This past week was busier than "usual," if there is a "usual" here. We had had 16 new missionaries come in and 11 went home this week. Monday was Ferragosto, a major national holiday (actually commemorating the assumption of Mary into heaven, but generally a summer holiday, when a lot of people go on vacation, some for the entire month.) Sacrament meeting attendance was about half of usual today and probably will be next week too. Anyway, we generally feed the new missionaries their first supper at a local restaurant, but because the restaurants are closed this week because of the holiday, we did it in the mission home. Myrna and Sister Allen (the president's wife) put it together. We did dinners for both groups and lunches for them too. Here are a few pictures I took.
The mission home living room set up for dinner. Myrna and I were in the kitchen and the assistants to the president (AP) served. As you can see from the table, we had salad and Myrna's crescent rolls on the table, when they came in.
The meat course was Myrna's sesame seed chicken breast with mushroom "gravy" (she first made it for a Relief Society function in Soda Springs, but modified it with what we have here, like wonderful mushrooms, real cream, etc.) The mashed potatoes were certainly not from Idaho (and didn't taste like it), but the carrot and zucchini with honey glaze was wonderful.
This was actually the last plate we made, (when I had time to take the pix), it was for an AP (there wasn't enough room at the table for them either), and I was not as careful with putting things on the plate as before, e.g., gravy drips. For dessert we had gelato with home made cookies.
At the end we had a testimony meeting, which was, of course, beyond words--the Spirit was so strong. Both Myrna and I were able to bear our testimonies too, and the emphasis was for them to continue on valiantly with their earthly missions, using the temple recommend (and going to the temple) as their missionary "white bible" for the rest of their lives.
Of course, we get to know some missionaries better than others, so we become closer to them. This is Anziano Kenny Mocellin, who lives in France and only had a 3.5 hour train ride to get home to his parents (actually he met them at the temple in Zollikoffen, Switzerland). He wants to become a policeman, so, as I think I have previously written, if I am ever driving around Lyon, France, and need to be stopped, and he is the policeman, I would expect to get the ticket, if I deserve it, but also a hug. Regardless of what he becomes, I know that he will become a great leader in the Church.
These are the new missionaries with their trainers. We had to have their day of training at a church, although we fed them (just the new missionaries, not their trainers) their first dinner in Italy at the mission home. So we did two back to back dinners at the mission home.
Myrna talked with them, just before lunch, about the importance of the "red tape" involved with getting their permits to remain in Italy. We haven't managed to get one deported yet.
Lunch was fresh pannini (Italian rolls), that I picked up at the bakery on the way to Milano that morning, with cooked ham (Italians eat crudo or cured raw ham too, which is wonderful), Milano salami (a famous kind), cheese (three kinds), tomatoes, lettuce, etc. with home made cookies for dessert.
The "climax" of the day comes when the APs reveal who is matched up with whom, "the match" including what city in which they begin their mission. There is a "missionary language" where they refer to this as being "born", their "father" (trainer), "grandfather" (trainer's trainer), and they "die" at the end, when they go home.
One of my "functions" has been to take pix. We call the parents to tell them their missionary has safely arrived and email them a pix of their missionary with their first companion, and with President and Sister Allen. These also go on the mission blog, which the office anziani maintain with Sister Allen's help.
It was very busy, but rewarding week.
The first of many hugs.
So by Saturday, our P-day, we were ready for a break. We slept in (only until 7), Myrna made more muffins for this coming week, cleaned the apartment, and then drove to Torino (two hours west), where I remembered, from 50 years ago, going to a medieval castle on the bank of the Po river.
Amazingly, it was still there, pretty much like I remembered it. The day was overcast with a little rain, but we had our faithful umbrella.
The drawbridge leading to the Borgo Medievale, or medieval town. Now, this town and castle are in a large city park, Parco Valentino, on the river, not on a hilltop, where most of them were actually located. During the mid 1800s, some influential Italians, including architects and historians, were fascinated with medieval life, so, for a world's fair in Torino, they re-created a medieval town (borgo) and castle, using 6 local castles as models and getting what they could beg, borrow or steal, from them to display. Unfortunately, during the war those real castles were damaged and are not visitable today, but this borgo and castle are open and tickets are cheap. You get a 45 minute guided tour for €6 each, but when I asked about a discount because we are over 65 (Italy is into senior discounts), the lady said, today it's free for you. Again, many Italians are vacationing on the beach this month.
This is the "main street" leading through town.
The stables and the public well, where horses could also drink.
Some of the frescoes were taken from actual castles.
There were shops, which were open. Myrna bought a few gifts for the grandchildren.
Reproductions of actual pottery used during the medieval period.
Metal work reproduced from actual things were for sale.
The church, with some actual frescoes (which you can also still see in real churches throughout Italy).
Including gargoyles, or how ever you spell these fanciful creatures which they apparently liked during medieval times. (This one may have eaten children for breakfast.)
Maybe that's what this little guy's parents told him.
And saints, which Italy is full of.
There were grape vines everywhere, and this time of year, they have ripe grapes.
This one grape vine was near the path leading up to the Lord's castle on the hill.
I was so impressed with its size, I had never seen a grape vine this big, I took a pix of my hand holding it, so you can see how large grape vines can get.
Myrna was hiking up to the Lord's castle while I was still taking my hand pix.
It was very dark inside, and we were not allowed to use flash, but we could take pictures (no movies though). Our guide is the guy on the left, which you may be able to see if you manipulate this pix.
A better pix of our guide, to the left, out in the light of the courtyard. He looked quite medieval himself, and only spoke Italian, although they gave us an English guide book, which he followed, although he embellished it some, as I could understand well what he was saying.
An actual fresco of St. George slaying the dragon at the top of the staircase, which had very steep and irregular (dangerous) steps. (If real architects designed this place, I don't know why they didn't fix that, although apparently the real castles had very irregular and steep steps.)
This led to a large hall where the Lord's soldiers lived. They slept on straw beds, there were two fireplaces, one at each end, a long table, where they gambled and played chess, ate and drank, when they were not out fighting battles, with their suits of armors on the wall, along with their swords and cross bows, drums, etc.
Actual suits of armor, crossbows, etc.
Our guide, shown, if you can see him, said that guns didn't come around until the 1400s, but real gentlemen didn't use them, they had to face their enemy and fight him man to man.
Then we went to the pantry, where the food was kept. It was pretty dark there, so this is an out of focus pix, but perhaps you can see the things they ate, without any refrigeration, etc.
Rabbits, wild birds, and sometimes large animals, deer, pigs, cows, etc. He told us how they preserved them without refrigeration, but I am not sure I would have wanted to eat it, even if I were the Lord or Lady.
Above the food prep table, there was a large iron grate, which I have seen similar things in people's homes (Jean has something like this from which she hangs pots). The guide said that bread was put up there to keep the mice away from it.
All the food was cooked in fireplaces, no cooking stoves had been invented at that time.
They did wash their hands, etc.
Then to the main dining room, where the Lord and Lady sat at the end. They had many grand dinners, with many courses, which is the way the Lord was able to show off his wealth and prestige to visitors.
The ceilings and walls were highly decorated, with frescoes and paintings on wood and cloth.
Behind this tapestry, on the other end, the musicians hid, so they could be heard but not seen.
This castle had four levels, each with stairways, walkways and frescoes on the walls.
Again, more original frescoes of saints and other notables
Even those with red hair.
If you wanted an audience with the Lord, who also served as a judge, etc., you went to this room to wait until your audience time.
On the wall was an actual (from a real castle) fresco of a "fountain of youth," where the old ones went (to the left) and came out (to the right) young and virile.
Then to the "throne" room where the Lord would hear your complaint and decide what you would get, maybe the dungeon.
Around the corner from the throne room was this little room, which left nothing to the imagination. An indoor outhouse, on the third floor, but we didn't see what was underneath.
The Lord's bedroom and bed. Our guide said that medievals slept sitting up in their beds, and with the curtains closed to keep in the heat, although there was a fireplace on both ends of the room.
Another place to wash body parts. We saw no bath tub or showers or any kind, because they didn't ever take them. This life would be boy scout heaven.
Then to the chapel, where His Lordship worshiped. He was accommodated near the altar, where he had a priest come to celebrate mass every day.
They obtained actual frescoes from other castle chapels, which no longer exist.
The ceilings were highly decorated.
About 2/3 of the way back there was a fence, to separate the Lord and Lady and their family from the servants and other commoners who could come to worship. We have also seen these fences in monasteries, where the monks or nuns could be closer to the altar and the common people on the other side of the fence. Medieval castles were very dark inside because the walls were so thick and they were well fortified. Candles and torches were used sometimes, but people got used to living with little light.
Unless you were in the dungeon (there were five separate rooms), where it was very dark.
You slept on a little straw, you were shackled to the wall and it was always dark and damp down there. I suspect you had mice and rats to keep you company.
Our guide then took us to the yard where the battering rams and large crossbows were kept for defense.
This weapon is very large crossbow.
Then to the gardens, where the food and medicine was grown. Monks served as doctors sometimes.
There was a place where they grew certain herbs to help people puke, for their health.
I don't know what this strange looking fruit was, but it was apparently used during medieval times.
Myrna is pointing (I made her, she didn't volunteer) to a yellow squash like fruit. They were actually pretty good gardeners, using trellis and raised beds, according to the guide.
These are a variety of apples grown during medieval times. Our guide said they did a lot of research to make this castle and gardens as realistic as possible.
Looking out over the roofs from the garden below the castle (the borgo is below) was a bird house. They raised lots of kinds of birds and animals for food.
By then we were pretty hungry, so we bought some pannini and ate at a little restaurant by the side of the River Po within the park. Our pannini were not as generously endowed (only a little ham and cheese) as those we fed the missionaries this week, but at least the same idea.
We watched a tour boat go by on the river while we were eating, and also saw a river rat come up to the other side of the fence to look around. I threw him a piece of my bread. He was actually kind of cute.
A little way down, on the way back to where we parked the car, was the backside of a very large (this pix does not do it justice) palace. Sometime we want to go back and tour this building, which we saw from the front as we were going to the park, but couldn't stop, because of traffic, to photograph. Here is a little tidbit of the history of this very large building:
The Castle and the park of Valentino are situated in the centre of the city near the Po riverside. The origin of the castle is dated back in the XIII century. It was bought by Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy in 1564, under suggestion of Andrea Palladio. But the current appearance of the castle is the consequence of the will of Maria Cristina of France, who wanted a castle which followed in style of the castles built in that period in France (1620). The legend tells that the duchess wanted this castle as place for her love meetings, and that she used to kill her lovers throwing them into a well.
We actually wanted to see another large, impressive, palace and the Egyptian museum (largest in the world outside Egypt) as well as the Museum of the Automobile (Eric would probably like that), which are also nearby. It was getting late and we were a little tired, but our GPS lady led us astray into downtown Torino (which is a very large city), and it took us about an hour to be able to get out of town and back to the freeway to home. So those sights are for another day as we continue our adventures in Italy, one P-day at a time.
Ciao for now.
Very nice.
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