Last night Umbra students, staff, and faculty celebrated San Martino (see previous post for a description of this central Umbrian holiday). Umbra alum Dan Bauer took care of the chestnut roasting while the guests introduced each other at a little vineyard in the center of Perugia.
This party was special not only because it was an opportunity for students to get right into Italian culture but also because they could become part of the Perugia family. Especially noteworthy was the recitation of the poem “San Martino” by locals from the nearby town of San Martino in Campo. See both the original and the translation here — but remember that it has a better effect under fourteenth-century arches, with chestnuts in a pan and Italian Novello!