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A Tale of Two Sisters
by Katherine Smith and Sarah Shupenus

Two sisters as different as night and day share one common passion, Italy. Each sister has experienced the country in her own way, one as a tourist, one as a student and resident. Here are excerpts from their journal...

Katherine:
"I was studying vocal performance at Miami University in Ohio and my voice teacher had somehow convinced my parents I needed to study Italian -- in Italy. They agreed, God love ‘em, and I quickly found a fantastic program through Gonzaga University in Florence, Italy. During my 10-month stint, I was forced to travel. Yes, forced. One of the main focuses of the Gonzaga curriculum was learning through experience. So, I went to classes Monday through Thursday and was strongly encouraged to travel on my 3-day weekends. It was fantastic.

I traveled throughout Italy, and to several other destinations, rather uniquely. You see, I had the assistance of Padre Bruno Segatta. Bruno is an Italian Jesuit priest who works as resident artist, confidant, teacher and travel guide at Gonzaga. When I arrived in Florence, I was told a priest would meet me at the airport. Of course I was looking for the black suit and white collar when suddenly this little tan man adorned in RayBan sunglasses, khaki cut-offs, Birkenstocks™ and a polo shirt saunters my way and asks in a thick Italian accent, “Eh, you looking for Gonzaga?” That was my priest, Bruno, whom I would come to trust to take me to the edges of the world, literally.

For instance, on a journey to the island of Capri, a small but lush island off the West Coast of Italy, Bruno decided to take us to the Blue Grotto. The Blue Grotto is a spectacular sight -- a cave that fills with the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean Sea. When the light hits the cave, it fills the whole cavern with beautiful hues of blues and greens. Typical admirers of the Blue Grotto pay a fee to board a small boat and be paddled into the cave. But, this costs money and Bruno doesn’t like to spend money. So, of course, Bruno just happened to have a friend who owned a restaurant that overlooked the cliffs of the Blue Grotto. Yes, you guessed it. Here we were, a bunch of college students in cut-offs and t-shirts with backpacks, trudging through this very exclusive restaurant, led by the owner and his pal Bruno. We get to the veranda, dismount our backpacks, climb over the edge, jump off the cliff and swim into the Blue Grotto. Once we had seen the spectacular sight, we swam back, scaled the cliff wall, donned our packs and walked out of the restaurant, soaking wet. A typical Bruno adventure.

It definitely wasn’t uncommon for Bruno to have us looking danger right in the face. On another excursion, we traveled to the 5 villages known as Cinque Terre (five steps) along the Amalfi Coast. Until recently these towns were only accessible by boat or footpath. Now there are trains that run between them. Bruno decided we would walk the paths between the Cinque Terre. At the time I had not done much hiking or climbing and was a bit worried about how I would fare on this journey. Bruno assured me that the path was very scenic and not hard. Looking back, I am very glad I did it. Bruno was right it was very scenic but it was also very scary in places. For long periods of time we would just climb up and up. Then suddenly we would come to ledges that we would have to shuffle along overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. There was nothing to hold onto but wires that some previous traveler had attached to the rock cliffs, and it was at least a mile straight down into the rocky waters. When I questioned Bruno’s tactics and sanity he replied by saying, “Katherine, I have never lost anyone on this trip. Don’t be the first.” Ah, the comforting words of a crazy Italian priest.

These adventures carried me through nine months of excitement in Italy. But one of the most exciting times for me was when Sarah came to visit."

SARAH:
"My travels to Italy began when I was in graduate school in Indiana and needed a fun place to go on Spring Break. By the time I got to Florence, Katherine had already been knocking about the country for a good seven months - a true benefit for me as she was well versed in basic Italian, knew the lay of the land and enrolled in an Italian art history class. I couldn’t have hired a better guide. I had only one week to travel, so the majority of my time was spent in Florence with day trips to Rome, Pisa, and Fiesole. Katherine and I took advantage of the typical Florentine sites: the world-famous Uffizi museum, Duomo, Pitti Palace, Boboli gardens, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, Arno river, open markets, outdoor restaurants and general Italian people watching.

Besides the site seeing, one of the things that impressed me most about Italy was the food. Everyday, three times a day, Katherine and I would stroll to the neighborhood café and utter words that became music to my ears: “Due cappuccino per favore.” I’m not sure if Italian cappuccino is any different from American cappers, but the idea of standing in a café (sitting costs extra), sipping cappuccino just seemed like the perfect thing to do. Unfortunately, I paid the price when I returned to the U.S. I had built up such a caffeine high that when I got home I had to have prescription pain killers for my headaches. Other Italian goodies included gelato (the world’s best ice cream), pasta (any kind you can think of) and Chianti.

While Katherine first introduced me to the joys of Italy, last summer, my husband, Rob, whisked me away for a return trip following our June wedding. He planned everything - luxurious accommodations, fabulous cuisine and a special audience with the Pope. Yes, THE POPE. Having just said our vows only hours earlier, Rob and I were especially looking forward to receiving a Papal blessing. Rob had obtained Sposi Novelli (Newlywed) tickets for the Pope’s mass on the Internet weeks before. Not knowing exactly what the seating arrangements were, Rob and I arrived at Vatican City early in the morning; in fact, we were among the first there. Generally, the faithful are seated in St. Peter’s Square, but to our surprise, our tickets allowed us to pass through five sets of Swiss guards and be seated no more than 20 feet from his Holiness. We listened to the Pope offer blessings in several different languages and watched as nearly 5,000 admirers stretched for a glimpse of Him. We were thrilled just to be there, but soon disappointed when we realized that only those who donned their formal wedding attire were allowed to approach the Pope and receive a papal blessing. Though we weren’t wearing our wedding clothes, Rob and I were honored to have such good seats and a memory we’ll never forget.

Other highlights of our trip included several days in Rome, a few in Florence and one quick day-trip to Sienna. Having only spent one day in Rome with Katherine, this time I was eager to take in all the sites I could. My favorite site by far was the Coliseum. Its massive size, architecture and history are nothing short of magnificent. The Roman Forum adjacent to it was equally as fascinating. Looking at the ruins was like trying to imagine missing puzzle pieces of buildings that once stood tall. Seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, however, was perhaps the most awesome moment of my trip. The entire chapel had recently undergone a complete restoration and the images were more vibrant and telling than I could have imagined.

Our day-trip to Sienna was a pleasant shift from big city tourism. Sienna, in the heart of Tuscany, can best be described as “quaint” and “hilly.” Ready for a challenge, we climbed the 505 steps to reach the top of the Torre del Mangia (city hall) and see several people readying the Piazza del Campo for the semi-annual bareback horse races. We also spied several shops from which we purchased gifts of wine and hand-painted Italian dishes. Everyone enjoyed their gifts and we came home with some wonderful memories."

Whether you have an adventuresome spirit or a flair for romance, Italy is a place you can fall in love. It’s historic, it’s romantic and it’s a great place to visit!

Helpful Hints for Your Italy Trip:
Books for general Italy information:

• Frommer’s Italy from $50 A Day: Dream Vacations at Down-to-Earth Prices
• Berlitz’s Discover Italy
• LET’S GO Italy: For Budget-Minded Travelers. Includes train schedules, lodging and info on a broad range of destinations.

Websites:

• For a Papal audience contact the Church of Santa Susanna at www.paulist.org/rome/
• For booking flights: www.previewtravel.com
• For lodging options and good general and destination facts about Italy: www.italianvillas.com
  

The Two Sisters: Katherine Penning Smith is Director of Marketing for DeMirco Communications. Her sister, Sarah Penning Shupenus, is copywriter for the Marketing & Communication Department at Millikin University.

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2000 issue of Decatur Magazine.
It may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part without the publisher's consent.
© Copyright 2000 Decatur Magazine - First String Productions. All rights reserved.