Cibi d'Italia

This weekend Roma is hosting the Mercato di Campagna Amica's Cibi d'Italia festival. This is Campagna Amica's first actual festival. Campagna Amica is a farmer's market in Italy that meets every weekend to sell fresh, locally grown and produced products. The Cibi d'Italia festival took place in the Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo in Italian) and highlighted local farmers and other food businesses. They had everything from fresh fruit to giant roasted pigs being carved in front of you to local viticulturists offering samples of their wares. I went with a good friend from UCSC who inspires me to become more of a foodie, Danielle Worthy.

Danielle, my food advisor.

We had so much fun walking around and sampling a lot of great Italian food. The festival was only really attended by locals, so hardly anyone spoke Italian, which was wonderful practice for us. We found a great wine tent and sampled a great red. I asked one of the employees what her favorite wine that they had was and she gave us the red. Danielle and I are normally more prone to get a white or rosé, but we were definitely open to some tasting. This wine was fantastic! It was crisp and fruity with a bit of sparkle. We both were asking each other what the unexpected flavor was, but not being connoisseurs of wine ourselves we just appreciated the taste and bought a bottle. We even talked to the sellers about which foods the wines were best paired with. Living in Roma for a month has really improved my Italian.

We found an interesting booth that was promoting Italy's version of the Biosphere Project that is happening at the University of Arizona. It is called il Parco Nazionale del Cliento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni and is a UNESCO site. They're committed to preserving the natural Italian landscape and biology. To attract interest in their booth they were handing out shish-kabobs of basil leaves, balls of mozzarella di buffalo, and fresh small tomatoes; all of which were produced within the national park. The basil was so flavorful and when I got a bite of it with the fresh mozzarella I almost died. Danielle and I just looked at each other in sheer happiness and could only make 'mmm'-ing sounds and exclaim 'oh my God!' It was the best mozzarella that either of us had tasted and the tomato was bursting with juicy amazingness. Honestly, imagine the best tomato you've ever had and then multiply the freshness and flavorfulness by at least 10. It bursted and I got some tomato juice on my white top, but it was worth it. Caprese salad shish-kabobs at an Italian farmer's market, does it get any better than that? 

Apparently it does. We found a great apple stand that had freshly picked apples that were amazing. I of course had to buy some because I love apples and fall, but they also had out tiny green fruits that looked like less transparent grapes. They were labelled as kiwis, but I assumed that the Italians just didn't really know what kiwis were. (They did as I later discovered at another stand.) So, attempting to be a bit more adventurous with my food, I popped on into my mouth not know what it would taste like or whether it had a pit or not. I was rewarded for my curiosity. It was actually a tiny kiwi without the brown fuzz outside that was actually able to be consumed whole. It was so tart and yet sweet and tasted exactly like kiwi. I was amazed and forced Danielle to try one as well and she ended up buying a kilo of the little buggers. We also ended up getting a citrus fruit that is like an orange on the inside but has a green peel like a lime. The Italians call it melanzawa and it is fantastic.

The food was great, but they hooked me with the petting zoo. There were goats, bunnies, turkeys, hens, sheep, and donkeys. I fell in love with the baby bunnies (even though the albino ones normally give me the creeps). And I got a bit sad for a moment when I saw the goats. I'm not that weird, it's just that my sister has wanted a goat for ages. She legitimately asks for one every Christmas. Honestly, what is a college student in California, let alone the desert that is Riverside, going to do with a goat? But still she remains persistent. At that moment I wished she were with me so that we could argue about how I think that goats are the devil's spawn because their pupils are sideways (really, it's unsettling) and she would argue about how adorable they are. 

And then one of the baby bunnies lunged at a little Italian boy's finger that he had stuck through the cage, and thankfully missed, and we just looked at each other and laughed, because that bunny was on speed or something. It struck like a viper! And then of course I missed my little brother because that would be exactly something he would do. I just really missed my siblings at that point, which is weird for me because as much as I love them, I think I don't show them. And I think that that impacts our relationship, they think I don't care when I just have trouble displaying emotion while at the same time I'm pretty sure they're a bit scared of me. The reasons are complicated and would take way too long to explain... I just worry because we're all living apart and I feel like we keep growing further and further apart. I miss them quite a bit and being away from them is hard, especially because as a military family that moved every which way all the time they were my constant friends and playmates. ...Sorry... wow, who thought talking about farm animals would get this deep? In apology I offer up these adorable pictures of farm animals that might just break your heart too.

Goats for Chels!

Look at their sibling bonds! 

They just love each other unconditionally

Bunny kisses are the best.

I loved the farmers market and Danielle and I found a lot of great things to make a delicious dinner with! It was a great day.

Local wine from the market

Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach 

Tomato sauce from the market

That's my kind of party.

Danielle adding pecorino romano 

Perfection was achieved.

What's Taters, Precious?

"Mash 'em, boil 'em, put 'em in a stew."  - Samwise Gamgee

So I had a week break in between my Italian practicum ( 1 quarter's worth of Italian credits smashed into 3 weeks) and actual classes... And where do I go? IRELAND. Oh yes. It was so beautiful! Honestly, everyone who has been there says 'It's soooo green!' And I am just one more of them. It was like watching t.v. in HD imax after a life of fuzzy 70's technicolor. I didn't know that colors that rich could exist. If it's possible to fall in love with a landscape, I did...

The Cliffs of Moher

I arrived in Dublin with 3 of my friends: Lindsey and Carmen, whom I live with, and Amy, a brand new friend. I love these girls. They are way too much fun and are exactly the kind of people I need to be around. Everyone is just so outgoing and high energy. They don't give me time to get too deep in my head, which is good, because that's when the problems start.

We stayed at Ashfield House in Dublin which was wonderful because it was a short walk to everywhere. Our first destination was the Temple Bar area. Seriously, where else would 4 college students who just finished exams go? We had some great grub and met a cheeky waiter who convinced us to head over to another bar and play a joke on a bartender for free drinks. So we go and ask after Dom at Padraic O'Grady's and tell him our cover story: we were regulars at his old pub in NYC. Carmen tells him that her brother finally married the girl and all of a sudden Dom's coming around the bar to ask us how we are doing and what drinks we want. I told him I'd have my usual and he just was looking around like 'Cor, blimey...' until we told him that since we were in his city we would drink what he recommended. The relief was palpable. We stayed for a while and listened to some great pub music and learned songs like 'I'll Tell Me Ma' and 'No, Nay, Never.' We had so much fun. 

The next night we went to almost every bar in the Temple Bar area and we made friends with the bouncer at Temple Bar. I was getting talked up by some Armenian guy... so I pretended to only speak French as he spoke at me in English and offered me money for some 'alone time.' Needless to say my new bouncer buddy came in handy! After that disaster we headed off to another bar with a couple of nice Irish boys who kept the Guinness flowing and then took us out to get burgers at 2:30 in the morning. That was wonderful, plus I totally have a soft spot for gingers...

Our second day in Dublin we went to tour the Guinness Storehouse, which was fascinating. After the tour you head up to the Gravity Bar on the top floor and get a free pint of Guinness and a panoramic view of all of Dublin. Afterwards we went shopping and strolled around St. Stephen's Green. The fashion in Dublin is surprisingly amazing. I found the perfect l.b.d. and fell in love with Topshop, which is way too expensive for me. 

I dragged the girls to the National Museum of Ireland of Archeology to see the bog people. I absolutely love them! They are like naturally made mummies. The Celtic peoples would execute hostages from other tribes (princes, dignitaries, etc...) or criminals who didn't deserve an honorable burial and just toss the bodies into the peat bogs. The peat has low oxygen levels and other biological factors that preserved not only the bodies, but their hair, clothes, jewelry, and skin. (So if you're squeamish scroll down a bit quickly)

This guy is an ancient ginger!

Check out his hand!

We made our way to Galway by train after a long trek to the train station in 18°C rain... with no umbrella, but we made it! Cold and sniffly.... but we got there. We went out that night to see what the scene was and we ended up at the Quay's (pronounced keys) and found some traditional Irish music. We just chilled there and listened to the music and drank some guinness. It was a good night. Lindsey and I retired a bit early, meaning at 10:45. But Carmen and Amy stayed out for a bit longer and had quite the tale to tell. As Carmen leads me to believe, Galway is like a backwards Cinderella town. As the clock strikes 11:00 the masses of pissed drunk lads come out and swam the town. There was even an instance of a group of 12 guys lifting Amy up and hauling her off. They eventually put her down after saying some rather crude things, but we did not go out the next night. 

The best part of Galway was going on a bus trip to the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher. Our driver/guide was a little old Irish man who had been doing this tour for 19 years. Desmond (Des) was adorably funny and we spent the entire day laughing and visiting some beautiful places.

Des

The Cliffs of Moher were breathtaking. The wind was intense though, and we felt as if we could easily be blown off. Apparently 60 people fell to their deaths from the cliffs last year alone. That only makes me respect nature all the more. The cave that is at the bottom of the left side of the cliffs was actually used in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Harry and Dumbledore go into the cave to find the locket. I was a bit stoked. The land is just so beautiful and it makes you think about what it would be like to live a simpler life and live off the land... and then I remember how much I love running water and central heating. 

The cave is that dark spot on the second outcropping.

After Galway we headed on to Cork to kiss the Blarney stone! Cork itself was not too exciting, but Blarney Castle was gorgeous. The gardens were lush and fragrant, but the best part of it all was climbing to the top of the castle, on a super steep, ridiculously winding, perilously small staircase. I highly advise those who tend toward claustrophobia to skip this adventure. When we reached the top we were delayed by a film crew hovering around the stone. They were filming a travel show for itv that was hosted by James Nesbitt. We had no clue who he was or what was going on until they asked if they could film all four of us kissing the stone while James Nesbitt held us. If you've never kissed the stone let me explain the process. You lay on your back on the floor of a battlement on the top of the castle. A trained guide helps pull your torso off of the ledge so you can grab two vertical bars and lower your head upside-down off of a building to kiss a rock. There are some safety bars below you so you don't fall to your death, but it's still a rather frightening experience. After we signed release forms for the camera crew we headed down to the bottom of the keep. A huge group of French students began shouting and swarmed James asking for photographs. We casually asked his film crew if he was 'sort of a big deal in Ireland.' They told us that he was to be a dwarf in the Hobbit trilogy that is going to come out this December. And at that moment my life was a bit too cool for me.

Amy getting all up close and personal with the Nes.

Yeah, I know a dwarf...

Can I just stay here forever? 

After all of the excitement we had one last day in Dublin before we had to catch our flight back to Roma. I love Dublin so much. And the guys are all so cheeky... witty banter is a major plus for me. We went out and Carmen and Amy met some drop dead gorgeous guys who are coming to San Diego to open up their own pub and one of them is a professional golfer. I spent the evening getting chatted up by a couple of Italian guys with minimal English... at least I could practice my Italian. Why is it that I meet a perfectly nice guy in Rome and he runs off to Sydney without even leaving a phone number. Yes, I know, I told him not to.... but seriously. Grrr.

Ireland was wonderful. I really want to go back and take my family. I want to marry into a cute little Irish family. I just want to go back. I almost cried when getting onto the plane to go, but then I remembered that I was going back to my flat in Roma... Life is rough guys. I seriously think that I'm going to sob like a child when I have to return to the states.

All in all, a successful adventure

Ho Perso il Mio Cuore!

I am all packed and ready to head off to Ireland for a week's vacation! I just had my first Italian final, which went rather well. And I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it all went. I was the first out of my class of seven people to finish the written part and my oral exam only lasted for 5 questions. At the end Francesca, my adorable professoressa, just looked up and said, 'va bene!' I was a bit stunned like.... we're done? Wow. Ok then. So I'm all done with my first 'quarter' here in Rome and I'm off for a fantastic trip to the mother country (one of them at least). I have a few hours before I head to the train station to get the airport so I thought I'd fill y'all in on some recent happenings.

So last Saturday my flatmate Lindsey and I were at Scholar's Pub planning to meet up with a pair of Italian boys we had met the night before. As it would happen only Matteo showed up... 45 minutes late. Of course Lindsey and I consulted our favorite bartender, Richard, and asked him whether we should give him the time of day. By this point Matteo had lost his charm and was just sort of a rather cute Italian guy with bad english who wanted to take Lindsey out to 'propose to her a plan to see the secrets of Roma.' Richard's advice was succinct if not very Irish. He simply said, 'forget him!' (in a slightly more colorful manner). 

Lindsey and I are avoiding Matteo when I see a nice looking guy come up to the bar near us and I start up a conversation. Normally, I'm ridiculously shy, but when trying to lose a boring Italian boy who just won't take a hint I can be very enigmatic. The guy turns out to be from Australia traveling with his mates. He apologizes for interrupting our conversation with Matteo for which I thank him fervently. He goes back to sit with his friends and Matteo reappears. All of a sudden Lindsey and I are being hailed to the table of Australian boys and Matteo is left looking very confused at the bar. 

Everyone we meet is so nice and kind and we just chatted for over an hour. Tobias, one of the Australians gallantly rescued Lindsey twice from unwanted advances by Matteo. Apparently nice guys still exist! To prove this point I present exhibit A: Kev. He's British, a successful video journalist, well spoken, living in Sydney, intelligent, hilarious, charming, and just all around amazing. Not to mention gorgeous. So Lindsey, Tobias, Kev, and I end up heading to another more Italian bar outside in Campo dei Fiore. We talked for hours until all of a sudden it was 4 in the morning and we had no idea where the time had gone! Although I have a vivid memory of Kev singing Aladdin songs to me because he asked me what my favorite Disney movie is and he just got too excited. It was perfect.

So basically I found the perfect guy and then he left to go back to Sydney the next morning.  I'm kind of sad... my heart is a bit bruised, but I'm trying to just be happy for what happened and not live my life with 'what if's' and regrets. My flatmate Carmen put it like this: After a lot of crappy relationships that basically ruin your whole view of relationships God gave you a taste of what could be. It just wasn't the right time, but now you know what you want. And honestly, I know it's ridiculously cheesy and cliché, but I think that that's the kind of guy I could end up with. A wonderfully witty gentleman. What more could a girl ask for... Oh yeah... the British accent. 

The Hunt for Bernini

First off I'd really like to thank everyone for reading my blog... I have over 450 hits since I began. So, thanks Ma for obsessively checking this to make sure that I'm alive!

So I haven't been writing much lately because my life has been a bit boring... I know, boring in Rome? But in my defense I am finishing a whole quarter's worth of Italian in 3 weeks and my final is in 2 days. So I'm busy in a very boring way.

Today I decided to change that up and head out to find some of the less obvious Bernini pieces in the city. (Yes, I know I'm obsessed.... but the way this man makes marble look fluid and alive is just... I don't think 'amazing' can cover it.) So I left my flat and began the long trek to Santa Maria della Vittoria. 

Before I even got close I accidentally walked past Sant'Ignazio de Loyola and had to go in to take some better photos. (I covered this church here) So I had to take some good pics of the 'dome.' Because the building's ceiling is flat Andrea Pozzo painted a dome that is really a trompe l'oiel - french for a trick of the eye.

The painted dome by Pozzo

The illusion from the wrong angle

So now I'm just going to give you all of my pictures of Sant'Ignazio de Loyola...

I love how they entomb and display holy bodies!

Soon I was on my way to find Santa Maria della Vittoria. I had checked my map before I left my flat so I wouldn't have to look like an ignorant tourist while hunting for Bernini and getting lost. But let's be honest here... I ended up at two of the churches mentioned in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. I was bound to get a bit confused. Also, Via del Corso, the massive shopping street that runs through the center of Rome, can be a bit chaotic. So when I reached the Piazza di Spagna I knew I had gone too far. Santa Maria della Vittoria managed to be ridiculously far and up a rather large hill. But I found it! 

Santa Maria della Vittoria

It was rather small and unassuming, but inside was one of the world's greatest treasures (at least in my eyes): Bernini's L'Estasi di Santa Teresa - the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. St. Teresa had visions and believed that a seraph had come to her and repeatedly stabbed her in the heart with an arrow of flames that was painful yet beautiful which helped her to understand the true nature of sin. Sure, the story sounds a tad bit extreme, but no one can deny the beauty of Bernini's sculpture. Honestly, I am constantly awestruck by what he can do with marble. You can feel the arrow just by looking at her face and the way that her toes curl. My mind cannot comprehend how Bernini executed such amazing works of art and so many!

L'Estasi di Santa Teresa

After succeeding in my quest I headed over to the much easier to reach, but equally as far Santa Maria del Popolo. I was looking for the Chigi Chapel which was designed by Raphael and holds Bernini's Habakkuk and the Angel and David and the Lion. Unfortunately, my luck would have it that only that specific chapel was undergoing restorations.

Chigi Chapel

I did get some great pictures of some of the other works of the church which include frescoes by Pinturicchio and paintings by Annibale Carracci and Caravaggio: The Conversion on the Way to Damascus (Paul falling off of a horse when the Holy Spirit descends upon him) and Crucifixion of St. Peter. More bad luck... no photos were allowed to be taken of the chapel that held the Caravaggio works. I tried! But I did have a whole conversation in Italian with one of the guys who worked there (and was being rather uppity about the 'no photos' rule) and he informed me that he believed Chigi Chapel to be opening in October.... possibly. But that's Italy for you. Schedules are simply suggestions, as are traffic signals!

Santa Maria del Popolo nave

Pinturicchio

Piazza del Popolo

On my way back to my flat I saw a really cool line of Ferraris driving down the street. It was like a sort of car show was rolling into town or they were just having a Ferrari parade. I have no idea. But there were at least 30 cars in a row with a police escort. So I took pictures! Here's a special 'Ciao from Roma' for my little brother and car aficionado, Erik!

 

My closing thought... I loathe tourists. Walking anywhere in this city is unnecessarily obnoxious. They all walk so slowly and stop in the middle of the sidewalks impeding anyone and everything. My advice: look at your map before you go out, if you get lost stop somewhere like a piazza and then use your map (not the middle of a street), get lost because you never know what you'll discover, and don't join one of those tour groups created to make tourists look like idiots that swarm upon monuments like locusts. Be a traveller! Experience the culture, don't just observe it.