More Italian Adventures

Homemade Bruschetta

June 22

We had the best day today, which was actually a bit surprising considering that we failed to follow any of the plans we had laid out for that day.

Mr. Pihas had told us that the best time to go to the Forum/Colosseum/Palatine Hill was early in the morning, so Alex, Nancy, Jeremy, Nick and I wanted to use our Saturday morning doing just that. Running on five hours of sleep a night, however, had apparently caught up with us, and every single one of us slept through our alarms and ended up sleeping in until noon.

Church of the Gesu

It was past one when everyone had woken up and gotten ready for the day, so instead of stopping by a bar (as they’re called in Italy) for a caffe and a croissant, we got some pizza for what was it? Brunch, maybe?

Anyway, I decided to be adventurous and ordered a slice of pizza with some unidentifiable slices of meat on it, which turned out to be tuna steaks. It was weird. And fishy, but I ate it anyway! I did try some of Alex’s pizza—she had ordered a potato and cheese pizza, which was very very starchy, but surprisingly fantastic!

Hanging with Jesus in the Vatican Museum

I caught sight of a huge basil plant while were we walking past a floral shop, so we stopped in and bought it for 2 euro! So cheap! We decided that because it was to be a part of the family for the next three weeks, he (the basil plant) needed a name. We’re reading Dante’s Inferno for class, so Nick suggested that we name him after one of the suicide victims who turned into a tree in Hell (long story). So we held a Christening ceremony in which we read said passage aloud to the plant. And now we have a Basil plant named Piero della Vigne.

Panoramic Shot of the Pantheon

View of Trajan's Column from inside Trajan's Market

June 23

We set our alarms again to wake up early to go to ancient Rome—but alas, we slept in until noon for a second time. There seems to be a pattern forming here.

The day passed by quickly—grocery shopping, gelato eating, studying Italian—but in more interesting news, I discovered my new favorite sandwich! Take some bread meant for bruschetta, spread some ricotta cheese and an entire peeling fig on it, then top with prosciutto and a splash of balsamic vinegar. It is just divine. Next time I make it I’ll have to take a picture!

Today is far from over. I still have dinner and a concert in a church planned for tonight, but I’ll have to fill y’all in on that later! Ciao!