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Sixteen Feet Performs In Italy

From March 8th to the 18th, Swarthmore's Own Sixteen Feet toured Italy. They travelled In tour busses, boats, and really, really small cars. They feasted on seven course dinners, and slept in a hostel shaped like a castle tower. They drank lots of wine in between concerts in the countryside towns of Ascoli Piceno, San Benedetto del Tronto, Spinetoli, Fermo, and Jesi (as well as a few impromptu sings on streets and in coffee houses). They lived well, and slept little; there was so much to SEE!

Like the insides of mayors' offices, and the insides of Roman baths. They saw the outsides of bogglingly old buildings, the other side of a TV camera, and the undersides of intricate domed ceilings, off of which they bounced their voices. They saw the faces of many new friends, very sad to see them leave. Their generous hosts, Corale Polifonica "Cento Torri" (named after the 100 towers of beautiful Ascoli Piceno) have invited them back for the summer, and a few are saving up again to visit.

I recently dropped in on one of Sixteen Feet's rehearsals and asked them, "What was the best thing about your trip?" Every one of them responded, "The people, definately." So, I asked "Ok, what was the SECOND best thing about the trip?"

Scott: "Being treated like professional musicians."
Jon: "The pasta and rosso vino ."
Demetri: "Serefino washed my glass out with champagne."
Morgan: "The customs guys really don't care how much liquor you have in your bags."
Ken: "I was almost killed."
Jove: "The history."
Dominic: "Singing at every meal."
Chris: "Being treated like family."

Well, after talking with the guys for a while, I came to realize that this experience wasn't just fun, it was also a cultural exchange, and a learning experience. So, I asked, "What did you Swatties learn in Italy?"

Ken: "Italian men like American women."
Scott: "Un po' di Italiano ."
Demetri: "Italians claim that Fabio isn't Italian."
Morgan: "I'm allergic to live shellfish."
Jon: "It's very romantic to go to Italy with your girlfriend, not quite as romantic to go to Italy with your girlfriend and her family."
Jove: "You can feel at home even when your no where near your real one."
Dominic: "What it really means to be Italian: giovane sempre ."
Chris: "The meaning of the word 'gratitude.'"

last modified: 3/29/96