When in Rome, Eat Gelati.: Under the Tuscan Sun

In a change of pace from the previous days of Roman history, we made a quick stop at an American World War II Memorial in Tuscany. On the beautiful lawn covered in little white crosses and stars, we heard the story of how over four thousand American soldiers gave their lives in defense--not of their country--but of freedom. We always hear about the German front of the war, but in Italian front served a key purpose in the Allied victory of WWII. Splitting the German forces and serving as a testing ground for D-day, the Allied troops put up a tough fight where everyone assumed was a soft underbelly. Personally, it was a good time of peaceful reflection as well. After days of almost hating being an American tourist, I took a few minutes to let patriotism flow in my veins again.

Dean Blewett explaining the map

Patrick reading the names of the fallen soldiers

The Laymans talk with the groundskeeper

Kenya journaling as she walks

After the memorial, we stopped by a quaint Tuscan town to pick up some groceries for a picnic. Although it was just a brief stop, I must say that it was one of my favorites. I could sense the close bonds of a small community held together by centuries upon centuries of well-preserved history. Something about it just made me happy.

Janee and Devon pretending to be excited about a random Italian snack

Steph and Kenya--two ladies I adore.

Finally, we made our to an Augustinian chapel where we listened to some monks perform Gregorian chants. The church was originally built during the time of Charlemagne. While most of it has been rebuilt, you can still see some of the original remaining stones. The chants themselves were austere (rather like the building, in fact). They mostly consisted of Latin verses (none of which I could understand) sung to the same couple lines of melody, while we imitated the five monks in sitting and standing at the appropriate times. However, the acoustics really were beautiful. Even more beautiful was the idea behind the prayers: The monks believe that since the church was built as a house of worship, it should always be filled with worship. Therefore, they come in at regular intervals to do just that. Whether or not there is a congregation is of no importance to them. There are simply there to fill the house of God with worship.