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Published: September 12th 2007
Castle in daylight
Part of it at least...Ciao tutti!
Okay so here are some highlights of the past few days (oh you knew it was only a matter of time until I started making lists):
1) Yesterday we went on a night tour of Castello Sforzesco. It's this huge 550 year old castle right in the middle of downtown Milan. Can you imagine any kind of equivalent of that in the US? It's crazy. So anyway, we went at night because you can climb up the towers and look out over the whole city at night. That part was cool... the rest of the 2 hour tour was not as fun. But I'm still glad I got to see it... pictures attached!
2) I am in LOVE with this guy Carlo that owns a food market literally 2 blocks down the street from me (not THAT kind of love, don't worry... he's just the man). It's a little family owned market that makes its own pasta and pasteries and imports wine from the region where the mother grew up. The first time I went there I had a 45 minute conversation with the owner, Carlo, in Italian! We apparently became fast friends because he invited
Castle at night
Note the duomo in the background on the right me to go to the mountains next weekend with him, his fiance and another couple (don't worry, I'm not going!). Anyway, every time I go in there he says "Ciao Gianna! Come va?" which is like "what's up?" And we chat about our weeks, he takes something out of the oven and tells me to try it, and gives me a sample of a kind of wine (he said that if I try a different wine every time I go then I will know what kinds of wine I like by the time I leave). He gives me suggestions for what to try and how to cook it/what to eat it with, and gives me suggestions for day trips and weekend trips in the area. Oh and he looks like an Italian George Clooney. He's amazing. And the food is SO good and inexpensive! Like I said, I'm in love.
3) My landlord is crazy. She's this little old Italian lady that speaks no English and is SO EXCITED to have americans living in her building. She thinks we are so cool. So everytime we enter or leave the building and she is in the courtyard/entry hall talking with
someone, she says "ohhh ecco gli americani! guarda, gli americani!" translation: "oh what do we have here, it's the americans! Look, it's the americans!" Which is just AWKWARD when you know the person she's talking to does not share the same love for americans. And every time we leave the building she asks us where we're going... which is fine with me but it is not so fun for my poor roommates who don't speak a word of Italian. She knows this, but still follows them around and babbles in Italian. Mamma mia.
4) My friends and I are going on vacation this weekend! We have a three-day weekend so we rented 2 apartments (to split between 9 girls) in the town between Monaco and Nice. Monte Carlo, anyone? (Actually not really, apparently you have to wear ball gowns to get into that casino). It seems just about everyone else in the program is going away this weekend too... to Nice, Monaco, Caan, Cinqueterra, the Amalfi Coast, etc. Everyone wants to get their beach trips in before the weather stops being 80 and sunny every day.
I will let you know how that vacation goes... it seems like
duomo close-up
as seen from the castle tower it's going to be a blast (to borrow a word from my mom) because all my good girl friends will be there. So excited!
And as always, I'm loving it here! (But missing all of you!)
Molto amore,
Jenna
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Alison
non-member comment
good times
Once again, glad to hear you're having such an amazing time!!I am so beyond jealous, it's not even funny...since i'm stuck back here in boring mass where the weather is changing and the allergies are in full swing, i'm living vicariously through you!! Love and miss u, ali