Home From Italy!

The trip to Verona, Italy, started out with a nighttime flight across the Atlantic. Flying east, the light of dawn hit the airplane wing as we flew over Ireland.

wing

 

I traveled to Verona with Karen Pryor for the TAGteach International World Summit. This conference was all about how to use the science of behavior and positive reinforcement in applications as diverse as earthquake safety training, to teaching modern dance, to improving the skills of call center employees. It was a week of intense conversations,  a hah! moments, making connections, and deep thought. But, because it was in Verona, Italy, there were plenty of distractions. Around every corner was something to see, which started for me at the door of the hotel, which was this ancient behemoth.

hotel door

 

This was the Hotel Scalzi. The staff were superbly helpful, and the cappuccino in the morning (in a walled garden) was exactly what one should have to start the day in Verona.

cappucino

 

The hotel also happened to be next to the best gelato store in Verona – Romana Gelato. I made it my mission to try every flavor. There were days when I had two cones (pre-lunch and after dinner.) But, I didn’t succeed in my quest because they frequently introduce new recipes!

gelato

 

The conference was right in the center of old Verona. Walking to the venue, I passed facades that were beautifully textured. These buildings, most centuries old, are still inhabited and used in normal, daily life.

old building

verona

 

There were, of course, fountains in plazas.

fountain

 

And there were bits of Roman walls that one could touch and walk through.

Roman wall

 

I’m not one that likes to tour cathedrals, but the San Lorenzo, a small church dating back to the 12th century was one of the most beautiful and peaceful spaces I’ve ever entered.

San Lorenzo

 

There was a castle with a bridge over the river.

castle path

 

Verona has a Roman amphitheater, which in September hosts opera. We had tickets for Aida, but they were the inexpensive seats, well up in the stands. You have to buy a cushion to make the 2,000 year old benches more comfortable.

Aida set

 

There were 200 actors on stage and a complete orchestra. We stayed through Act II. The opera goes on until early morning hours.

Aida

 

Karen and I did go shoe shopping!

shoe store

 

We had dinners with colleagues, and some on our own. Conversation centered on work and the conference. I was surprised that not all of the food was good, but a few meals were excellent. This was one.

dinner

 

At the conference, I was introduced to Michaela, who lives two-hours away in Parma. She invited Karen and I to get out of the city to meet her horses. It was supposed to be a not-so-difficult train ride. The first train was very nice. Karen and I settled into the journey.

KP

 

But twenty minutes later we switched trains and boarded this. It was noisy, smelly and hot. There are always unexpected challenges when traveling!

old train

 

Driving through the countryside and meeting Michaela’s horses (and spending hours discussing horse training theory) was worth it.

Her mare likes scratches. I found the sweet spot, as you can see in these two photos.

scratching bliss

horse

 

We were in Parma, so of course we had to stop at a cheese shop.

cheese shop

 

I didn’t go to Verona to sightsee. I went for the knowledge and inspiration that only these sorts of gatherings at conferences can provide. One night I had dinner with Dr. Susan Friedman and Karen Pryor, two indomitable women who have both changed the world in positive ways (and continue to do so.) The conversation ranged from how to train bumble bees to handling angry parrots to statistics. Susan and I talked at length about working with horses. What I garnered from these conversations, and from the seminars, is still percolating. I’ll be blogging about it in the months to come.

How lucky I was to have my head filled with thoughts in a place that looks like this!

windows

Comments:

  1. Glad you had a great time, pleased you are back safe and sound. Did you buy any shoes or just browse !! Your temp’s have been really hot while you were away, hopefully it was a bit cooler in Verona…:)

  2. You made some wonderful memories! Thanks for sharing! We have added 2 llamas to our animal family.. I am wondering more about your training and what it could do for our 2 young guys….hmmmmmmmmm

    • Congrats on the llamas. Positive reinforcement training using a marker (often called clicker training) is perfect for llamas! You can teach them to follow a target and lead them anywhere. Teach them to let their feet be handled. Easy haltering. Polite feeding behavior. Lots!

  3. Love your pictures! You sure managed to cram a lot of wonderful activities and memories into your week in Italy. You must be ready for another holiday so you can rest? Isn`t that always the way after a fun time away? Nice to have you back safe and with a head full of new ideas to share.

  4. Terry – as always, it’s so lovely & enjoyable to read your blog entries. I’m so happy for you that you were able to make this trip. I was recently gifted a book that I think you may enjoy (if you aren’t already aware), it’s called, “The Compassionate Equestrian” by Dr Allen Schoen and Susan Gordon. Here is a link to read more about it:
    http://www.horseandriderbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=H&Product_Code=COEQ&Category_Code=WCOM

    Perhaps I will bump into you again at Equine Affaire in November.

    All best wishes,
    Jen

  5. Sounded like a great get away. But I bet all you babies missed you…and vice versa. Welcome home.

  6. Beautiful pics Terry! It’s fun to explore new places and cultures. I bet Steve was glad to have you back home.