Day 51 - March 15th 2009 Rome, Italy

Another seriously slow day. Remained in the apartment for almost the whole day, except for a short excursion outside to walk through the Porta Portese open air flea market, which is the biggest in Italy, then took a stroll over to “Blockbuster” (so called because of its blue banner background with yellow writing on the front) pizza and picked up a delicious kabab. Read, studied for mid-terms this week, talked to my parents over skype, which you should do too! (c paganelli or frozentimestudios username).

Day 50 - March 14th 2009 Rome, Italy

Seriously slow day today, just chilled the apartment until it was iced over. Unfortunately got rather sick mid afternoon and ended up in bed watching a movie and passing out early.

Day 49 - March 13th 2009 Tivoli, Italy

Arose early this morning to head over to Piazza Trilussa to board the API express to the small town of Tivoli on the outskirts of the Lazio region. Arrived in fine form and disembarked into Hadrian’s Villa or Villa Adriana, an enormous expanse of buildings and man-made lakes that the Emperor Hadrian used as a base camp away from his political duties. He also tested his architectural pursuits all over the villa, experimenting widely with new arches, materials and layouts. After the tour we boarded the bus once again to head into the heart of Tivoli to the Il Ciocco restaurant where the view was amazing over this grotto/ valley and so was the 3 course meal we were served. Our hunger completely satiated, we boarded the bus to head back to camp Roma.

Days 44 - 48- March 8th - March 12th 2009 Rome, Italy

Gonna have to use the 1, 2 skip a few trick here seeing as I’ve gotten a little behind on the blog writing.

Day 43 - March 7th 2009 Rome, Italy

Today was tourista day for the LdM folks. We cruised over to the Roman forum, palatine hill, and coliseum to be “gapers” with our cameras. Ryan and I were also the only men in Rome wearing shorts, even though it was probably 65 degrees and sunny. Warning: start of another Italian culture rant by Chris. Alright so here’s my observation from today: NOBODY in Rome pays attention to what the weather is ACTUALLY doing. I walked out the door in shorts and a windbreaker and was rather hot all day. Everyone else around me? Wearing full overcoats with scarves! Man did we get some looks, couldn’t have looked more foreigner American.

Day 42 - March 6th 2009 Rome, Italy

A typical lazy Friday, traveled over to the Capuchin crypt to view the hundreds of bones of those buried beneath the monastery over 300 years. The bones are patterned into elaborate designs all over the walls and ceilings to form church symbology and motifs. It’s a bit creepy but a totally different and new form of museum.

Day 41 - March 5th 2009 Rome, Italy

Had to get up today earlier than I would have liked to on my first day of the weekend (Thursday) as today our group was meeting the PosteItaliane officials to exchange our precious Permesso di Soggiorno documents (copy of every page in our passport? + copy of visa etc). And we happily sauntered off with a little receipt that said we were good visitors and are now currently deep within the dark machine that is the Italian bureaucratic system. Katie’s appointment to get the actual Permit to Stay is scheduled for September 2009 so I’m thinking I’m going to be, say...Christmas 2009? I may miss this appointment... A little homework at the LdM school then back to base command to suit up for the night. First a quick foray to a local Trastevere osteria that serves delicious gnocchi, but only one day a week! Once this delicious dish of gnocchi arrabiata spicy sauce was done and gone we went to a spot that some of the crew had already frequented called the Bartelli Bar which is tended by Luigi and his friend. We shared talk and spirits with these fine gentleman then proceeded on to the Zarbar for flashing lights and 90’s american music which Italians think is still new stuff for some reason.

Day 40 - March 4th 2009 Rome, Italy

Marched through European history today with our favorite teacher Fabio. Fabio is an all around interesting guy, he is about 26, speaks excellent english and italian, and recites his 2 and half hour lectures completely from memory. It’s quite amazing to sit and listen to. He also gives us all our insider Rome tips about nightspots and the best restaurants and so on. After history comes wine class, this week we sampled 4 different red wines and one Moscasti D’Asti sparkling sweet white. The reds included a Barbaresco 2004 which is from the Piedmonte region of Italy. This easily had the most complex and interesting structure and body of all the wines we have tasted so far. The Moscato was everyone’s favorite because after so many tastings of reds the class was thankful for a sweet passito wine. After wine class it was on to La Montecarlo for a bite and back home for the usual reading writing and arithmetic.

Day 39 - March 3rd 2009 Rome, Italy

Took the ride into school this morning on the tram then the autobus. Chomped through Italian class then went on a search for a new lunch locale, ending up on Via Tritone leading to Piazza Barberini. A pork panini and supplì later the belly was quenched and walked back to class at 3. Made some delicious handmade hamburgers to fry up on the stove (man I miss grilling) then proceeded to read some and write out this crazy blog and also some European history homework.

Day 38 - March 2nd 2009 Rome, Italy

Standard day at the office today. Italian cinema class, some pasta with freestyle spicy sauce. Italian homework and blog writing. I suppose this is a good an opportunity as any to give you insight into Italian supermercato shopping for groceries. The experience is quite comical. So the first time I went grocery shopping, I carried all my items in my arms and shirt because I couldn’t figure out where everyone was getting the green baskets. In Italy there is no cart collection, everyone just leaves their empty vessel near the checkout line once their done unloading. So, one has to go all the way around in the store, pick up the goofy little green rolly basket cart, and begin the shopping experience. Now, this may be because I don’t understand fully every Italian word, but for some reason there are two classes of milk and eggs, the refrigerated and unrefrigerated. I was under the impression these items needed cool temps at all times or else they would spoil, but not in Italy apparently. Eggs and milk are refrigerated in one spot, then right in the same aisle there are their warmer weather brethren. I’ve taken to buying the fridge milk and free standing eggs, which seems to work out fine. Now onto the checkout. The man asks if you want a bag, but you have to pay .05 cents for it. I say no because I now bring my own bags cause I’m too cheap to pay the extra .05. And there are no baggers in Italy, you buy it, you bag it. But once you unload everything the cashier starts laser bleeping each item and sending it full speed at you waiting to bag at the other end. And no sooner has he finished swiping the items and you are not even close to getting all your peanuts and crackerjacks in the bag than then next customers items start speeding down the alley. Now this customer gets all indignant that you are still there desperately trying to pack everything into your small cloth bag. It’s just a riot every time. Well that’s my piece on fare la spesa in Italia.

Day 37 - March 1st 2009 Venice, Italy

For the trip to San Marco this morning Katie and I decided to take a different route around the island to get a different viewpoint. Well... it was a different viewpoint but not the one we expected. The boat rounded all the way around the neighboring island of Murano, taking a full hour to return to Venice where we got off on the wrong stop so for all our troubles we ended up huffing it across Venice to Piazza San Marco. We played with the birds a bit more and did some Murano glass shopping in which Katie had no inkling how to play hardball with the vendors. The glass doesn’t bargain for itself. We ate lunch on the boardwalk people watching for a good time. Then it was back to the hotel, picking up our stuff and onto the train home.

Day 36 - February 28th 2009 Venice, Italy

Arrived in Venice at 11am today and checked into the hotel and dropped our bags off. Then Katie and I took the Vaporetto (public water bus) through the grand canal to Piazza San Marco. We toured the ornate Doge’s Palace with its golden ceilings and played with the birds of the square. We traveled back to the hotel around 6pm for a short nap. Short nap turned to long sleep and soon enough it was 7:30am the next day. 13 hours of sleep (laughs) so be it.

Day 35 - February 27th 2009 En route to Perugia, Italy

ALMOST missed the bus this morning headed to Perugia. Woke up at 7:50am bus was leaving at 8. Needed to take a 10 min tram to Piazza Trilussa where the buses were parked. Wow was that some serious hustling. But I made it and all was well. Slept much of the 3 hour drive up to Perugia. After touring around the main square for a bit I realized I had been there before in 2004 on the Rice europe trip. Kinda cool town but just not that earthshattering ya know? One thing that was really cool was taking this mini-metro down the side of the hill that Perugia sits on to the train station below. Christine Davis was my travel associate for all of this because she, like me, was headed up towards Venezia for that weekend. I arrived in Florence to stay one night with Katie then head up on the high speed train the next morning. We hit up a local trattoria for some eats, (I had fried rabbit?), then went over the Loch Ness lounge for some sweet grooves.

Day 34 - February 26th 2009 Rome, Italy

A working Thursday. Did some research into March break locations and ideas. Read and wrote. Later that evening traveled to the apartment of Heather, our wine and cultures professor for a blind tasting of seven various red wines. We tried each one and took notes on our impressions, then all seven were poured into glasses and we had to try and discern which was which based on our smell and taste again compared to our notes before. I figured I could do alright because the wines seemed to have distinctive flavors and odors. NOPE. I got one out of seven. After the tasting I frequented a local bar establishment then headed back a casa mia.

Day 33 - February 25th 2009 Rome, Italy

Took the tram to the stop just before the Tiber river and made the walk over to the API office at lunchtime to help cook and eat the traditional sicilian dish of eggplant/tomato over pasta. Audra and Christina put together quite a dish and we all ate heartily. A quick jump over to school for class at 3pm, a short break, then Wine and cultures class. We tasted a few red wines this evening to mark differences in tannin levels, bitterness, sweetness and acidity. It was very difficult sensing the subtle differences between each one. After wine class we made it over to La Montecarlo for the weekly dining. We all rather stupidly showered our pizzas with peperoncino spice, thinking we could spice up the flavor, causing our mouths to turn quite caustic and an extra bottle of acqua naturale to be ordered.

Day 32 - February 24th 2009 Rome, Italy

Italian class, lunch break wandering around Piazza di Spagna looking for the last book I needed for classes. Another engaging session of Art History. You know the drill.

Day 31 - February 23rd 2009 Rome, Italy

Today was Italian club slowdown day at the Lorenzo de’Medici school. What this means is that the LdM school, already very environmentally conscious and does everything to conserve energy and paper etc., turned off its computers and electronic devices and had a day of “slowing down life’s pace.” I could not follow this completely because I brought in my laptop to watch a film by Federico Fellini for my Italian cinema class. But lunch was served by the chef hired by LdM and later that evening traditional Tarantella dancers came and put on a dance and musical presentation. The music was fabulous but I didn’t stay long because I was feeling sick and needed to go home and eat and go to bed. Which I promptly did.