The Way to My Heart is Through My Stomach

As Monday approached the dread that I normally felt at the end of the weekend was replaced by excitement and readiness for the week ahead of me. Did I really just say I was excited for Monday? Anyway, my first class Monday morning was a site visit with my History and Culture of Italian Food class to the Central Market. On our way, our professor had us taste authentic Italian street food, but said he wouldn't tell us what we were eating until after we tasted it. Hmmm... As I glanced back and forth between the mystery meat and the expressions of the troubled tasters around me, I had no idea what I was about to eat. Even after trying it I had no idea what I had just consumed. I wasn't even sure if I liked it or not. Moments later our professor revealed that we had just tasted tripe, otherwise known as cow stomach. Well, nothing like a little cow stomach at 9:00am! I don’t think I’ll be eating it again anytime soon, but I’m glad I at least tried it.

Right around the corner was the market. Everyone had been talking about how good and inexpensive the food is, but we hadn’t yet visited. Inside, it almost resembles a warehouse where vendors sell cheeses, meats, fish, bread, fresh fruits and veggies, dried fruit, and pastries. As our mouths watered, I was trying to make mental notes on what we should come back for and frantically trying to convert kilograms to pounds and euros to dollars. It is hard adjusting to such different measurements: shoe sizes, clothing sizes, weight, length, money, temperature. Needless to say, Google has become my best friend. What did we do before Google?? 

Despite such an interesting class, Lacey and I were frozen from spending most of the morning outside so we grabbed a quick cappuccino and croissant before our next class. I don’t think cappuccinos will ever get old. In my next class, we visited the Medici Palace. The most interesting part of the tour was the seven minutes spent in the Medici’s personal chapel. The room is quite small, but covered from floor to ceiling in colorful golden frescoes portraying a procession of three men on horses. I loved listening to my professor explain the story behind it, even the smallest details! Just beautiful! 

Wednesday night the roomies and I went to the library to hang out and do some homework. The place seemed deserted except for the cafe on the third floor where people were sipping on cocktails and partaking in an appetizer buffet. The cafe, which looks and feels more like a mod bar, offers an amazing view of the Duomo, and a "chill" environment. I wasn't very productive since I couldn't connect to the Internet, but I took the time to relax and write some e-mails while sipping on a cappuccino. The next day in Italian class the teacher was talking about how no one in Italy drinks cappuccino at night. Whoops! Live and learn. 

Today I had a site visit to one of the Medici Villas, built in the 1400's. It was gorgeous and it didn't rain (which is always a plus)! The rooms are decorated with ornate moldings and frescoes. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. This afternoon we got tickets to a ballet for Sunday and stopped on the way home for some gelato. I had chocolate and coffee. It was yummy as always, then again, is there such thing as bad gelato? For dinner, my roommates and I decided we'd walk down our street and find a place to eat. It took longer than we expected, but we finally found a small place whose aroma had our mouths watering. We all got pizzas. I ordered one with ham, mushrooms, artichokes, and olives (go big or go home, right?) Oh my gosh! It was absolutely delicious! It my first Italian pizza and it definitely won't be my last! The owner came over and had us in stitches. On our way home we couldn't stop raving about the meal we just had, so we decided this was going to be "our spot" and that we'd go there every Friday. Tomorrow, I'm going to Pisa and Lucca. I am staying busy (my aching feet can attest to that!) but I am loving every minute. I decided I can rest May 7th on the plane ride home. So until then, let the journey continue!