Casa Hatfield

Saturday 9/27
Sarah, Kellin, Mary, and I met Clark and Tom at the Piazza Beccaria in the morning so we could catch a bus to Professor Hatfield's house. He had invited the group to a cookout and said that I could come along. Since he lives so far out of town (up in the Tuscan hills) we had to take a Citta Bus, which I had never taken before. It is more like a tour bus that goes way outside of the city and its tickets cost more than a normal city bus. After we got on Dan, Lara, and Stephanie got on at a later stop to complete the group. The bus took us all the way out east near the town of Sieci then turned north. We went up north and got off at the intersection of Strada Provinciale Molino del Piano and Via della Lucole (which goes east towards Santa Brigida, if you're keeping score at home). The bus continued on and we walked with Prof. Hatfield (who was standing along the road waiting for us) further up the strada almost 1000 feet. There we turned left down a little lane that intersected the strada. If we had gone right, which some of us did later, we would have gone up further into the hills to a church whose name I forget. Anyway, here are some pictures.

Here's me posing at the edge of Dr. Hatfield's yard. Not a bad view to enjoy every day. Behind me to the left might be the strada we came up. I'm not sure.

These were the first buildings we saw when we turned down his lane. He lives in a little cluster of buildings that is very common out here and is similar to the cluster of buildings that Sean and Luke live in. Except they don't live up in the hills.

This is part of his little back yard. His is the section to the left. To the right of the picture was the table we ate at. The food was absolutely delicious. Dr. Hatfield grilled chicked and there was salad, bread, wine, figs, and all kinds of tastey things. Oh, by the way, I made a great impression by breaking one of his plates. I didn't realize that the stone table was not a flat surface when I set a wine bottle down. It tipped over onto a plate. Luckily the wine bottle didn't break as well.

Here is another view over his wall. He said that we could go for a walk if we wanted to. So Kellin, Dan, Lara, Tom, and I decided to head for the church that you can see in the picture up in the hills. The elevation difference didn't look too bad, but Dr. Hatfield said that it was a tough hike.

And it certainly was. Once we crossed the strada the rest of the trip was up a pretty steep hill. The incline did not let up until just before the church. It was exhausting. In this picture I ran ahead (stupid idea) to take a picture of the others below me.

Once we got in the church's grounds we stopped to take advantage of their view and tried to locate Prof. Hatfield's house. It was so far away though that we weren't sure which tiny group of buildings in the distance he belonged to. Above are (left to right) Dan, Kellin, Lara, and Tom. I shouted to them and snapped the picture just as they all turned around.

Once inside the church a man filled the others in on the history of the church. I guess.

Below the church was a little chapel, a room with the stations of the cross, and this little room where St. Somebody stayed. I just realized that I forgot the paper where I wrote his name.

Here is the back end of the chapel with a lot of mementos of miracles that were worked.

On the way back down the mountain we saw a couple of little shrines that were built into parts of trees. Actually I think that I was the only person that missed them the first time. It must have been while I was stupidly running up ahead. This one was dedicated to Mother Theresa.

I'm not sure what this one represented.

Then it was back down the hill. Note the way they're leaning back. It really was a steep road.

Just before we left Prof. Hatfield said we could have some rosemary and some figs if we wanted them. So Kellin, Lara, and Stephanie attacked the trees.
Then we walked back down to the bus stop and said our goodbyes. I forgot to mention that we sat around chatting for a long time before our hike. We didn't just eat and run. It was a really enjoyable day. Great food and company. And a broken plate. On the trip back the bus was about 90 degrees (not one of Sarah's exaggerations) and I felt like I was going to be sick. I was way in the back and I had no view out the front, which is a recipe for disaster when it comes to me and windy roads.