Yummy Procrastination

Tonight, in an effort to hide from yet another snow/rain/ice storm, I am working at home. Or I should say I am trying to work at home. For someone who loves to cook, and has had little time to do so because of this little monkey-on-her-back called master's thesis, this means that the kitchen calls. The quick pesto salmon I had for dinner didn't quite feed the urge. As I type my theory paper, I hear the oven calling to me slowly: "bake...bake...bake...." Finally, I listened, and have made some delicious, warm cornbread. Gluten & dairy free of course, and adapted slightly from the original gluten-free girl's recipe. So crank up the tunes, watch the snow drift in, and snack on something warm & yummy.

[As a note, this is my first post since my stint in Florence. This blog will turn into something, but I am not sure what just yet. So here goes.]

Farewell Cena

Tonight we had our closing "ceremony," and farewell cena (dinner). It was delicious - lasagna, rosemary grilled chicken, grilled peppers, and - of course - tiramisu! We have had dolce the past three nights - I will miss it terribly. Here are some shots of dinner, bacio candies, tiramisu and the amazing room where I have ate for the past three months (top).

Morning Fog

We are in our last week of Villa life. The weather is cooler - although we are certainly lacking the same frigidity as home - when the sun came out today it was almost warm enough not to wear a jacket. And this morning, the fog was thick on our way to breakfast. It's hard to believe that it is almost time to leave - times has flown so quickly, and yet we have done so much that I feel as if I've been gone for much longer.

Although I will be sad to leave this wonderful place, I am looking forward to some of the comforts of home - my family, my friends, my bed, and of course cooking. I have had some Tuscan inspired gluten-free recipes brewing in my mind for the past few months, and it is time to put them to the test! I hope to post more about those in the future, as I continue my adventures in the final semester of grad school and beyond. That's all for now, more soon. Ciao.

Thanksgiving (after the fact)

Well, after many questions of whether or not we celebrated Thanksgiving in Italy, I decided to answer the question with a post. Yes - we celebrated Thanksgiving after class in the morning. And the cooking staff outdid themselves. I am 99% sure the Italians think we are crazy for having a day where we give thanks by stuffing our faces and then watching American football / sleeping. None-the-less, Nino and Lucia prepared an absolutely amazing traditional meal of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies, and the most amazing stuffing I've ever had (Dad, I'm working on a gluten-free version!).

The meal was even topped off by homemade pumpkin pie and whipped cream.


The dining room was decorated so beautifully, and they truly made it a special day for us even though we are very far from home.

And, in true American fashion, we watched many episodes of Arrested Development (no TV here), and then took long naps. Grazie di tutto!

Barcelona or bust!

Yum. That's my first thought of Barcelona - delicious food intermixed into a delicious culture (represented by the beans above, from the market). This weekend, a group of six archies went to Barcelona - and it (very quickly) climbed to the top of my favorite-places-ever list. Barcelona is constantly alive - day or night, people of all ages are out in the streets. The gothic quarter was my particular favorite, especially at night with the boardwalk a close second.

There was also a plethora of Antoni Gaudi to see- Guell Park (high up above Barcelona, with its caverns & intricate mosaics), Casa Mila, and his (ever) unfinished work Sagrada Familia.

At first glance, this temple (image above), looks like it was inspired by melted cheese, but upon closer inspection, sculptures emerge from every nook and cranny on the exterior, finished off with a beautiful light-filled interior. The top of the towers (while inducing high volumes of vertigo, experienced by yours truly), provide amazing views of the city.

Brian, Nicole and I also rushed to see the Barcelona Pavilion before the sun set, although the interior is under renovation (big bummer), we did get to see the exterior. Pretty neat, hats off to Mr. van der Rohe.

We also happened upon this monster of a building - very impressive, with fountains trailing all the way down the hill. A few of us visited the Picasso museum in the evening, which has an amazing collection including an extensive sampling of Picasso's blue phase (a new personal favorite). We also walked and walked and walked, with intermittent subway stints. The food was also spectacular - both nights we made dinner out of tapas (small plates), sangria and/or wine. It was exactly my kind of dinner because I could have a little bit of everything (including dessert). I love Barcelona!

When in Rome...

This past Thursday through Saturday, we took a Villa-wide trip to Rome. We walked (and walked), per usual to most of the main attractions. It also rained pretty badly on Thursday and Friday, but today was gorgeous - making up for the soaked jeans, socks, shoes and cold bodies.

Being my second time visiting Rome - the first, two years ago with my Mom and sister, I found looking back at my pictures, that instead of trying to photograph everything in sight like last time, I was able to step-back, look harder, and take pictures of things that were particularly interesting to me. My apologies if you were expecting the large range of typical monuments. Here goes: Rome from a second look.

The Colosseum (of course).


A small monastery with a strikingly simple, yet beautiful courtyard & well.


THE Laocoon (need I say more Art Historians?).


The angels always watch you - especially in the Vatican.

The coiffured ceiling of my (favorite) building - the Pantheon.


The approach to the Vatican.

If you stand on this point, the Vatican colonnade aligns perfectly in perspective (see below).Molto (molto) bene!

Fiesole

I am in the middle of preparing my thesis research (due in one week!), but I will post a few pictures about our day trip to Fiesole yesterday, which is a hill town on the outskirts of Florence and home to a large area of Etruscan & Roman ruins including baths and a roman theater that is still used during the summer months.
To get there, just take the #7 bus allll the way to the top/end, and there you are! It actually overlooks Florence, and has some spectacular views (see opening image at top). You can even see Il Duomo off to the left to give you some scale. Oh, and Fiesole also contains lions, and tigers, and architects - oh my!
I topped off the day with, what I thought, was a simple mussel soup. Turns out, it was a whole lotta mussels (say 40 or so with a pool of broth at the bottom for them to be dunked!). Delicious! Later this week, it's off to Rome!