Triple Trip: The French countryside! A Roman holiday! And a Ceri on top!

I’m still pinching myself. I just got home from a two-week vacation in three distinct parts, and every one of those segments was phenomenal. When something goes wrong, I often recall how my mother would say, “Bad things happen in threes.” Well I’ve turned that on its head with this trip! What follows is merely a brief review.

Part I: The French Countryside

My father’s cousin, Andy, the last one from that group of five cousins, and his wife, Litty, booked a château for a week in a small, rather remote town in Burgundy. The property can accommodate up to 48, and we were 41. They had offered for many of their family and friends to come along; and friends of family; and family of friends; and friends of friends. You might think that a group of this size, many of whom did not know each other, thrown together like that, would feel awkward. Not at all! Everyone was lovely and sociable and interesting, and I even met a fellow linguist for nerdy dinner table topics one night about language. Someone was always ready for a lively conversation, a game of cribbage (or any number of other games), a puzzle, or an adventure somewhere nearby (e.g., to see prehistoric cave paintings, to kayak on the Yonne, to taste wine in Chablis). Andy and Litty also made arrangements for meals – a breakfast and lunch spread to be laid out for everyone to enjoy whenever and wherever on the property they wished; and a buffet dinner with seating at long tables. It was relaxed and yet lively, far beyond my expectations.

Part II: Roman Holiday

In the Centro garden, Lily and I with Pasquale Pesce, our beloved director back when we were students.

I actually left the château a couple days early for a program in Rome. When I was in college I spent a semester in Rome at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies, affectionately known as the Centro. I had seen on Facebook in early 2024 that they were holding an “alumni week” in Rome in May, and I contacted my classmates from our semester to see if anyone wanted to join me. I was not surprised when Lily said yes! Our first weekend in Rome oh-so-many years ago was my 21st birthday, and my parents said they would treat me and a friend to a weekend in Fano (where we had once spent some time as a family), and Lily was my travel partner on that excursion. Well, we are still great travel partners, and the program was amazing. We were about 22 folks from many different semesters across the Centro’s 59-year history, with 4 professors who were our guides. Because the Centro has been around for as long as they have, the leadership has professional relationships that enabled us to visit any number of ruins that most people never see. So many of them were underground that I thought of nicknaming the program the Subway Series! And, of course, being in Rome for the week meant amazing meals and plenty of gelato.

Part III: The Ceri on Top

Almost 30 years ago, my predecessor (at the school from which I retired) started a small exchange program with a school in Gubbio which involved week-long visits to each other’s schools and towns. There was a hiatus around 2001, and again because of covid, but the exchange continued when students and teachers from Gubbio visited Lenox this past September, and my successor brought a group to Gubbio in February. Out of this program I have forged deep, lasting friendships with many fellow teachers who live in Gubbio and the surrounding region, and I decided to spend my final 36 hours in Italy with them. But when I made my plans, I had no idea that June 2 was La Festa dei Ceri Piccoli! The big Ceri festival takes place on May 15, when three teams of people race up the mountain backdrop of the city to the Basilica di Sant’Ubaldo, each team carrying a huge wooden structure for one of three saints: Sant’Ubaldo, San Giorgio, and Sant’Antonio. (You are born into your saint “team,” and in the case of a “mixed marriage” you follow your father. But unlike in other cities, my friends boast, there is no antagonism or animosity among the teams, even though Sant’Ubaldo, the patron saint of Gubbio, always wins.) Then after that event, there is a second Ceri festival for the young adults to practice, honing their skills and choreography as this race involves team members joining in and dropping off, since no single unchanging group could run all the way up the mountain. Finally, on June 2, is the last of the Ceri festivals, when the children begin to learn the ropes. It was great fun to watch the kids dressed up in the uniform of their saint, running all over town, excited to get to be a part of something they’ve watched the “big kids” and the adults do.

How lucky I feel that the timing and the travel worked for me to enjoy all three fabulous experiences!