Daliah Bernstein, Muhlenberg College

Semester Physical Theatre Program

On Saturday, November 16, Stacy and I took a spontaneous trip to Castiglione Del Lago after visiting the beautiful Christmas market in town. Castiglione Del Lago translates to “castle on the lake.” Though it was raining, it was a wonderful trip. The city is twenty minutes away from the train and you can see the castle from far away. Inside the castle is a museum filled with artifacts and a photography exhibit. We were able to walk along the castle walls and get a gorgeous view of the city. You could also see the lake from the top. I could only imagine how beautiful it looked like on a sunny day, but the view was still stunning. It was a little foggy, but it created this mysterious vibe. Usually, there are lots of the cats in the city, but because of the rain, I only saw one. But, one cat is better than no cats!! We then went to Parrochia Santa Maria Maddalena, the Catholic Church in Castiglione Del Lago. The inside was filled with art and there was an echo that made our voices bounce off of the walls. Sometimes you need to be bold and make an impulse decision. Take yourself on a trip somewhere new and explore! You never know what you might find.

Hannah Mahr, Gustavus Adolphus College

Semester Physical Theatre Program

Arezzo’s Christmas Market is officially up and running! Lots of us chose to check it out during our free time this past weekend. With final performances quickly approaching, there’s plenty of hectic energy on the ADA campus. So, it was nice to get away and revel in some holiday cheer!

The Christmas Market is a grand affair. Piazza Grande is covered in pine trees, lights displays, wreaths, and stars. There’s even a Santa bear statue for photo ops. And the shopping stalls are Christmas-themed, too! Every vendor has a cabin-like wooden booth decorated with pine sprigs and twinkly lights. They sell everything: ornaments, wool socks, chocolate… the list goes on! Daliah and I enjoyed some soft pretzels as we strolled through the square. Overall, I’d say our Christmas Market experience was pretty lovely. Though, as a Minnesotan, I was missing the snow. What can I say? I’m biased.

Italy may not be getting any snow this time of year, but there’s loads of rain. The sky has been overcast nearly every day for the last two to three weeks, and we’ve seen some heavy downpours. Fortunately, Arezzo has stayed clear of the crazy flooding, but other cities haven’t been so lucky. The flooding in Venice is wreaking havoc on St. Mark’s Square. In Florence, the Arno River is rising and the currents are wicked fast. Climate change is real, folks. As we head into this holiday season, remember that the earth is the greatest gift we have!

Donia Mourad, Coastal Carolina University

One Year Physical Theatre Program

Two weeks ago, Carlie Maze and I took a train to Montepulciano! A small town in Tuscany that is notably know for being the site of filming for the voters town scenes in Twilight: New Moon as well as having their own native wine they are famous for: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano! Upon arrival we saw a street market and decided to opt for the bus 30 minutes later so we can explore it. We didn’t buy anything, but we walked into the train station bar and ordered some cappucinos with shots of Baileys–Don’t judge– through the surprise of the barista, we got to know her and became friends. Her name is Fransesca and she wouldn’t let us pay for anything and offered us pastries! Around the time we were leaving we decided to take a picture together, during taking this picture, our bus left and we had to stay there for another two hours. We eventually made it into town, and the nice bus driver didn’t make us pay for tickets! Naturally, we then made our rounds to the piazza where the filming took place where we learned that the fountain in the movie does not exist and was actually made of wood and paper mache! We sent up the town to take a birds eye view of the piazza, then we went on to a cafe to enjoy some pizza funghi and espresso! We walked around to several wineries for some wine tastings and tours of the cellars. We were inevitably convinced to buy a bottle of the local Montepulciano wine from the Talosa winery. It was cold and raining most of the day but that didn’t stop us from having a jolly old time! We walked to San Biagio Cathedral where we took a audio tour. San Biagio was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder and featured a circle in the center directly under the dome where you can here the echo of any noise made within it hundreds of times over, while no one else in the cathedral can! We took the wrong bus in town and made the taxi operator mad on the phone, but we eventually got a taxi to the train station. Our new friend Franscesca drove 14 km just to say bye, then we took the train back on which we ate our packed dinner!

Benett Sullivan, Coastal Carolina

Semester Physical Theatre Program