I Saw Santa Claus.

 Today, our program took our rescheduled excursion to a town called Tolentino, a small town near Macerata. There was still plenty of snow everywhere, but except for my sopping tennis shoes, it didn't slow us down at all. Being at the wrong bus stop almost did, but they were kind enough to make another round around the city to pick us up at the correct stop. Fun fact: Tolentino is the location of the largest, most important printing press for the Augustinian brotherhood!

First we walked to the Cattedrale di San Catervo, which houses a Roman sarcophagus. Did the classical archaeology nerd inside me wig out? A bit. But come on, so cool. This is the sarcophagus of Saint Catervo, a pagan convert, who was buried holding hands with his wife inside there. The squiggles are representative of the River Styx. The shepherd guy is a representation of the Good Shepherd story. I took pictures from every conceivable angle, if you want more. It was gorgeous. This single experience makes the talk I went to on Roman sarcophagi at DePauw totally relevant!

I petted the little lions holding up the sarcophagus.

Next we walked to the Basilica di San Nicola, or the Church of Saint Nicholas. His story is that he gave money to a family with none, allowing them to purchase dowries for their daughters (thus marrying them off instead of forcing them to become prostitutes -- what a nice guy). This is supposedly what the legend of Santa Claus (St. Nick, who brings gifts) is based on. So, when I went down to the crypt to see his remains, I actually saw Santa Claus! Basically.

Imagine if Coca-Cola had used this imagery instead of Jolly Ol' St. Nick in his red suit? Where would we be today?

But what's most important about this church is the absolute stunning beauty. When I first walked in, I was absolutely blindsighted by the sheer gorgeousness of the church. It's a reminder that we need to make sure there are beautiful things in our world, even if it's just for the sake of enjoying beauty.

The facade - mostly redone in the Neoclassical Period, except for the gate.

Ok, so pictures can't do it justice. Huge. Gilded. Golden.

After we had lunch (be jealous, this was our dessert!), we had time to kill before the bus came back to pick us up. So, we did what any studious group of students would do when faced with free time.We walked to the old medieval bridge and ..... had a snow ball fight with our site director. The passing cars were amused. Or laughing at us.

They know how to do sweets here.

Tolentino from outside the medieval bridge.

So we didn't see a terrible amount today, but what we saw was really fantastic. And, as of now my trip to Perugia is still on (fingers crossed and weather permitting), so I'll post pictures of that town next week!