What a busy week it has been for me! This week was full of exciting opportunities, stress, and overwhelming excitement! For school this week we learned more about the Festa of Corpus Domini which happens in Orvieto every year. Our main studio project this semester focuses on this parade and we had the unique opportunity to go visit the costume storage for this parade. This parade celebrates the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena which is very important to Orvieto because the linen cloth that was stained with Jesus's blood during the breaking of bread is stored here at the Duomo. What started out as a religious celebration is now a huge element of pride to the people of Orvieto. Around 400 people participate in walking in the parade and it lasts about 3 hours! Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch the parade because it happens after my semester ends but it is still amazing to learn about this celebration. I will attach a few links down below if you are curious about this parade.
More on the Festa - https://www.orvietoviva.com/festa-del-corpus-domini/
History of the Parade - https://www.orvietoviva.com/storia-del-corte-storico/
Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena - https://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/bolsena.html
44 Drummers and 12 Trumpeters lead the parade
This was the head drummer of the Parade giving us a demonstration.
The center helmet is made of silver and is too heavy to be worn during the parade.
Handcrafted shield of bronze
Handcrafted shield with silver ornamentation
Unfortunately, most of the costumes were stored away it was still amazing to see the detail in these costumes.
Here's a picture I found of the parade online to give you an idea.
On Thursday this week, I participated in a leather workshop at a local leather workshop in Orvieto. Our instructor was Federico Badia and he has spent most of his life since high school working with leather. Throughout the year he makes shoes, belts, and wallets of the highest quality. His specialty is the bespoke shoes he makes. These take so long to make he can only produce about 10 pairs a year. I was astonished when he said his shoes sell for about $5000 dollars but will remain in their shape and fit for up to 20 years. During our workshop, we made custom leather journals. We were able to select the colors we liked and create a design for him to sew on. He was very hands off so I really felt like this was something I created.
Aenya working on her notebook
Our instructor and Master Leather craftsman Federico Badia
Each of my classmates had their own original design
You can see the wall of shoe molds he has in the back
On Friday we traveled to Siena. This has been my favorite trip so far because I was so interested in the culture of this city. While there we visited The Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico, The Piazza del Campo, The Duomo of Siena, and two Contrada Museums. One of the main things we learned about while in Siena was about the annual horse race that occurs. In this city, there are 17 contradas. Think of these as different districts within the city. Each of these contrades has a lot of pride for their community and there is a lot of rivalry between the contradas. To settle these rivalries there are two horse races a year to determine who is the best. This horse race happens right in the main Piazza of the town. They cover the cobblestone with about two feet of dirt, and thousands of people stand in the center to watch the race. The winner then receives a banner and they get to celebrate their victory. There is a lot of pride in these banners and each contrada has a museum where the prizes are stored.
Little peek at Seina
View of the Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico
Duomo di Siena
Palazzo Pubblico (Main government building in Siena)
This is the location of the horse race (Piazza del Campo).
The jockeys take 3 laps around this piazza and it only last about 90 seconds
The banner was given to the champion of the August 2023 race
Banners won in the past (These are from 1931 to 1959)
The Museum for the Turtle Contrada
Costumes worn in the parade day leading up to the race.
After our organized school trip to Siena, a couple of friends and I organized a trip to Pisa. Unfortunately, there was a bit of rain during our trip but I felt that it worked in our favor because there were not as many tourists and fewer people trying to sell souvenirs. The shock factor of getting to see the Leaning Tower was very bizarre. It was almost like I thought it wouldn't be leaning when we got there but sure enough it was. We also toured the baptistery and Doumo while we were there and they were both very impressive.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Duomo of Pisa
Baptistry of Pisa
I was there so I kinda had to
After our trip to Pisa, I had one more thing up my sleeve. I had been planning this trip for a long time but left Aenya in the dark about one specific detail. Our next destination was a winery called Petra which was designed by the architect Mario Botta. I found this venue in an architecture book of mine and thought it was the perfect venue for our proposal. I can happily say that she said yes!
The big news!
Unfortunately, we came on a rainy day and we couldn't go on the steps
but that didn't prevent this day from being perfect!
I had planned ahead with our guide and during the middle of the tour, I got down on my knee.
Wow, you guys are certainly having an amazing time. Congratulations are in order!
ReplyDeleteOne question: Did you take all those pictures? They are amazing!