The Giant's Tooth - il Denti del Gigante - Gargantua

Courmayeur

The giant, obviously, is Gargantua that, after having distributed various parts of his body after his death, left a tooth to Valle d’Aosta: to fix amongst the glaciers of the Monte Bianco. The sharp point stands out in the sky and its characteristic outline makes it one of the most famous peaks. What people don’t know is that numerous evil spirits are imprisoned in that powerful fortress: all those that, in ancient days, raged in Valle d’Aosta. To rid the area of these evil spirits was a wizard, who came from far away, maybe from the East. Moved by the inhabitant’s fear of the spirit’s nasty tricks, he climbed the entire valley, pronouncing mysterious words. Attracted by the irresistible chants, the spirits flocked down the mountainside like crows from the glades and forests, from the rocky gorges and from the ponds, to join with the other elves in a tumultuous flight that obscured the sky. The wizard climbed up towards the upper valley. Docile, with a rumble stronger than thunder, the evil crowd followed him every step of the way to the giant prison that awaited them, in the Monte Bianco’s desert of ice. One by one the spirits entered, pulled by an invincible force: and the rocky door closed behind the last of the spirits. From then on the dangerous tower of the Dente del Gigante holds the impacts of the evil spirits that desperately try to break the spell of the wizard in order to get out, but to no avail.

What an amazing view. Elena told us about the Giant's tooth but I had to come home to read about the traditional belief. it was so close to us.
Next year will be different because the landing we are at now will no longer exist. The new Mont Blanc observation tower opened 2 weeks after we were there.

So, another new adventure next year. YEAH!!!  So blessed.

Thursday #2 - On to Venezia

I lost several posts, so I am back to square one... ARGH...


We departed from the city of Aosta along the same valley Hannibal traveled, Agustus traveled, and the former king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel traveled to his hunting lodge (Sarre' Castle).



Along the route are many other castles, which I try to point out to the students.




They seem too engrossed in their iPods and games of Candy Crush.



In following the FQR format I want the students to use (Fact, Question, Response), I wonder what they expect to get from this trip. I am so inquisitive about all I see, hear, and have a sense of wonder, do they?

Are Ray and I unusual in our natural curiosity and expression of awe, wonder, and enjoyment? How much does out upbringing impact our sense of travel today? These are some things I really want to think about after we get home.

It's not everyday that one sees one castle.... But the Valle D'Aosta is filled with them.

I photograph these glimpses to history through the windows of the bus, so I will remember their unusual placement and beauty.

If I am able to return to this area next year, I would like to visit Fenis Castle, which, on the Aosta Valley web site, seems to be the most beautiful of all. See more:

 www.lovevda.it/en/culture/castles.

The bus driver tells me that this castle is evident in the movie, The Avengers. I'm not familiar with the movie, but will check it out when we get home.


We barely make the train in Turin (allow more time). We jump on and settle into the most modern and clean train car I have ever been on. The luggage rack is in the middle of the car (makes more sense to prevent theft) and it is clean and comfortable. We have room to spread out, at lest for a while.

It's grey when we reach the train station that ends the land and opens to the Venetian lagoon. We are met by the MIR turgid and I immediately purchase the 2 day water bus tickets for the students and Ray and me. The price is 7 euro per trip and 20 euro for unlimited trips for 48 hours. It's best to buy now and its done.

We take a ride on a private water taxi to the hotel, getting only a glimpse of the Grand Canal. We take a few group photos, and I am disappointed it is all so gray. I really wanted the WOW factor for these students. Oh well. I am not in charge of the weather!

The hotel is down near the Guggenheim Museum and the cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute. I just finished reading about when it was built in a historical novel, The Venetian Bargain by Marina Fiorato.

It was raining and the girls were's ready, so Greg, Ray and I visited the church. On the way we found St. Gregory's Church. 

We had a mediocre meal, but had a little orientation over the Academia Bridge and through the calle and alley ways of Venice. St. Mark's Square was ever amazing. 

Off for some sleep after a long travel day. 

Leaving Aosta

Motto Grazie to our new friends in Aosta! We were unable to meet wih the new Mayor, since his inauguration was only last week. He sends greetings back to Valdosta, and hopes we will meet next year.

Elena, of course was our newest best friend. We met on line almost a year ago, when she wrote to me about an article she had read, which, we now know, was mistaken about people from this region coming to America to settle. In any event, that started our correspondence, and she even gave me a copy of the article to take home to read.

I will definitely share it with the Valdosta, GA Historical Society!

She was so wonderful in helping me to secure a bus company, as was our local friend, Tracy Piazan, in Georgia. The charter bus service was perfect, and provided us with an opportunity to visit places we would not have been able to reach. Grazie Patrik.

Thanks also to the school system for the wonderful school contacts. We learned lots and enjoyed working with the children and getting to know the teachers.

And grazie to Elena's students, Headmaster, and Colleagues. They made our visit, lunch, and activities enjoyable. It was a pleasure to meet you all. Grazie for the vino, too!

And, to La Vineria for the wonderful wine that we hope to enjoy in your sister city in the USA. We are so happy you like the pen and ink sketch Ray drew for you.

Mercolodi Primo, the First Wednesday - Valle D'Aosta High School

The atmosphere from last night was excellent, and it is a place I will definitely return to.  I think the students were also impressed. 

Today is Wed., We have officially be on the road a week. Who can believe it???     

We began or day at Elena's high school. A

It was amazing! There was a TV screen with the daily schedule, including our names as special guests! 

I will have to add photos later as they are on the iPad, iPhone, and Cannon camera. This is something to think about in the future... Photo organization! (I have just done this, but need to remind myself to find a better way before next year). 

The school (INSTITUT AGRICOLE REGIONAL     REG. LA ROCHERE 1/A    11100 AOSTA, ITALY) is a private one with students from ages 15-19 who plan to work in agriculture, tourism, or other related areas. The school has its own vineyard and we were happy to receive three bottles of their own wine. Can't wait to taste it! We met some of Elena's colleagues, and one gave us a delicious package of pastries. Yummy! 

The students were excited to see us arrive by their own school bus, and we went to meet the headmaster. I gave him the VDT book on Georgia agriculture, some info about GA, pens, a VSU Bag, a set of sticky notes, and a VSU tee shirt (from Dork's) which he immediately put on! Great photo of the group outside. Then off to two of Elena's classes. 

It was fun to meet the students, and mine are beginning to say more clearly, "Mi chiamo..." And the Italians appreciate that gesture! 

My students shared Where's Walrus with both groups, and had lots of small group conversations in English. Then I read in English, Don't let Pigeon Drive The Bus! and they all chimed in with "NO!" or "NO WAY" about giving permission. It was easy for me to interject Italian words when I noticed they did not seem to comprehend what I had read. After, they liked how the pigeon kept trying... and I had a temporary tattoo of Pigeon I had gotten at a NCTE Conference. The high school kids ALL wanted one! It was very funny to see them getting so excited about it. But it was wonderful that they had such a good time.

We finished up with a round of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes... and when they were not going fast enough, I said in Italian that the previous class had been able to go VERY fast.  Ahh... A little sense of competition is the same around the world. They begged me to give them another chance... and we did, and they did! It was lots of fun.

I have so much more to write, and I promise to come back to this day. The students were so welcoming, and a bit shy at first. We worked with two classes for 2 hour sessions each and shared 2 pounds of Jelly Bellies I had brought for them to try. They liked the different flavors, and were motivated to work with us! (Bribe of food = cooperation!). 

One girl asked Ray, "Is it your university that let the boy walk on the US flag?" When he asked how she knew that, she said she had looked it up on line and read about it and saw the photos and video.

Hmmm... 

They loved using the American flag toothpicks in their drawings, just like the elementary students had done yesterday. And when we were leaving, they sang a round of "She'll be coming round the Mountain" for us. They are great students, and we cannot wait to hear what they have to say about our visit...

We had a delicious lunch from the canteen and met more of Elena's colleagues. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. We felt very appreciated. 

Valle D'Aosta Market a Martedi

Awoke to the sound of the marketplace being set up. It's probably double the Sat. One with fewer food vendors. Set out to find the bargains and truly enjoyed walking through.

This was the view from our window during set up.

And of course, the fake looking scenery in the background. 

Everyone seems to be doing ok. 

A day to catch up on sleep and maybe email and blogs and more local shopping. 

Lunedi - Classrooms

Buon giorno! 

How do YOU get to school? Today we arrived by taxi, because I was not sure of how to get to the school. The Luigi Einaudi School is on Via Delle Pace, and happened to be the one we came across on our walking tour on Friday, when it started to rain. 

Ray drawing a simple alligator for the students to try

We started our school week at the Einaudi School in a 4th grade classroom. 8:15 to 10: 15, class 5B, teacher  Tiziana NEGRINI (t.negrini@mail.scuole.vda.it).

The students were very excited to see the American teachers. After introductions and some questions  and answers, Ray drew an alligator on the board, while I showed the children photos of ones from the Okefenokee Swamp. They wanted to also draw one, and they labeled it, "Georgia Alligator". We then broke into small groups to do our activities.  

I started with a short PowerPoint to introduce Where's Walrus?.  I had made (smart to have posted it to the Blazeview site before leaving the U.S.), which included Stephen Savage's video clip of Walrus leaving the studio. The additional you tube videos I had on real walruses would not open, but the teachers got the info for later on. 

We read Where's Walrus? in small groups, each with a copy. The children liked my beanie baby puppet with the sparkling top hat and his own suitcase, and enjoyed that I had said he wanted to come to Italy with us to meet them!

The children were excited and they laughed at each page, and some pointed to the zookeeper's face. The classroom teacher LOVED how the expressions told the story and was very happy to learn that we were leaving a copy of the book with her after we finished. Each child was asked to draw a picture of where Walrus might blend in in Aosta. They immediately got out their pencils and began to draw. As they were finishing up, I passed out US Flag toothpicks for the VSU teachers to poke through, as if the children's walruses were holding the USA flag. It made for a great souvenir and everyone seemed happy. 

We had such a good time in the first class! In the second one, the teacher aid spoke English, so it was a little easier on me to communicate, knowing I had back up. Teachers: Tiziana and Lucia (tzanardo@libero.it) and l.gal@mail.scuole.vda.it

The VSU students felt more comfortable, since they had been successful with the first group. We again talked about where we lived, and that there were alligators nearby. Ray drew his on the board, and then the children did their own. 

Again, we moved into reading Where's Walrus? and then asked the children to think about Aosta and where Walrus might be hiding here.

As with the first group, location served their knowledge. There were many instances of drawing the Arc of Agustus, but one that fascinated me most was the Roman centurion at the Roman Theater, which is in the centre or Aosta. Although the girl did not get to finish coloring her drawing, the most important parts, the wall, the zookeeper, and Walrus, were completed. This is my favorite one, so far.

Angela's class

The children were really excited to have the American flag toothpicks. I had purchased 500 of them through Amazon, and they have been a huge hit in both classes.   I figured it would serve as a little gift and a token of memory after we were gone.

It was a terrific morning and we headed out for a quick lunch and then to another school...

We arrived at the school of St. Orso, Mikaela COTZA (School: Ponte di Pietra) + class 5  (School: Quartiere Dora, teachers Fabio BARMASSE - Fiorella SALVADORI) and had more conversation with the children, who were very eager to speak English with us. We were in the classroom of Angela Morrone (angelamorrone1@gmail.com).

Walrus winning a cup for skiing

At first they were shy, but by now we had learn that by singing Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes , got the children more comfortable, it was fun, and we could be silly. They then sang with the Italian words for each part. The teacher was happy to get the songbook I had made prior to leaving the US, and I pointed out that I had listed a website for each song and the English lyrics could be found for each song in the booklet, as well. Thank you, Miss Blanche for making the copies!

After this class, we were with what apparently was an afterschool group. We did not sing or read with them, but in English, they asked us questions, and we answered, and then we asked them questions and they answered. It was more recitation oriented, but at least we were able to interact, and they practiced their English skills.

We met Elena back at Hotel Torino. She had brought each of us an Aosta apron and a box of cookies. So Ray and I would not have two aprons, she bought Ray a tea towel, as she had for Greg. She is so sweet. I am calling her my 'Aosta Angel'. She had booked a reservation for all of us at a beautiful wine cellar  restaurant, Aldente Trattoria Italiana, Via Croce di Citta, 34 (aldentetrattoriaitaliana@yahoo.it) and joined us for dinner.  She was so interested in our school experiences. We will visit her school on Wed.  After a great meal and some talk a out our day, we braved the rain drops to turn in.

Sabato parte due - Sarre' Castle

Elena Roulett, my Aosta Angel

Entrance to the property

The favorite photo of the day is here... It is one of the peaks of the Alps peeking though the gate to the castle. I am trying to use natural formations to frame the photos I take. We will see how it turns out. Not bad!

Since we had already seen the major sites of Aosta, we decided to switch the plans for the rest of the week. Elena drove us to Castle Sarre, which is the villiage in which she lives. We went in two carloads, and it was an amazing sight through this part of the Aosta Valley. I had wondered who lived beyond the city of Aosta, and Elena's family lives in the small village of Sarre, where the castle is.

We purchased the tour tickets, and as the guide spoke, Elana translated for us. This is the hunting lodge of the Savoy family, purchased by Victor Emanuele for recreation trips.

We took many photos, especially of the trophy room, which is decorated with the horns of hundreds of ibex horns and skulls. It sounds strange, but ti was very artistic and unusual, to say the least.

The view from the castle

The bedrooms of the royal family, King Victor Emanuelle II and Queen Margharita were beautiful, but not elaborate. Pizza Margharita was named to honor her, as this royal family was very well loved. The pizza has red sauce, white mozzarella, and the green  basil... the colors of the Italian flag.

The family photos made this part of Italian history seem more personalized, and I could see the people, not only the role they played in Government. King Umberto II, Victor Emanueleàs son, was a shy man, and was not a good leader, as he was taken under the charismatic power of Mussolini.The royal family was exiled and they lived their lives in Portugal. Eventually the women of the family were allowed to visit Italy, but the men were not until this generation. The Republic was born on June 2nd. Elena was telling me there is some controversy about the vote... that the monarchy actually had more votes than the republic, but there was much fraud. The Republic moved forward, and that is what Italy has today.

The Castle was very interesting, and the scenery surrounding it was just beautiful. I took a ton of photos for Mike Savoie, the director of the Honors Program at VSU. I think he will be so pleased to see part of his ancestry.

Ray, Me, Nancy, Greg, Jordan, Schuyler, and Shakela

I am having trouble uploading photos, as the site is an Italian one and it i a bit different from how it is set up on my laptop back home. I keep looking. I am sure when I ask the students, they will be able to tell me how to do it, and that it will be something very easy!

Ra and Rissotto Valdastana - Yummy!

We returned to Aosta and had dinner at Ristorante Il Girasole... the Sunflower (Viade Soles, 29. www.ristorantegirasoleaosta.it. Of course... my favorite flower... It is over near the Duomo, facing it to the right. I am so glad Elena recommended this. It was delicious!

The food was great, especially the Risotto Valdastana, a favorite of Jordan's! Greg finally found something he liked... this risotto... We had a lovely day with my now very real face-to-face friend, Elena. She has such an easy way with our students. Ray says he feels like we have known her forever! I do, too. It will be fun getting to spend time with someone who has been my pen pal for the past nine months!

A sleepy crew returned to the hotel. I feel like I have so many stories to tell, but there is not enough time and space to get to each... What a wonderful place for us to begin this voyage. Tomorrow will bring something entirely different... the top of the Alps, as we he'd to see Monte Bianco - Mont Blanc.

There is a different keyboard attached to the bluetooth. I cannot yet figure out how to get back to the English-American one. So dashes, and parenthesis and apostrophies are missing in action! There are differences in how the Blogger is reacting, as well. I will look for hints when I am back on line. Technology - love and hate it.

Buona notte!