Finalmente

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I am one of the two last Americans standing in Vescovado di Murlo today, and tomorrow we will be no more. While the last few days of each season are horrible in the sense of needing to clean up the evidence of seven weeks of dirty excavation people, read: cleaning fridges that should be burned, throwing away stuff people left behind, bringing the tools down from the site, and shutting down/covering the storerooms.

The fun part is that the people who stay until the end are the best possible people to make these tasks less....nasty and terrifying? In addition to dry-heaving over cleaning the kitchen, I've had some of the best meals since I've been here, held great conversations IN ITALIAN, gotten to try some excellent (and some terrible) wines, and have finally been able to spend some quality time at the hotel pool.

Last night I went to my first ever soccer game in Italy: A. C. siena vs. Sampdoria (Genova). Most. Boring. Game. Ever. Not many people there, and not much happening on the field. However, I had my most international dining experiene to date: a group of Americans eating doner kebabs in Siena while a French TV show about Africa was on. Rock on.

Tonight is one last dinner with my Italian friends in Vescovado, then tomorrow to Roma, some quality time at the Villa Giulia Etruscan collections, then travelling home on Wednesday.

Ciao Italia!

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Photos

Parking
ATV and lawnmower parking in Buonconvento. Obviously.

Cena a Monteroni
Best grilled seafood I've had here. The lobster at the bottom of the plate is ceramic. Bummer.

La Fiorentina
I don't eat beef, but this was the prettiest steak I've seen.

Snags
On the right is Snaggletooth, my adoptive 10-year-old kitty that resides in Murlo. She's missing a front fang, so she looks like she has a permanent sneer. Sweetest kitty ever.

The excitement
Most exciting part of the A.C. Siena game...Sampdoria player being carted off the field.