Medieval Tuscan Feasts (a.k.a., I Will Not Cry)

June 10, 2007

Dr. Webb drove four of us to Monte Cassali at 7:30 in the morning, and you had better believe that I was in the back of that car as soon as she pulled out of the driveway. Monte Cassali is a small monastery/church high in the Tuscan hillside, where St. Francis slept on a stone slab during his more ascetic years. The chapel is miniscule but beautiful, with a mosaic tympanum on the inside of the door. A monk turned on the light for us in the side room, and we saw the three stone stairs leading to the slab of rock that was Francis' bed. Um, ouch?

Classes, mass, lunch, and more class followed, and then President Hartford took several of us to the Palazzo Alberti, an old palace right on the Via XX Septembre street (mainstreet). This is where future Meredith students will stay when participating in the new semester-long Sansepolcro study abroad session. It won't be ready until after I graduate, but I offered to act as a test case for the building. You know, sacrifice for the good of all, that's me. ;) The building doesn't have much, yet, but it's large and spacious, and you can already envision Meredith girls cooking, learning, laughing, and having the time of their lives in the rooms. The best part is that the construction workers are uncovering original frescoes throughout the building, and the main room has a huge ceiling fresco by the Albertis. Lovely!

Our final family dinner occurred tonight, and Marguerita went above and beyond anything I have ever seen before. She decorated the fifteenth-century Servi in medieval banners, flowers, and candlelight, which highlighted the original fresco tympanums along the walls and made the entire place glow with warmth. Women in renaissance costumes greeted the guests, and we were dressed in our finery to do the same--I wore my last piece of clean clothing, a beautiful dress my mother bought me (thanks, Mom!). Luigina and Roberto met us inside, and they gave us the most wonderful present--Piero della Francesca's Madonna della Miseraccordia on burlap, which I had been eyeing heavily at the Museo Civico. It's absolutely beautiful!

The dinner was amazing, a multi-course medieval feast typical of wealthy Tuscan aristocrats. We had several courses, which I shall be happy to list for you and make you salivate with jealousy (*smirk*): fresh vegetables, meats, and breads; hearty soup; pasta with meat that reminded us heavily of fresh chicken and dumplings; grilled, spiced onions with pork in a rich sauce; and a fruity cake, dipped in Vinsanto, the Tuscan wine of the saints. Jealous? Don't deny!

Renaissance dancing followed, accompanied by gift-giving and the traditional singing of the Meredith girls. We sang "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," "Lean on Me," and "Carolina Girls." The last song definitely got a few ladies teary. I didn't want to leave my host family, and neither did Jen. We held up our facades long enough to bid Roberto and Luigina farewell, and then we both got teary and had to hide in a corner for a few minutes for it to pass. I miss them already, and it hasn't even been long!