Italian design and culture was on display August 5, 2006 as we joined two busloads of Middlebury College Italian students, faculty and friends for a day of Italian immersion in Montreal. Notwithstanding the pledge of 'Italian only spoken here,' this non-Italian was able to 'cheat' a lot in order to converse about the wonderful sights and sounds of Italy in Montreal.
Arriving at the Museo delle Belle Arti a Montreal late in the morning we feasted (visually, since we had already devoured our box meal in the bus) on Il Modo Italiano, an exhibit of painting, sculpture, photography, paintings, furniture, glass, textiles and ceramics and appliances...even a superbly restored Fiat cinquecento, the 500 cc people's car.
After Montreal the exhibition will also be shown at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, and the Museo d’Arte Modernae Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, Italy.
Some students chose shopping, but others visited the Centro Leonardo da Vinci not far from Little Italy. Josie Verillo guided us through this magnificent $10 million, three story sports and cultural center that was built with corporate and private donations a few years ago. The Center serves many community needs with an indoor soccer field, several bocce courts, class and meeting rooms, cafeteria, fountains and gardens...all designed for people to enjoy. The da Vinci center is a wonderful tribute to the Italian community in Montreal and Canada.
Then on to Piccolo Italia where we roamed through the Jean Talon open air market savoring the wonderfully displayed fresh produce, cheeses and fruits as a prelude to dinner. The remnants of the big bash when Italy won Soccer's World Cup were clearly visible on the streets.
The walk through the market stimulated my appetite for supper and I was not disappointed in our fine meal at Trattoria Dai Baffoni on Rue St. Laurent. Complete with a rousing atmosphere, strolling minstrels and energetic waiters and cooks , our folks enjoyed a wonderful meal complete with tiramisu. I was truly amazed that less than 15 cooks and waiters served our two busloads and another hundred or so people.
Trudging back to the buses, I was happy to nap until our driver deposited us back in Colchester at midnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment