Benetton Basement

While working on some other posts I ran across pictures I had taken while shopping in Verona when my parents were here.

I was desperate for some shorts and headed off shopping with Ashley.  After several frustrating experiences with the Italian skinny-legs fashion--I couldn't get my runner's thighs in shorts that came anywhere near fitting at the waist--we decided to try Benetton.

The men's shop was in the basement, as was...an archaeological preservation!  

This was in the old part of the city in a very popular shopping district.  Although the excavation had no description, I am sure that it was discovered when the store decided to extend down to increase space (there is no question of external modifications in a historic district with edifices dating back before the Renaissance).

What to do?  Excavate, make it a display, and put the merchandise around the perimeter.

I didn't have a very good camera angle, but that is a mosaic floor. 

Michael

Beata Speranza!

I'm way behind on posting about this because of one thing and another...but May 31 was the beatification of Madre Speranza! The beatification took place at Collevalenza, a small town a few kilometers away from Todi (it's far: 6 km and 2 villages away). Collevalenza is the site of Madre Speranza's convent and a major shrine devoted to the healing waters of the area, and was the obvious place for her beatification Mass.

Never one to miss this sort of thing, I signed up to sing in the choir...assigned seating, hurray! Of course, there were rehearsals and so on, but no problem with that (except the long commute).

Maria Pia, one of my choir buddies

Finally, the day arrived! It dawned cloudy, and didn't get much better. We were expected to be there at 8 for an 11:00 start (using the obligatory shuttle bus from Todi, since the town was closed to traffic). After the usual jockeying for seats and changes in seating protocol (sopranos here! No, wait, over there!), we were finally in position. At 8:30. We sat. And milled around. And sat. And milled around. Finally, at around 10, some fellow members of the Duomo choir decided to go off and get some coffee, so of course I joined them.

A small part of the crowd

The town was PACKED!

The altar. I had a front-row seat, but off to the side

When the Mass finally began, there were sufficient pomp and circumstance to suit any craving, and surfeit many.

I couldn't resist the hat.

This Italian was more worried about rain than
his appearance

The really unfortunate thing was that it was all outside...normally that would be an excellent choice, but with arctic blasts and on-again off-again rain (and I mean rain, not sprinkles, of which there were also lavish helpings), I started to feel like an emperor penguin. A particularly miserable emperor penguin.

People came from all over
the world, and flew
their flags proudly!

Finished!

Nope, just kidding. Time for about 4 people too many to give their memories of Madre Speranza.

And, we're off! Everyone to the shuttle!

From being a penguin to being a sardine, and then home, ravenous.

The town banners are all hand-stitched,
and who knows how old!

Another banner to show detail...

It really was a lovely ceremony though, and I don't suppose many in the world get to attend a beatification, let alone sing in one!

Love,

Alexandra

It cleared up a bit...but not much!

The countryside as I waited for the shuttle

A Swim Meet

As you already know from Daddy's post, I had a swim meet at Napoli. I swam in the relay race, the IM and the fly. The first day, there was the open water meet and then the relays. They ran so late with the other meet that we didn't even have time for a warm up before we had to race. Let me give you a bit of set up: we had been sitting down all day- from six in the morning to about one in the afternoon- in the bus. From two onwards we were stuck in a sweltering building- and I mean sweltering building. When the swim meet actually started, at about seven, all we wanted to do was sit quietly and pant like dogs.

Of course, my team was the very last group to go, so I had to wait even longer to swim. Our team got 4th place, which was rather surprising given that we work out in a 16-meter pool (we got new shirts that were based on that little fact: they have "16 meters of passion" written across the front!) and this pool was 50 meters long. The pool was pleasant, cold enough that you could move efficiently, but not so cold that you froze. I, however, was not very pleased with my performance; even as I was swimming, I knew that I could do better.

The next day, those who were swimming neither breaststroke nor freestyle in the morning (the big kids) traipsed down to the beach. The beach itself was very trashy, but the water was nice: salty and crabby. We played on the beach for a while -- someone bought a ball -- then we walked back home for lunch. After lunch, all of the big kids headed for the swimming pool while the little kids played on the beach. The meet was long and HOT, but when we got back to the hotel, we all changed backed into swimsuits and were back on the beach in a jiffy; we were there until dinner time.

Sunday, I had both IM and fly.We all had to go to the pool in the morning this time, because it made more sense with the distance from the hotel. It was only on Sunday that I found out that despite having a good pool, the changing rooms, showers and bathrooms were in a sorry state. But at least this time we actually got to warm up.

For the IM, we had to switch strokes IN THE MIDDLE OF THE POOL. Rather a difficult task. I came in 12th out of twenty-nine (I think it was that many). Once again, I was not pleased with how it had gone. I climbed out of the pool, went back to the stand, ate a Mars bar, drank some water, rested for a few minutes and circled back to be called for the fly.

Because I was frustrated with how my other two events had gone, I felt really angry, which gave me a surprising amount of energy.  When I got out of the pool I felt so good that I would have turned around and swum another 50 meters fly! I have not swum that well in years, in fact I've only swum that well once in my life before! I didn't even care about the placing. To top it off, all the little kids and parents that I've never seen before told me how "brava" I was; the little kids ambushed me as soon as I was back in the stands. And I wasn't even tired afterwards... I was exhilarated.

The result: second place, one of the two medals my team won this meet. The other was one by Alessandro Amoroso, a third place medal, although on the podium he is standing as a second-place winner for some reason.

Alessandro on the podium 

Before the races 

Me on the podium

The pool

Alessandro's fly 

MY FLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The relay

Overall an awesome trip (especially since Daddy was with me).

Ciao,

Florence

100 IM with a Twist

Those of you who are swimmers or parents of swimmers know the 100m IM (Individual Medley) very well: 25 meters each of fly, back, breast, and free.

Have you ever seen it raced in a 50 meter pool?  A few moments of pondering the logistics and you realize the racers would have to change strokes in the middle of the pool.  Absolutely preposterous!

Well, we are in Italy...

This was part of Florence's regional meet in Naples last weekend.

The made-up-on-the-spot rules state that you have to change strokes within a 5-meter span in the middle of the pool.  Clearly everyone needs to know where those 5 meters are.  I've captured the process in a story I call "Summer League meets Italy".  Yes, the pinnacle of make-do amateurism!

Start by stretching a line across the pool at the appropriate point and sending teenage male swimmers (i.e., humans whose brains have not started functioning) to tie balloons to the lane lines along this guide.  What you do not see is the 20 swimmers who attempted to start warming up with the guideline stretched across the pool.

Now move the guideline to the other end of the 5-meter stretch.  Oh.  We were supposed to tie those balloons to the lane lines?

Send swimmers to replace those balloons while another swimmer treads water while attempting to untie the knots attaching the balloons to the guideline.

Not all balloons were knotted so successfully.

Give up on untying balloons in the water.  Haul the guideline to the side and remove the balloons there.  Send them out for the swimmers to tie on while someone on the side shouts, "Further left!  No!  Your other left!"

Just about ready.

Wow.  That is a lot of swimmers waiting to warm up.

And there are just as many at the other end!

The pool is ready for warm-ups!  Go!

Ah, the chaos of four teams warming up per lane.

Is it just me or are those balloons taking a beating?

Clearly those were not Boy Scout knots.

Hmmm

Repairs underway.

The pool was eventually ready for the race.  The funny thing is that Florence reported that the swimmers could not actually see those balloons.  But there was a permanent mark on the bottom that worked just fine.

Michael

Race winnings!

Tonight I ran an interesting race at Sangemini (or San Gemini). It was a relay. "Staffeta" in Italian, where "staffa" mean stirrup and "staffeta" would have been a courier service. Makes sense, right?

This one was a 5 km relay on an oval cross-country course. Four runners per team, each of whom does a 400 meter lap, and you cycle through the runners three times. That is 4800 meters. The first runner gets to do an extra 200 meter half lap to make it 5000 meters.

I was on a team with three much younger guys from the track team. We had a good race, placing second in our heat by only a little bit. It was a small race, only two heats, and then we all went to the included dinner.

At dinner they announced the winners. Ashley's team, all females from the high school track team, placed second in the female division. She and her friends split the soda for dinner, but she brought the salami from the prize package home:




Massimo's team got a consolation prize for coming in last, and then they announced my team for the next prize.




Yes, that says 3rd place female. They only had two female teams, so they decided to award the 3rd place prizes to the 4th place male team! I am so honored.

But you really have to appreciate the no expense spared presentation!

This box was just for me, the other three team members having received their own similar boxes. I unpacked it at home, revealing two liters of soda, two cans of tomatoes, two bottles of water, two fruit juices (apricot), and a kilo of pasta:




Not bad for a 10 Euro race, considering that dinner was included (complete with wine, limoncello, and caffé).

If you are lucky Alexandra will posts pictures of the race itself.

Michael

p.s. You're lucky: I have a few pics.

Love, Alexandra

Above the track...rotten location, huh?

Ashley and her teammate

A little stretching...

Michael stretching

The track

The equipment tent

EMTs obligatory, of course

Michael with his team

The team from Todi