Bologna (part 2 of our Venice weekend)

So on Sunday we traveled to Bologna, a smallish town that is simply known for having the best food you’ll probably ever eat in your life. And it was. And that was really the only reason we went there ;)

We went to a Georgio Morandi exhibit in the morning which was mostly still-life sketches of bottles, watercolored landscapes in muted colors, and a few nonsensical pieces that really didn’t resonate with me. They were modern and Morandi is definitely talented, but I was trying to figure out why I didn’t connect with him. I figured out that I really enjoy color (his work is very neutral and muted), movement (none at all in his since it is pretty stagnant), and story/context (all of his looked similar and did not portray people or emotions). This makes so much sense to me because I love theatre and dramatic artwork. I am moved by human experience and emotion, which were both completely lacking from Morandi’s work. It felt good to be able to figure this out and put it into words (as the art students I was with were almost offended at first that I didn’t really like him). We had the most delicious (and a bit expensive) lunch with D.O.C. Chianti wine (the best red wine I’ll probably ever have). I had the restaurant (daNello)’s famous pasta dish with cream, sausage and mushrooms, followed by veal cutlet wrapped in ham and a heavenly cream sauce. My friend Jess and I split a large and magnificent chocolate truffle for dessert. Absolutely indulgent but worth it since I’ll probably never have another meal like it again. Spent the afternoon splitting a bottle of wine amidst the six of us, lying in the sunshine in a beautiful park with flowers already in bloom and a small lake with fountains, and simply relaxing. It was a day I’ll never forget.

It was great to get back to the monastery on Sunday evening. It was a strange sensation to reunite with the rest of the group after our time apart and I found myself wanting to hug everyone as though I was rejoining my new family. These people are absolutely wonderful, and I’m finding myself thanking God almost every day that He picked me to be here with such a great group of individuals.

Verse I’m thinking about today: 1 Corinthians 10:31- “Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” What does this really mean and how can I live it out in my life? Just wanted to share that.