What an amazing evening.  We weren’t sure at first how things were going to go.  Our bus was due to leave Legnano at 6:30pm, but there was no sign of our guide or our guest instrumentalist.  Around 7pm, Issaco arrived explaining that our guide was with the Norway choir and that our packet lunch and programs were left at the other hotel, so he had to swing by to pick them up on the way.  The sack lunch was there, but the water was missing and the programs were actually with us at our hotel.

On the bus another discovery was made – the programs were printing with the wrong show.  Not a problem – we  just didn’t pass them out and announced from the stage what we would be singing. 

We arrived in Missaglia to a wonderfully restored 16th century chapel and convent – the building was started in 1492 and completed in 1560.  On the chapel walls frescos remain that will be in the process of complete restoration.  The chapel itself was decommissioned and is now run by the town.  We are actually the first to give a concert in this space since the restoration.

And what a space!  It reminds me of why I sing the music I choose to sing.  Its places like this where our music was originally heard and imagining all the history behind the building.  We did an outstanding concert, starting with our Slavic program with a slight pause and into the new Franciscan program.  We needed a night like this – on our own, not waiting around for hours to sing and to entertain as we know how to do.

The audience was wonderful and attentive applauding genuinely and giving praise to the pieces they enjoyed most.  We ended the show with 2 encores, Sergey’s “Bogoroditse Devo” and a spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead.”  We were presented with a velvet box containing a plaque from the town for their appreciation of our performing a concert for them and we each received a commemorative book on the history of the grounds.

After the concert, they held a wonderful reception for us in the courtyard – beautiful cold roast beef, pasta salad, cherry tomato/mozzarella spears, sparkling chardonney that almost had a creme sherry taste, cantelope with procuitto, fresh strawberries on a bed of sugar…  yum.  A photographer was on hand to capture most of the concert and the reception, so check online to see if we show up – he said he would be posting them on the internet.

We also had an incredible post-concert experience – Jordan met a gentleman that turns out to be a Count with a family castle not 5 minutes from our performance space, so he invited us all over.  We arrived and were shown into the private chapel of the residence, built from the remaining walls of the Roman castle that once stood in its place.  On the altar wall is a beautiful fresco of Mary from the 14th century and above a fresco from the 18th century.  The chapel was restored in 1960 and during its restoration the original walls were uncovered and buried within were found a Roman coin from 3 B.C. and a human skull from a former military soldier. 

Our host has the coin in his private collection and 2 our our Rosies were able to hold it and examine it closely, still showing the details and engravings.  A rare opporunity since this is something that you would only find in a museum under glass. We were taken into the house where many rooms were basically living museums of his family’s private collection from the centuries.  The majority of the family collection was of military items on hand including helmets of Spanish conquistidors to caps from various officers of recent wars up to WWII, and quite a collection of rifles, guns, swords, crossbows, and artillary.  The family is well connected to Italy and he is pictured as a boy with the last King of Italy to a photo with the Pope.

In part of the restoration of the residence, a tunnel was discovered from the Roman period that was assumed to have been used for escape from the fortress.  The tunnel is estamated to be at least 40 meters deep with water at the bottom and he takes great

pleasure in demonstrating the depth by dropping burning newspaper into the hole as visitors watch it continue to fall to the what seems like an endless drop.  The hole is covered by a grate, which is again covered by a marble hatch.  Over the marble hatch is a rug to hide it and a very heavy table is placed on top.  He has an alarm triggered by laser going into the room to alert the household of entrance.  Definately well protected from any danger that could happen.

We ended our tour around 2am and moved into the chaple to sing a song of gratitude to our host, “Give Good Gifts”, a simple Shaker song that was very well received.  He has invited us to come back the next time we return to Italy to enjoy the day on the grounds – I wouldn’t mind.

An hour drive home and to bed by 3:30am.  Just another day in Italy. 

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