il weekend!

Nina, Greta and Myself in front of il Duomo di Siena

Ah!  Thursday night began our weekend!  Fridays are reserved for field trips or group work projects for the interns.  This Friday, Jessica (the intern director) took us to a Panforte (Senese fruitcake) factory, where we got a long tour and got to try all their delicious products, and then to Siena to visit the civic museum, see lots of medeval art, and then wander around and eat for four hours.  Siena is a glorious city full of pizza.

Friday night we had a rockin' dance party.  I had the genius idea to put my red Nalgene bottle over the lightbulb in the kitchen and finagle a kind of diaper to hold it in place.  The rest involved a lot of prosecco, Campari and god knows what else...and it's history.  What a fun night in a Pulcinelli.  Our group is already so bonded.

Finn and Vincent

 This morning, Saturday, Richard and I went around and fed all the animals and then everyone packed up sandwiches and we all went for an outing in the Sprinter van that the interns have for our express use on weekends.  First we visited the local farmers market where Spannocchia sells it's pork products (yes, those very pigs I feed turn into prosciutto, sausage and other Salumi).  I bought some raw cow's milk (for 1 euro a liter) and raw sheeps milk, both fresh and aged.  Also some Grappa.  The market was extremely quaint.


Afterwards we hit up some nearby hotsprings.  These hotsprings are at the end of a dead-end road, but they are no secret.  The scene is almost obsurd.  There are many people who seem to spend a great deal of time there, for which I do not blame them.  Unlike some springs, these ones are really hot!  The further they are from the source, the more diluted the water, but still they are all rather warm and very enjoyable.

As I said, the scene is strange.  There's a tan little man with a big belly who collects mud in a little bucket and brings it around to all his friends who smear it on their faces and backs.  There are lots of men in crazy speedos and a few topless old ladies.  There are some two and three year olds running around and breat feeding.  There are lots of little dogs running around.  Everyone is smoking  I'm telling you, this place is a SCENE.  But damn if those pools aren't great.  I was totally blissed out in my hungover state.

More team bonding, I learned that these two, a couple-- Finn and Catherine, both have inner-lip tattoos that read "book club". 

And then there's Ricardo.