July

This month has flown by! It got started with a 10 day trip down the Tiber River, from the very south of Emilia-Romagna to Rome. It was filled with lots of memorable occasions, mostly meals, and a great crazy bicycle tour through Rome that definitely gave me a different perspective of the city.(I would highly recommend it, led by "legambiente") Then a few weeks of class, lots of gelato to ward off the heat, and plenty of papers to write. One of the highlights has been a lecture with Massimo Bottura, owner and chef of the 13th best restaurant in the world, Osteria Francescana in nearby Modena. We got to ask questions and observe the construction of dishes (and tasted them too...incredible). Mom and Dad arrived a few days ago, we had a nice weekend in Le Marche, and now they are stay here in Colorno, trying to find stuff to do. We leave Thursday for Greece.The best fig I have ever tasted, right off a tree in southern Lazio.

Porchetta: whole deboned pig, stuffed with wild fennel and garlic, reconstructed and roasted on a spit. YUM...

The traditional bagpipe of Lazian shepherds.

Birthday

After returning from Friuli and a fast week of class, we had a weekend then departed on out next stage. This wasn't just any ol weekend though. I turned 24 on Saturday and celebrated with an American style cookout. We found an old grill rusting under the stoop of my apartment building and we were able to find just about everything else we needed to throw a pretty good party. All day long we ate hamburgers, drank sangria, and hung out. This day made me realize how thankful I am for the great friends that I have made here. They really made the day special for me!My Masterpeice