NM Singer

OK, so let's talk about all the things I will miss from Spoleto: 1. The food - especially the Penne alla Norcina (penne pasta with cream sauce and wild boar crumbles) and Flan with dark caramel sauce from Ristorante del Mercato 2. The people - the Spoletini are incredibly nice and helpful. They know we don't speak much Italian but they're happy when we try our hardest to converse. 3. Umbriarvacationrentals.com - Laurie is hilarious; that dry British humor just doesn't get old. 4. The history - it's like walking in a really pretty history book when you're at the foot of La Rocca looking down at this ideal little village. 5. The colleagues - I've met some great people here and have gotten to network like never before. What I will not miss: 1. ... read more

Yesterday was one of those days without a plan. We started kind of late (singers don't sleep) in the morning and walked down to Piazza Garibaldi for a little shopping. However, everything closes at 1 or 1:30pm for pausa. We ate a little pizza, had a good conversation and walked outside of the cafe to closed shops. So we did what anyone in our situation would do: we had gelato on a shaded outdoor cafe and decided what to do next. Our next decision was one that took us to the top of a hill and to a beautiful castle: The Rocca Albornoziana. From Wikipedia, here's a quick overview: The majestic Rocca Albornoziana, built in 1359-1370 by the architect Matteo Gattapone of Gubbio for Cardinal Albornoz. It has six sturdy towers which formed two distinct inner ... read more

Most of the time, I talk about the weather (hot and sticky) and the sites. I still have to go to the Castle and the monastery and really spend time at the museums but I'm waiting for la famiglia (the family) to get here. Instead, this blog entry is dedicated to the breakthroughs I'm having with the music staff. I like how I sound and so do you (you're all family - if you didn't we'd have problems) but there are always things to learn to make everything even better. If I can make small changes to make a better sound, I'll grow and growing keeps me from getting a real job. First, I keep a lot of tension in my jaw. You know how you chew bread that has a thick crust and your jaw ... read more

The weekend is here! Almost, sort of kinda. Last night we were going to eat at a sweet little restaurant called Otteria del Matto. Apparently, the food they serve is made by the mother of the owner who makes up whatever she wants and it's served along with a variety of salame, prosciutto, and cheeses. With a glass of wine and water, it's about 16 euro. These are called the platti di festival, or festival platters. However, the instrumentalists beat us to it and took up the whole restaurant! I sometimes forget that they need to eat, too. So, we instead did a little exploring and found another place that has "Quarto" in the name. There's a huge patio you can sit at, enough room for big groups. Between eleven of us, we had three bottles ... read more

I think I'm slowly getting used to this weather. I mean like a snail kinda slow. It's hot and it's humid, and I expected that, considering I've been to Rome. However, I still am not used to not having a fan and it's hot and humid. I honestly don't know how people do it. Our Italian language teacher said that they do it to survive and be strong. That's great and all, but I'm a weak, lazy American. I like things within arm's reach and I like to be cool and ruin the planet. That's how we roll! OK, not all of us so don't be offended, but compared to other countries, we kind of are the wimpies. And we talk too much and too loud. Seriously too loud - you can hear us coming three ... read more