And we're off - to practice, that is.

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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 blocks away.
Back to beautiful Spoleto. Yesterday we found two new theatres. One is the Sala Pegasus which is an old tiny chapel converted into a rehearsal room. We did our auditions there. It's kind of hard to find, but we're resourceful and a few colleagues are nearly fluent. From the Arco di Druso you pass the tourist cafe and walk towards the huge water fountain. Then you turn left and walk down the hill on a pedestrian road. You pass a few neat shops, a gelato store, and keep walking! Across the street from the Sala Pegasus and to your left is a restroom with a public patio area and some nice flowers. The Sala Pegasus is right in front of you. There's only room for two cars and at the moment the city is doing some construction but it's there. It's a nice place to sing in - small but not too small, and if you get stage fright, the door is open and the light flooding in blinds you. It's cool and musty and remnants of what looks like a a chapel from the 50's or 60's are still on the walls. It's seriously not much to look at, but it's there.
We also had our first general meeting with the entire company at Teatro Nuovo. Teatro Nuovo is what I imagine most small opera houses to look like. It's quite beautiful and the seats are velvet plush-type material. But they are small seats although comfortable. The floors for the audience are wood, not carpet. I always thought wood was better. I never understood why anyone would want 3000 people to walk on their carpet. Because there is wood, I think the theater will be very live or echo-y. Depending on how well you sing, that could be a good or bad thing. There are many ornate decorations everywhere and the subscriber boxes get very, very close to the stage. I wonder how much it costs to sit there?
We met our faculty, which all seem extremely friendly and went over the logistics and such. There really are about 120 of us musicians staying here. Almost everyone is American, with a few exceptions, but we're all here and all excited to be here and learn as much as we can in such little time.
After our meeting, we found Sala Pegasus and then later all met together for a walk to the newer side of Spoleto. There is a huge HUGE difference between our side of southern Spoleto (older) and northern Spoleto (residential, newer). The newer side has more conveniences but is noisier and easier to get lost. The older side, although plagued with hills and zig zags, is friendlier, quieter, less hectic. But it's all still hot. We found the music school though I doubt I'll find it on my own again. Then we took the air conditioned moving walkway (insert Hallelujah chorus here!) up to the entrance of the castle and then walked down back to the hotel. It's a little bit out of the way, but I would always choose the moving route over climbing mount spoleto.
For lunch, I also found this great little kebab place near the Teatro Nuovo. If you're standing at the steps of the Teatro Nuovo, there are two alleyways on the left - one with stairs, one without - that lead to the same restaurant. You walk down the hill a bit and are greeted by Eastern Indian or Moroccan music (can't tell which) and the sweet smell of meat. It's extremely cheap, about 5 euro for a sandwich, fries with mayo and ketchup, and a drink. Highly recommended for the budget conscious.

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