Salvio Condelli

So, Salvio

I believe he is worth a mention, being the only ray of sunshine in my otherwise terrible ordeal getting to Vescovado.

I first met him at the train station Chiusi while I was trying to figure out where to go to catch my train to Siena. An old man came up to me and asked in broken English if I was going to Siena, saying yes, we both walked to the train station to check the boards to see which platform to wait at. He was very reassuring about what to do although he didn’t seem like he altogether knew.

After we found that platform 2 was where the last train to Siena left I decided to go straight there (not taking any chances thank you very much!) but he went to the little café at the train station.

The train came before he returned so I went to sit on it alone. When he arrived he had candy in had and was just generally adorable. He sat down across from me and started asking why I’m heading to Siena, it was hard to explain but he did get that I was an archaeology student in Canada.

The man is so charming, he speaks slowly with a thick accent but or conversation seems to be somewhat understood on both sides. I adore his tortoise shell panto glasses and then he exclaims Mama Mia! When searching for his cell phone and I fall in love.

I find out that he is art history professor in Siena but lives in Napoli. He begins to talk to me about the significant sites in Italy. He speaks about how the Romans evolved from the Greeks, he even draws me a map! So I pull out my copy of the Aeneid to show I know what he is talking about. He is pleased and looks through it, he writes places I need to go on the map of Italy in the Book and discusses the places in the glossary – even writing in notes and amendments.

He spoke of so many places that it is necessary for me to go and he was devastated to hear that I would be in Siena for 6 weeks because it is a medieval city and not as interesting, he said I should spend 2 days in Siena then go elsewhere. I could tell by the way he described the places that he really loved his country. It was lovely.

We talked for at least an hour and he told me I should spend 2 years in Italy. He gave me his address and asked me to send him a post card from Canada.

He then added his email and cell number just in case.

My first Italian friend!

Here's the map he drew for me: