Blogs from Italy, Europe - page 1593

October 30-31st The Festivities-a weekend filled with expectations and wishes-some of which were fulfilled as expected and others transformed in an experience not completely planned but ultimately loveable and memorable just the same. On Saturday I met my parents in Rome for the wedding of my cousin. The ceremony was held in a small but gorgeous chapel, the middle of three chapels. The walls were covered with frescoes, an ornate alter in front, the pews lined with crème colored cloth, roped off with gold, with flowers lining the sides and front of the chapel. The ceremony, about 35 minutes, was quite religious and ritualistic, accompanied by readings by the brother of the bride and the boyfriend of the bride’s sister, Gioia. All was detailed in a small booklet, from which the approximately 50 attendees read. ... read more

Come state tutti? i'm EXHAUSTED! so much has happened in the past few weeks. of course we have class every day, which is in and of itself exausting. there's not too much work, but i'm having the worst time remembering vocabulary. grammar is usually pretty easy with a little review, but vocab is the pits. we've had one test so far, which i did fairly well on, except that i couldn't remember the name of anything. i've been placed in the intermediate class, which i think i mentioned earlier, and our teacher Milena is a real kick in the pants. she's got so much energy! the biggest thing that's happened is our trip to Napoli (a.k.a. Naples). it was a weeklong trip, and we left early in the morning to get there. we stayed at a ... read more

October 16-17-VICENZA * I took a trip to visit my father’s cousin Ebe this weekend, and what a treat! Not only did the food she set before me inspire me to salivate for 2 days straight, but her house is a museum of treasures-as her father was an artist and each room, corner, hallway, shelf is a archeological, artistic piece of family history. I spent the mornings with Ebe at the table in the kitchen, watching her brown the prosciutto-wrapped roast, while chatting about friends, cooking, family. I am sipping a café, tasting biscotti sent from Milano, but savoring the smells coming from her oven. During the day, her son’s wife, Marianella, and I walk briefly through the center of Vicenza, as she gives me a very interesting piece of information about various architectural locations: - ... read more

October 1-7 * On Friday, I reluctantly bid farewell to my penthouse flat in the center of Florence, and made my way to my new apartment, where I was greeted by my new flat mates (a little English slang for ya). Friday was a tough day, as the hermit that I am had made my nest quite comfortable in the studio apartment, my routine formed…leaving that life and heading to a new one, although quite exciting, was and is difficult for me. But heck, I came all the way to Italy with most of my life unanswered. I can handle this change, and handle it I will! Lapo, the young man who owns the apartment with his girlfriend, picked me and my 2 incredibly heavy bags up (as well as 2 bags of food goods I ... read more

Monday, September 27th * I found another friend, and we spent a few tranquil hours getting to know one another at the Parco Cascine this afternoon. My friend, a good book, gives me an excuse to lounge on a bench, with the afternoon sun warming my back, and my mind flirting with another world. Any good book is good company, the kind of companionship that gives you permission to buy a piece of chocolate cake at the book store café while reading or browsing stories, or sit on a bench while passersby or groups of runners wonder what it is that so engrosses you, or snuggle in bed early, too early for such a young, cool woman such as myself, but early just the same because I’ve got other plans-my book. *The book store in Piazza ... read more