This will be the final post for IMFA 2014! It’s been a tremendous festival, with wonderful music making, a great sense of community spirit, and lots of new friendships. As expected, the time has flown by.

Here are some photos from an excursion I took this morning with Spencer to the church of San Giovanni in Tuba, which is not far from Duino, and which features ancient remains that date, possibly, to the 6th century, when it was probably used as a temple to the Greek god Diomedes.

The ancient and mysterious River Timavo reappears near San Giovanni after flowing underground.

The beautiful sanctuary of San Giovanni in Tuba–note the moss covered floor, which dates back to the ancient foundations of the building.

The outside of San Giovanni in Tuba.

Tonight’s concert was another cornucopia of chamber and solo music. We heard two world premieres by Max and Alex, along with another work by Grant Strom, winner of this year’s Duino Prize in Composition. After the concert, we had a pizza party where we all enjoyed delicious food prepared by Sergio from the local Tutti Di market.

Tomorrow, many of us will leave Duino around 5 am to either catch a train to Venice or to fly out of the airport in Monfalcone. Spencer and Andy will stay behind a few days to do some administrative work. While we’ll all be happy to be back in our own homes and sleep in our own beds, we’ll miss the beautiful Adriatic and stunning scenery that has been our home for three weeks. Bellissima!