Battle of Forli

Traveling back from Longiano to Florence allows a stop in Forli.

What's so special about Forli, might you ask? While it boasts authentic Italian culture, ancient architecture, and some distinguishable scenery, its main attraction is the fact that it's featured in Assassin's Creed II.

Yes, this is a continuation of my secondary mission in visiting the many locales of Assassin's Creed II.

Stopping off the local station of Forli, I jetted off towards the center of the town.

I visited one of the grand churches of the town and more importantly, a key location in the AC:II.

I explored the many bell and clock towers scattered throughout Forli.

I then ventured into the farther reaches of the town to uncover Rocca di Ravaldino:

This now, ancient castle was once quite prominent in real-life. It was a major defense point for the many citizens living within the vicinity. Ravaldino was ruled by Caterina Sforza, a major figure in both real life and the AC:II.

Rocca di Ravaldino

I was enthralled by the design of the castle. It was quite unique to anything I'd seen before.

While moving closer to the structure, I noticed that the interior of the castle was not accessible. But what shocked me was the fact that the castle has now become a prison, of sorts.

Numerous guards patrolled the balcony with guns, while steep fences pervaded around the entire parameter. Quite the discovery!

I circled the premises, and took some time get my Ezio on:

I picked up a rock from a broken wall as a WICKED souvenir:

Afterward, I settled in a nearby cafe titled very appropriately:

The view was quite opportune:

The cafe took in the spirit of Halloween nicely:

Afterward, I trotted back to the station. On the way, I found a Blockbuster!

I entered in and found some cool items that help define the time frame:

Plus, La Terza Madre!

While Blockbuster seems to falling apart in the States, it seems to be booming here in Italy. But wait, I was the only customer in the store...

I found a Pac-Man plastered on a random wall:

On the way to the station, I stopped by a local bus stop, inquiring to see if a forthcoming bus would also be traveling in the same direction.

While reading the incomprehensible Italian bus directions, I noticed a tiny old lady sitting on the bench, also waiting for a bus.

She reluctantly asked me for the time. Stumbling to use my amazing Italian, I provided her with the time of day. Humbled by my tenacity to use Italian, she began conversing with me.

It was one of the most extraordinary conversations I've ever heard. She knew not an ounce of English, but we were able to communicate through my broken Italian and visual language.

We conversed about our background, past experiences, and my future ambitions.

Before I left, she began to formulate a sentence, but was having much trouble putting it together. She kept repeating, "Buno fortuna" or good fortune. In Italian, the word, Luck, doesn't exist, so she was relating it to the closest meaning, fortune. When asked whether she meant, "Good luck", she responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes."

Before leaving, I snapped a photo of her for the memory books.

An unforgettable encounter.

I eventually found the station and took the next train back to Florence.

A pleasant day, paced at an unusual, normal tempo.

All Hallows’ Eve with Daemonia

I've been an obsessive fan of Dario Argento for as long as I can remember. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of his horrific masterpieces is undoubtedly, the music. Composed by Goblin, an Italian rock band, the music added that extra layer of brilliance on already juicy cake.

Although the group has disbanded today, the founding member and lead composer of Goblin, Claudio Simonetti, has developed his own group, Deamonia, which plays tributes to Argento pictures, creates new works, and essentially keeps the candle of Goblin still burning.

When I found out he was going to be doing a concert, here in Tuscany, I totally flipped out. To get a chance to hear Daemonia would be incredible! Plus, it would be my first rock concert!

Halloween is practically non-existent here in Italy, yet the place where the concert was taking place would actually acknowledge Halloween. They have a local festival that parades through the town and showcase a variety of Halloween festivities.

When Sunday arrived, I took two trains to arrive at Longiano, a small town in the farther east side of Tuscany.

Traveling up to Longiano (from Cesena), I soon found the little town situated on a hill deep into the country. Longiano was developed around a medieval castle, and can still be visited as a museum.

As I explored the quiet town, I noticed that the center was being set up for the forthcoming festivities, set to commence in the evening. With much time until then, I ventured up the castle and spent some time taking in the sights from such a vantage point. The interior of the castle held artwork from local artists and a variety of local antiques. Nothing too interesting.

I encountered a very scary door, yet again:

Too many scary doors in Italy...

The view outside was splendid though!

View from Longiano

While charting the town, I stumbled upon thispleasant bench that provided the worst view of all time:

Afterward, I returned to my hotel and decided to take a nap in order to garner some energy for the exciting evening.

After having a very thoughtful encounter with The Sandman, I awoke to find that the festivities within the town had officially commenced.

Exploring the Halloween carnival throughout the town was really charming. They had jesters, fire-breathers, and Knights roaming the streets, putting on shows for children, families, and all visitors.

I captured a fire dancer putting on a very intriguing act:

Fire Dancer

While observing the festival, I noticed a small poster store on the corner of the street. The amount of original Italian posters the owner had available was astonishing. Obviously, he had been doing this for a very long time. After digging through a plethora of ancient scrolls, uh I mean posters; I found a wicked Tenebre poster. After picking it up, I returned to the center of the town. While wandering around, a random figure approached me and commented, "Very cool poster." It was Claudio Simonetti, himself!

I was soo excited, yet shocked. Stumbling to find words, I told him I was basically uber excited to see his performance tonight. Taken back by the fact that I was speaking English, he inquired my reasons for being in Italy. I told him about my study abroad endeavors and such. Since he had rehearsals to do, I bid Claudio Simonetti and his wife, adieu.

I spent the rest of the early evening enjoying the rest of the festivities, and as time approached for the concert, I headed into the theater to find a good seat for the anticipated show.

The concert was amazing! Daemonia played all the classic Argento pieces, as well as working in some incredible original compositions.

Here's Simonetti with a solo on the piano:

Simonetti Piano

The music was utterly bombastic. I could feel the bass on my chest! Argento's music had come to life!

Here's huge piece that records one of Goblin's most memorable works:

Profondo Rosso

After such an awesome Rock experience, I hung around a bit and soon found that I would be able to go backstage and meet the entire band!

I asked them about their favorite horror films, which turned out to be The Shining and The Exorcist. I also inquired about their most cherished Argento picture to which the response was resounding, Profondo Rosso.

Claudio Simonetti mentioned that he's been working with some French filmmakers for a forthcoming horror film, and hopes Argento picks him his forthcoming Dracula film. Simonetti's personal favorite horror film turned out to be, Psycho.

After spending some quality time with Daemonia, I bid them farewell and returned to my hotel.

I had a wicked Halloween, yet again, filled with a delightful festival, insane concert, and an unforgettable meeting of one of my favorite bands.

I also ended up becoming friends with the all the members of Daemonia on Facebook afterward. If that's not totally surreal, yet downright awesome, I don't know what is.