Frutta

What have you been eating? What haven’t I been eating! I think the Italians purposely make their food look so beautiful so you will be forced to consume it before its beauty fades. Today, while taking a stroll in the hail (yep, it hailed for a good three hours this morning, no snow yet though—must perform my snow dance one more time apparently)I did a good amount of window shopping. Of course, window shopping in Viterbo becomes simply shopping when the smell of freshly-baked, crispy pastries entices you as you walk by the open bakery door, offering a warm sanctuary from the bitter cold of the slippery streets. I couldn’t resist this little pastry di frutta, it was just too beautiful.

 This pastry was much prettier than the food you might find on my kitchen shelf:

And you might notice, in the picture above, a jar of something I should have never been introduced to because he has become my best friend: nutella.

Delicious!!!!! And it goes with everything! What more could I ask for?!

A few days ago I asked one of the advisors, Luisa, if she would be able to meet with me once a week or so to help me practice my Italian. There is so much that I need to learn just to communicate with the locals. Today she informed me that our lessons will begin next week! I am very excited to have a local—Luisa was born and raised here in Viterbo—help me with my weak Italian skills. I’m also hoping she can show me around the town a bit more from an insider’s viewpoint. 

Tomorrow I am heading to Civita di Bagnoregio. In the local shops of Viterbo one can find alongside the beautiful postcards of the local churches and ancient piazzas, pictures of Civita di Bagnoregio. On one of the very first days in Viterbo, I purchased one of Bagnoregio’s postcards and have been waiting patiently to explore this crumbling world.  

The wise Rick Steve's writes: Inside the gate, the charms of Civita are subtle. Those looking for arcade tourism wouldn't know where to look. There are no lists of attractions, orientation tours, or museum hours. It's just Italy. Civita is an artist's dream, a town in the nude. Each lane and footpath holds a surprise. The warm stone walls glow, and each stairway is dessert to a sketch pad or camera.

The trip planning has started. Last night my roommates and I sat down for over two hours attempting to plan some of the places we would like to see while we are here. The majority of the American students currently studying here are planning on going to Greece during our Spring Break. With the current economic situation of Greece, however, my roommates and I decided that perhaps Greece would not be the safest place to go with a large tourist group. So, it has been decided that I am going to the U.K. for Spring Break!!! I am so excited! We plan on flying to Ireland and then making our way to Scotland, and finishing the trip in London. It will be a busy vacation, but when else will I have the opportunity to see so many different wonderful places. I GET TO SEE WHERE SHAKESPEARE LIVED!!! AHHHHH!!!!! And I get to go here:

I think I will feel qualified to teach a Shakespeare course after walking the same streets he once walked, and pacing around his playhouse as I am sure he did when a production was about to begin. It’s an English major’s dream come true!