The Green Heart of Italy

         Sorry this is brief, but I am leaving for my flight in 30 minutes.  Will expand in detail (not as long as the last post) when I return in a week.


          On Friday after my class, we rented a car and headed to Umbria.  I slept for about the first hour and woke up at an Autostrada outside of Rome.  These Autostradas are unbelievable and could probably put Monterey's whole foods out of business.  They have gourmet food with prosciutto and sausage curing behind the counter and offer road side food that deserves a New York Times write up.  After our pit stop to get a map of the area, I drove us to Spoleto.  A tiny hill town with an incredible acquaduct that at its largest spans a ravine 280 ft high.  It offered incredible views and a passage way over to the other side that was full of green hillsides.
         Next we drove to Assisi, home of San Francesco, one of the two patron saints of Italy.  We had a decent dinner at Da Erminio with large amounts of shaved truffles and mushrooms galore.  After dinner, we climbed up the hill to La Rocca Maggiore, the hill side fortress that protected the people in times of siege.  The next morning we walked a little more and saw the Roman Amphitheater that is there.  It is now a collection of homes, built on the oval floor of the ancient stadium.  I then drove us over to the other side of the town (it is walkable, but one can only be on the stair master for so long) to view Basilica of St. Francis.  The bottom church was very unique, with very low ceilings and dark colors.  The upper church, however, used bright colors to depict St. Francis's life on the walls of the very spacious naive.  We then took the scenic road to Gubbio.
          Gubbio is very medieval in its architecture and sat nustled up against a mountain.  I had the best meal of my life for lunch at a place called Taverna del Lupo (This will get its own post upon return) and couldn't have been happier.  We hiked the switch-backed roads and dirt trails up the mountain and viewed the town from above.  There was a chair lift pole, there is one that takes people to the top, where we took some photos and relaxed.  We then drove to Perugia with no hotel booked.  We stopped at one place, and I got out and asked how much the hotel cost for a night, the answer was 450 euros.  So instead of booking 4, one for each of us and one for our luggage, we decided to search elsewhere.  We went through the entire city, me driving a little to fast to turn off to check other hotels, before we ended up at the entrance again.  We gave it another shot and found a reasonable hotel where I got to share a room with my parents and listen to them snore all night.  I wasn't especially fond of the place, mainly because it was a city and not a town.  I had presumed that we were going to towns the entire time (even though I suggesed Perugia, not my parents) and only found out that it has 150,000 people upon our arrival.  In the late morning we did some strolling before headed the car to Todi.  Todi was much more enjoyable, offering spectacular views of the rolling luciously green Umbrian hills and Tiber River.  We had a late lunch, walked around a little more and then aimed for Rome.
          Driving the Fiat Panda (yes you need to look it up) was very fun.  The car felt like it was going to explode, according to Dad, and the wheels were going to fall off, according to Mom, when I had it pedal to the medal in 5th gear and we got up to 145 km/hr.  I felt like I was in a race car and copied the italian drivers, using the entire road (regardless of blind turns) to keep with the bank of the road (oh how I wish we had a Maserati).  Instead of going around Rome and in from the bottom, we drove straight through.  I thought it would be nerve racking to drive the streets with the previously described roman drives, but it was quite fun.  It felt natural, and in car that small, like you can squeeze through anything and drive anywhere. Another great trip throughout Italy, and I think now, Mom and Dad have conquered all of the central Italy hill towns.
          Unfortunately, my parents had to leave Monday (originally supposed to be Sunday, but due to the British Airways strike, their flight was cancelled) and it was back to normal life in Rome.  This week I had midterms and studied a majority of the time.  It is great to be done and finally on spring break.
         For spring break, I will be doing some traveling solo.  I've never done something so independent before, and am actually cherishing the opportunity to do so.  All of my friends who have done so, say it is a great experience to learn about yourself.  I am glad I am not following the pack and am doing something that I want to do.  So instead of following my friends to either Greece or Madrid and Seville, I will be going to Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera.  I am most excited for Formentera because it is a pretty quite island of 9,000 people.  It looks like it has great views and great beaches, two things I truly love and make life more enjoyable for everyone.
          My itinerary is slightly crazy, and I don't expect much sleep for a while.  Tonight at 9:30 I fly out of Rome to Girona (an airport 1 hour away from Barcelona) where I will take a bus into the Barcelona and spend the evening (technically morning by the time I get there) an afternoon and then leave Monday morning at 5:00 am (back to Girona).  From there I will hop on my 8:25 flight to Palma Mallorca and spend two days exploring that island.  I will then muster my sea legs and take a 3 hour ferry to Ibiza.  I will spend the afternoon in Ibiza before taking the ferry over to Formentera where I will be until Friday morning.  Then another ferry back to Ibiza to explore there and spend the night before flying back to Rome on Saturday.  All of that in a week, but it will be a great time.  I cherish the adventure and can't wait to travel the islands and see their sights.  Everyone have a good week, I'll be off the blog until next week.  Pictures and in-depth commentary on Umbria (mainly Taverna del Lupo) will recommence.  Wish me luck.
A Presto

Mi Genitori

           On sunday when we returned to Rome, I was greeted with my parents.  They had flown in on Thursday night and spent the weekend with my brother while I was in Venice.  As a preface to this story, this week was shaped by food.  Sunday night, we went to an underground restaurant in Trastevere called Da I 2 Ciccioni.  My dad had given me an article from the New York Times debating the trattorias in Rome.  Danielle Pergament, who reviewed Home of the 2 Fat Guys, "...thought it was some guy's private kitchen where he hosted parties ever night.  I wasn't far off."  Our experience wasn't much different.  We found the restaurant up a deserted street; Trastevere used to be full of these streets, but now it is overrun with study abroad students.  Testaccio, the neighborhood I live right next to, is the now that "Old Rome" neighborhood.  We walked into a small comfortable room with about 6 tables.  The kitchen, a stove and a sink, was over in the corner.  Once we sat down we were given bruschette, patate puree, and fagioli.  The mashed potatoes were spiced with peppers and tomatoes.  We were asked if we would like Cacio e Pepe, cheese, pecorino to be specific, and pepper, or Amatriciana, tomato sauce and pancetta.  We opted for a sampling of both.  Both were served with rigatoni and both were delicious.  The Amatriciana was delicious and had a great homey quality to it.  The Cacio e Pepe, a pasta I hadn't come to appreciate yet, was also tasty and changed my opinion on the dish.  Stuffed and full of carbs, we were asked if we wanted a secundo; of course we couldn't turn them down.  Out of the oven came the most delicate, succulent, and flavorful chicken that I have ever had.  It was served over lettuce and dressed with oil and balsamic vinegar.  Although the plate was drenched in oil, the chicken was somehow not.  It had a hint of lemon ringing through it, but Gianni, the owner (one of the fat guys), said no lemon.  We finished off our house wine, I made a joke of squeezing the bottle to get more out of it, which prompted Gianni to bring us another bottle.  We had a couple glasses to recognize his hospitality.  After we over ate and finished it the plate, 3 glasses on our table and 2 bottles; one lemoncello and the other grappa.  Thank God I had wine left to chase the terrible taste that both those flammable alcohols provide.  It was early, 11:30, and I took them to the wine bar that Andrea had taken Adam and I.  We had a bottle of Rocche Costamagna 2007, Barbera d'Alba.  The bar was much more packed and a different scene, but still fun.  We didn't need that bottle, but it did make the walk home much more enjoyable.
          The next morning may parents walked the entire city while I was in class.  I met them after my class and we walked around Testaccio for a little bit.  I took them to Volpetti's and showed them the food emporium.  My dad was in love, he said he could be in here for hours.  I ordered three different panini, salami picante e burrata, proscuitto, pomodori, e mozzarella di bufalo, and porchetta e pomodori.  Before we had purchased a half liter of Montelpulciano d'Abruzzo from a store for about 1,30 euro (I will definitely be back there).

after my afternoon classes, I had to bus over to work at Le Fate.  I gave my parents instructions on how to get there for dinner; and served them when they came at 8:30 or so.  They had bruschetta (I think) that I made, and then shared a gnocchi, and then my mom had grilled chicken ( I think) that I made, and my dad had Maialino Al Forno which I had earlier that day.  I am glad they got to meet Andrea, and I am glad they met him.  It was nice to show them my work place and the new friends I was making there.
          Tuesday I had the morning off so we walked around the Jewish Ghetto.  I showed them a few of the many temples I have studied in Ancient Art of Rome.  We then found another underground restaurant, thanks to Rick Steves, called Sora Margherita.  It opened promptly at 12:30 and luckily we were there right then, because the tables filled up with 5 minutes.  Sora Margherita only has 2 menus for the entire restaurant, so it became a waiting game to see what to order.

After about 5 minutes, we got the menu and ordered Carciofi alla Giulia, Mozzarella di Bufalo con pomodorini, Fettucini Pesto alla Genovese, Agnolotti di sugo di carne, e Polpettte al sugo for the whole table to share.

The food was very good and it beat the convent lunch by a long shot.  I had to run off to class, and my parents went and walked the entire city.  I met them at about 7 to go to a Cul De Sac, an Enoteca near Piazza Navona.  Cul De Sac is a great wine bar offering very reasonable glasses of wine, and a 3 inch thick wine list.  Mom had a glass of chardonnay Mandrarossa Furetta from Sicily, Dad had a glass of Mandrarossa Nero d'Avola Cartagho from Sicily, and I had a glass of Sella & Mosea Cannonau Riserva from Sardegna.  We started talking with the couple next to us to find that he works at Google.  The conversation was focused on that for a little while, and ended when I asked about internships.  We finished our wine, and walked over to our third cash only restaurant, Da Alfredo e Ada.  It was another small place, with one waiter, and one lady working in the "kitchen."  And by kitchen I mean a broom closet with a hot plate and one electric burner.

We all had Penne all'Amtriciana (it was the best I've had to date, full of spice and finally with pancetta).

We had a choice for our secundo; Mom and I had Vitello con Verdure: Patate, Piselli, e Broccoli (Veal with Vegetables: Potatoes, peas, and broccoli).  Dad had the Involtini con verdure (Rolls of beef covered in tomato sauce, probably braised in it, and served with chicory and broccoli raab).  

The veal was absolutely amazing, but the real star was the peas.  Now most of you know, I am not the biggest vegetable guy, and peas are up on the list of things I like least, but these were delicious.  They were covered in the same sauce as the veal, a very light white wine sauce with a peppery bite.  He was kind to share the recipe with me and it was very simple.

                 Sear the veal for 10 minutes with onions and pepperoncino (red pepper flakes)

                 After the onions have sweat, add white wine, water, olive oil, celery, onions, 

                 pepper, butter, and peas.  Cook this for about 30 minutes, or until it's done.

Dessert was biscotti which we were told to dunk in our wine (some very seasoned advice).  The waiter, the son of Alfredo e Ada (unfortunately, both have passed away) poured us a glass of dessert prosseco.

It was an awesome evening all for a ridiculously cheap price of 54 euro.  I will be coming here many times over the rest of the semester.  We then walked around the neighborhood trying to find an organic gelato place.  The gelato was great, the best I have had in Italy.  The neighborhood was also worth mentioning, although somewhat close to Piazza Navona, there were no tourists in this district.  It was a quite area with high end antique and retail shops.  The streets were tiny and close knit with an ancient feel to it, but with the similar qualities to the Aventine (where I live).  

          Wednesday, I had a 3 hour walking tour in the morning and then had class in the afternoon.  My parents again walked the city and in the afternoon visited the Borghese Gallery, I on the other hand, did my laundry.  We met up at their hotel room and finished off the end of the bottle my parents had at Palombi, an enoteca that my parents had grown fond of.  I had made reservations at Da Gino's, according to the Food and Wine book Adam gave me for Christmas, claimed that "if you have only one trattoria meal in Rome, eat it here."  David Downie's claim was not unqualified; the entire meal was spectacular.  Mario our waiter made the meal even better; he was energetic and wasn't upset answering every question that we had.  

We started with the Antipasto Misto Della Casa which had Mortadella, Salumi piccante, prosciutto, baked mushrooms, baked tomatoes, baked zucchini, artichokes, black olives, and ridicchio with an anchovy vinaigrette.  

I had the Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe, giving the pasta another chance, and the noodles were incredibly long.

Dad had Tonnarelli alla Ciociara, the house pasta with peas, mushrooms, and guinciale in a white wine sauce, 

Mom had some unnamed type of pasta Carbonara, with zucchini blossoms added.

What I especially like about trattorias, is that you can say bring me a bottle of whatever wine you like, and they do.  He brought us a bottle of 2008 Marchesi Alfieri Sansoero Grignolino.  The wine was very light in color, and once we got over that, we really enjoyed it.

I then had Arrosto di Vitello con patate.  

Dad had Coniglio al Vino bianco (one best dish of the night).  

And Mom had Saltimbocca alla Romana.

We then had two desserts that we absolutely didn't need and filled ourselves up to our windpipes.  Tiramisu:

and Mousse al Cioccolato:

The food was so good that after we went to the Carvaggio exhibit the next day and had a bottle of wine at Enoteca Corsi, we returned to the same lovely dining room of Gino's for a second night.  Oh and this place is also cash only.  This is the best place I have been to in Rome, and I will recommend it to anyone and everyone.  Do not miss it.

Hi mom!

Our 5 days in Rome were amazing, but the real fun was in Umbria...

Venitian Getaway

          Two weekends ago, I traveled 4 hours on a train to Venice.  This was known as the express train and stopped through Florence and Bologna.  It was still cold and some parts were covered in snow.

One of my favorite things about being here during this time is that I get to see the sites in a completely different framework.  The trip was not terribly uncomfortable; I had just finished and Saul let me borrow his book, The Food of Italy by Waverly Root.  It is a very informative book that breaks down each region of Italy by its food.

Once in Venice, we took a ferry to our hotel.  After an hour nap, we had a guided tour that took us across the Accademia bridge and to San Peter's Square.  The church was very cool; what I really liked was how uneven the floor was.  It is caused from the water that floods the church, when the swell is high.

And I also liked the mosaic floors.

We then were set free and explored on our way back to the hotel.  Being exhausted, I was stupid and slept for a couple of hours and relaxed in the hotel room.  Dinner was included on the first night and we opted to save money and eat there.  We then tried to find a bar (we had heard that everything closed in Venice at about 10) and found a tiny one.  It was overpriced, over cramped, and overly boring.  The night then moved on to a club called Piccolo Mondo.  It was also overpriced, 10 euro mixed drinks, but was decently fun.  I walked back with 3 guys a little earlier than most and all was fine.  I then got a called from my hotel mate and he said I needed to let him in the front door of the hotel.  I went down to do so, but it was locked from the inside.  They initially thought I was joking, but eventually got it, when I couldn't do anything.  They tried climbing through the windows, but the were bared shut.  I passed them key through the window, but that wouldn't open it.     And the night watchman was no where to be found.  The director of our program, was woken up by the noise and came down to see what was going on.  We eventually found him sleeping in the back room of the lobby snoring his ass off.  Pestilli had to shake him to wake him up.  And that was the end of the night for me, but it happened to Pestilli again unfortunately.  The next morning, we had a scheduled walking tour at 9 am.  Saul, Wes, and I were the only three guys to make it to the tour (all Oxy students I might add) and I'm glad we made it.  We saw 2 different churches, one on the Grande Canal, and one on the other side, on the outside waters.  The first is Santa Maria Della Salute had an awesome floor.  The windows lit it perfectly, but it was unfortunately freezing inside.

I really liked it, we were told that it encapsulated the essence of both a traditional church and one on a central floor plan (basically rectangular and circular at the same time).  The second, I don't know its name, but it had a mirror in the center to look at the ceiling, and it was fun to play with.

There were two great statues of Moses

and one of his brother, Aaron.

We then went to the Accademia, where we saw some great pieces of artwork.  In the afternoon, we were taken to other very famous buildings (forgotten their names).

The woodwork in the seats were unbelievable.  Even our tour guide, who admitted that he thinks wood work is a lowly art form, said these always impressed him by their ornate detail.

          The late afternoon, we were free.  Someone had found a rolled up ball of paper, and we kicked that around for probably an hour until it fell apart.  We were having so much fun that we decided to buy a ball to keep it going.  We did what all little kids do, ran routes for football, kicked it into crowds so the person going for it would hit someone, and finally, started seeing how far we could throw it.  On our way back, we found a bridge that faced another bridge about 40 to 50 yards away.  It was actually quite a spectacular view, and I took a picture of the spot before I even knew this was going to happen.

Of course, we sent someone over and then it began.  Andrew threw the first time.  Before he threw, there was quite the talk about could we do it, is it possible, what if we lose the ball, all of it doubting the possibility.  

With an audience around him (about 10 people had stopped to watch), Andrew's threw the ball perfectly.  The distance, the angle, and the accuracy were on point; Jamie on the other hand, was not.  He panicked; He came forward (from the center of the bridge), hit and cut his finger on the railing, meaning he had over estimated how far he needed to move, the ball hit him in the chest, then the arm, then the hand, and dropped after hit touched him about 4 times into the poisonous moat below.  We were so upset that we pooled another 4 euro and bought another one.  The next throw was terrible, some how Andrew caved to the pressure and actually hit the houses on the side before it dropped about 5 ft short.  We waited about 5 minutes, not knowing what to do until finally a guy on a boat came through and tossed it back up to us.  That throw was equally bad, falling short by about 8 ft.  We gave up, deeming it impossible (mainly Jamie had ruined) and head back to the hotel.  We were about 2/3 of the way home before all of us were so pissed off by it that we went into a store, bought a pack of tennis balls, and headed back.  The first of these throws was on the money and caught, but we didn't stop there.  Then Jamie tried throwing; into the water. 

Then Dano tried throwing; into the water.  Then Josh (not me) tried throwing; into the water.  At least we had done it once... A gondola came by (the couple on it, looked as if she had just turned down a marriage proposal; I have never seen a couple so unhappy in my life.  Why pay for the gondola, about 80 euro, if you're miserable) and manuvered the coffin like boat to the side of the canal and tossed them up to us.

We got them back and Andrew and Jamie got it across a couple times in a row.  It then turned into soft toss.  I took my shot, and ended up short by about a foot.  An american passer-byer said my throw was shit; good thing he wasn't there earlier to see the other throws we had made.  But it was an overall accomplished afternoon.  I have videos, I don't know how to upload them onto here, so I'm going to work on that.  

          That night we did pretty much the same thing; dinner, bar, same club.  I was less into it that night, and went home earlier to get some rest.  The next day we took a water taxi over to Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore to visit the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore. The inside was a very open space that felt empty and cold, the walls were white and bare. They have a bell tower that we climbed; unfortunately, the marine fog hadn't burned off yet, but the views were still nice.

If you look carefully, you can see the tower in Saint Mark's Square

We then had a couple hours to kill (we threw the last remaining ball around again) before it was time to go back to Rome.  This train ride was nice, because Jamie let me borrow is book The Alchemist.  I had never heard of it, but really enjoyed what I was able to read.  I am waiting for him to finish it, so that I can finish it.

          It was a good weekend, but not great.  The city's magic was lost on me.  For some reason, the fact that the city was floating on water/ tiny islands was not impressive.  Although it was an incredible feat, once you hear that the water is disgusting, the buildings are sinking, and rats are everywhere (we didn't see one) it's hard to fall for the allure of the city.  It did seem like one giant boardwalk, and that was cool, but there are many other cities and towns in Italy that I would rather visit.

I'll finish with a couple random photos that I really liked:

That's the tower we climbed.

That's all for now.  I have to go take an italian oral exam, and then I'll be back to the computer to post about Umbria.