Ascoli Piceno - Week One

Our small group of three arrived in the charming, medieval city of Ascoli Piceno late in the afternoon on Wednesday. Upon arrival we settled in to our new apartment and reconvened around 7pm for group aperitivo. Aperitivo is traditional to Northern Italy and it usually consists of a drink called an Aperol spritz, and finger foods like meats, cheese, and nuts. This time between 7-9pm is to warm up for dinner, in a way. It felt very quintessentially Italian to be sitting outside sipping Aperol and having good conversation as we settled in to our first day in our new home.

(photos of our apartment and my little nook in our room!)

Thursday was our first full day in Ascoli! We explored the main piazza, Piazza del Popolo (People's Square), and two other popular squares that are home to the antique markets and farmers markets on the Weekends and during the week on Wednesday. They are the hubs of trade and activity. We got oriented to our local grocery stores, soap and toiletry stores, etc. One of my favorite things about Italy is having to do to different shops for different items, hopefully that feeling won't wear off as my classes gets more demanding. At the store we gathered ingredients to have our first meal together in our kitchen, celebrating our first days as roommates. It was so tasty!

Friday brought more adventures but mostly orientation to our school. We saw our classroom and main building as well as the local library and popular cafeteria for the students. After a full morning of info we wandered off to get lost/acquainted with our new city. Many bridges cross the Tronto River connecting other parts of the city, we crossed one in the northern part and happened upon Lavatoio di Porta Cappuccina (a historic washhouse). It has been so cool experiencing the rich history in this country, it makes everything in the United States seem so young.

We finished this week of hustle and bustle with a trip to the beach in San Benedetto del Tronto. The water was delightfully warm and so salty that I could float effortlessly, it was complete bliss.

After staying in the water for over an hour we walked along the Art Museum of the Sea that consisted of beautiful sculptures in the rocks of the pier and other art pieces like murals and free standing sculptures. It was the most relaxing day and I feel fully settled into this new and charming place.

(click arrows for more photos)

Be back soon with an update on the first week of classes, a dopo (see you later)!