WELCOME

Thanks for visiting our blog. In order to follow in sequence the story of the Singers' formation and travel to Italy, scroll down to the BLOG ARCHIVE in the right hand column. Entries are grouped by month. After choosing the month, you will find several entries. The first entry is the last one entered for the month, so scroll down to the first entry and then scroll up to the second, and so forth. (If only Blogger would allow reversing the order!)

These videos were posted online on October 4, 2012, apparently by the host church in Assisi. We hope you will enjoy them.

Part 1.  Part 2.

We're happy you've come to visit.

"Market Square Singers in Italy" wraps up with end-of-stay photos by Lee Gayman

Welcome to the last post in Market Square Singers in Italy. Lee Gayman sent many photos upon his return to our area, and they are offered here as an overview and summary of the last days of the group in Italy, along with Lee's very fine narrative. You will feel that you are there with him!

Lee writes: Between my iPhone and my Canon camera, I somehow managed to snap over 1700 images during the course of our trip! Sifting thru that many photos is a bit daunting, but since I didn't have to go back to work the remainder of the week, I was able to spend the hours doing so. John, we really appreciate your having created the blog for our trip. I am amazed by the number of people who have commented about how they followed the blog and appreciated learning of some of what we were up to.

Here are a few of the photos I took. (Captions are below each photo. Click on any one to enlarge.)

As you will learn from my photos, EATING was a large item (and you thought we just went to sing!). I thought these pastries looked rather tempting, but I did resist....

Here, parked by our hotel in Perugia, is the bus that provided our transportation for the week. We had the same driver plus Luigi, our group's Italian guide with us the entire week.

Dave and Gwen Lehman posed for me in the piazza of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, avoiding the sun in the warmth of the evening.

Here Maestro Riley posed for me as well. Behind him you see the entrance to the Lower Basilica of St. Francis. We sang in the upper Basilica, which is located above the lower basilica, up the long stairway to the right of the lower entrance. 

This is a closeup of the detail over the lower basilica entrance. This was only the beginning of what we would see as endless examples of the fine craftmanship and artistry of the ancient builders and artisans
.

As they wait to sing, Bob, Ken and Molly ponder the workings of a camera.

Here's a typical scene at the hotel as the group departs for a day trip in Italy.

Several of us happened unexpectedly upon cute kittens sitting in an open window.

Here is an example of the beauty one finds in these old cities. Every few steps yield yet another photo opportunity.

Pots of colorful, blooming flowers are abundant!

The streets are often very narrow and the architectural detail always fascinating. For what reason was this particular arch created between the two buildings? Is there a passageway inside it or is it strictly for structural purposes?

After the long walk to visit the aqueduct, refreshment was in order. This was one of our first chances to "deal with the natives." Little English was spoken, but the gelatos were wonderful!

We visited so many gorgeous cathedrals, that after awhile, one felt overwhelmed by it all. Here is a rank of organ pipes that I found attractive - don't ask me to tell you in which cathedral it is located!

Another view of some of the detail in that same sanctuary.

More cathedral architecture.

Another gelato stop! See how gelato makes you smile?!

I've taken quite a few photos of people's laundry, hanging outside like this. All they need are the pulleys and they'd be Amish! I'm not really into seeing people's laundry, I just found it a unique practice that seemed to be visible in all the towns we visited.

Did I happen to mention the food?!

 Another lovely edifice!

Beth and I decided to spend a day in Montecatini rather than taking the bus to Florence. It gave us a chance to do some shopping. This food store/deli was particularly interesting. 

Our purchases ranged from wine, olive oil and jams and even included a bit of 7 year old goat cheese!

After a morning of shopping, we decided to visit the hilltop town of Montecatini Alte, accessible by the "funicolare" - a cable car. With two cars each attached to opposing cables, they actually pass at the halfway point! We're in the car going up, this is the car coming down. The cars run every half hour, except from 1 to 2:30 p.m. which is siesta time!

As we left the funicolare at the top, we were greeted by the gentle sounds of Italian accordion music. For an euro coin, Beth was serenaded with a special song. At the station, a box of freshly picked apricots was sitting there, free for the helping. Delicious! (What did I say about food?....) 

Tiles are almost the exclusive roofing material in these towns. I found them to be most interesting.

Marla attracted a visitor as she enjoyed a cookie in an outdoor café. (More about food....)

Yours truly in concert garb.

Proof that Italy is for lovers..... (Alice Ann - Bob behind the shades).

I was a little surprised to find so many ruins in Rome. I knew they were there, but not in such quantity. We saw centuries of craftsmanship now lying in ruins.

Just another typical American tourist in Rome!

Spend a moment studying the detail in just this one photo. How did our ancestors come up with all these ideas, and who executed their making? It's hard to get one's mind around that.

In Rome, I decided to "walk the neighborhood" a bit in the vicinity of the hotel. I happened upon a wood shop! It was a furniture refinishing and repair shop right in the heart of downtown Rome. They spoke no English, but permitted me to take a few photos of their operation.

Totally silent, a lady delivered mail to an adjacent building in this unique little electric vehicle. This could be fun to have in Mechanicsburg!

Here at the Vatican Museum, our guide Luigi is attempting to account for everyone's presence in the midst of a huge throng of very loud people. I think I was most surprised by the noise of the crowd, as I think I expected a bit more of an atmosphere of quiet reverence. That being said, the Vatican's display of the arts of the centuries is totally awesome! We saw so much, but our guide told us there are some 25,000 more sculptures and artifacts stored away in the basements that are not on display.

My personal knowledge of classical art is limited, hence I cannot give you a lot of detail about these sculptures. Suffice it to say that they are exquisitely rendered!

Here is an example of the many, many huge tapestries that are displayed in a long hallway-like building. This area is climate controlled and offered a cool respite from some of the other areas of the museum.

Here Karen, Tim, and Tony stand before a rather interesting painting.

I was impressed by the fine wood carving by the open window.

The frescos were abundant! Our Vatican guide spoke to us through earphones. She spent quite a long time explaining details of this particular painting. What I took away from it is that Rafael, Michelangelo and other prominent artists of the period all appear in this picture. I guess I'll have to go back to revisit it to get those details sorted out. As I understand it, Rafael is the person in the black hat on the lower right side; Michelangelo is the man in the center with the white box.

Just as did Wil, I also decided to follow the practices of my fellow visitors and to snap some photos in the Sistine Chapel against the RULES (I did NOT use flash).

That space is so complex and so beautifully adorned, it would take quite a long time in quiet study to fully appreciate it. As a casual visitor, I felt the 25 minutes allotted to us to spend there was a bit longer than we needed. We had seen so much beauty in the museum before getting to the chapel that, by then, I felt a bit saturated. I was happy to be able to bring a few photos home to enjoy on my own terms and on my own time. 

I was pleased to see Michangelo's "Pieta" in its home location in St. Peter's Basilica. Fifty years ago I was able to see it when it was brought to the New York World's Fair. It appears to have survived the trip well. (Ed. note: Lee, was there glass in front of it? I recall that glass was installed after a madman attacked the statue with a chisel.)

I particularly liked the view of the light beams in this photo. The iPhone in the foreground is representative of the way crowds are seen vacationing these days. Nearly everyone has either a phone or iPad camera device with them to record their vacation.

Another view in St. Peter's. We were told that the letters above the columns are each 6 feet tall! What a beautiful space!

As we left St. Peters, we saw the famous Swiss Guards stationed outside the basilica. We were told that Swiss Guards have long been used to guard the Vatican because they are more reliable and loyal than local guards.

This couple represents an unexpected encounter. Wil and I went on a gelato search and happened to check out a little dry goods shop within a block or two of the Vatican. The shop owner and his wife were very congenial, Wil helped the man sort out some issues with his iPad, and we spent a good half-hour just visiting with them in their shop.

The owner was very interested in local history, and explained to us in broken English detail how the obelisk above, located in the center of St. Peter's Square, was brought to Rome from Egypt. According to him, the stone of the obelisk is very brittle, so a special boat had to be built for shipment and the obelisk was carried on a bed of lentils to protect it from breakage. Pretty neat!

The group was graciously treated to a farewell dinner on Monday evening in Rome. Here we enjoyed a full-course Italian meal in a lovely restaurant. Perhaps to the chagrin of other paying customers, the group did a raucous "roast" of Eric by singing a somewhat boistrous and abridged version of "Where Riches Is Everlasting." Eric responded by offering valuable gifts to Molly, his flautist and to Tony, his accompanist. This was the final organized event of the week and was a bittersweet ending to a totally wonderful experience! From here, it was back to the hotel and up early for our final bus ride to the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport for our flight home.

The eating continued with a wonderful Japanese noodle dish at Wagamama's, just behind Harrod's at the Heathrow airport.

Here Molly attempts to secure her carry-on for the flight home.

Safely back at the Philadelphia Airport, the group waits until fellow travelers clear customs. Next stop Harrisburg, after the bus ride home!

Lee concludes: Let me say, I would not have missed this trip for the world! The trip was organized by "Classical Movements" out of Alexandria, Virginia, and I feel they did a great job!  It was a joy to sing wonderful music in amazingly wonderful spaces in Italy! The experience tells me why people often tell me that, when in Italy, they don't want to come home. It's a lovely country! Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible and a special thanks to John Robinson for "following us" with the blog. Great job, John!

Thank you, Lee! It was my pleasure to create the blog and have it "populated" by you, Wil, Molly, and Bob. My blog statistics show that there were more than 3,000 page views, so obviously family, friends, and church members were very interested in your trip. Thanks to you who contributed to and read "Market Square Singers in Italy."

We'll leave it "parked" here for as long as Blogger will allow, so you can refer to it from time to time.

And so, farewell.

John K. Robinson