ROME, RECENTLY

it's been a while since i've posted about rome, so here's an overdue update. life has been busy but in the best way! there is always something to do or see here so i'm always on the move. i've been seeing a lot of rome and lazio with my classes, which has been great (who knew learning could be fun??).  my art professor took us to a villa farnese in caprarola last week (pictures above) and later to natural hot springs which smelled like sulfur but were really cool. another professor took us to the maxxi museum last week, and they had the coolest exhibit about food. my favorite part of the exhibit might have been "last meals", which was a curation of death row prisoners' last meal requests, recreated with photographs (gruesome, right?).

at school i had the chance to attend a wine class/tasting and now i think i'm an expert sommelier. i learned all kinds of new words to describe wine that i'm planning on using in the snobbiest way. i've been eating a loaf of bread per day (crusty loaves with olives are my current fave) and pasta to wash it down. it's okay to bring 10 extra pounds home as a souvenir, right?? i'm trying to make up for it by finding all of the hills to hike up in rome.

also, i recently discovered the magic that is the italian aperitivo. aperitivo is like happy hour but SO MUCH BETTER because there is a massive buffet of roman food to keep your drinks company. why has the united states not caught onto this yet?

the weirdest thing lately is that i am beginning to seem like i belong in rome. i must look comfortable here, because people keep stopping me on the street and asking for directions. unrelated, but people also keep asking me if i am russian. do i look russian?

does anyone know where to get lavender gelato in rome? that is my priority this week.
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things i've been enjoying:

eataly a culinary showcase of italy that overwhelmed me with options
maxxi museum coolest exhibit called spoon to earth (or cucchiaio al mondo in italiano)
come il latte the gelato that made me look down on all other gelato-seriously. freshly whipped vanilla cream and melted chocolate on every cone. you must go here
monte mario hike 2 km to the top and you will be rewarded with breathtaking views from the highest hill in rome
frenzi e frizioni huge aperitivo buffet and decent mojitos with the hippest crowd in trastevere
algianico del vulture someone tell me if i can buy this wine in the states??

TIVOLI

last week my art history professor took my class on a visit to tivloi to see villa hadrian and villa d'este. villa hadrian was so cool! it was all ruins from the roman emperor hadrian's village that he built for himself in the first century aka it's super old. villa d'este was also built by an emperor, and it  is a little bit newer, built in the 1500's. the main feature were the water gardens in the entrance which were super extravagant and well kept. can you guess which is which??

i am enjoying rome very much. the city is busy and crowded and loud and aggressive and beautiful and full of life and i wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. i can't get over how fresh the food is here and how great the wine tastes!

on wednesday, my food environments class went to visit a michelin star rated restaurant in prati and we got to talk with the chef as he prepared some of his signature dishes. all of my culinary dreams are coming true here. he prepared us a delicious dish made with potato, mushrooms, truffles and tobacco, and a tomato based frozen dessert made with lavender gelato. it was the highlight of my week, and i am now on search to find all of the lavender gelato in rome.

things i've been enjoying:

alexander platz "the best jazz club in rome". i have nothing to compare it to, but i do like the jazz here!

villa laetitia getting to tour the kitchen here and chat with the chef. if you have €120 to spend on dinner here,  do it.

eating all of the pizza.

tomorrow i am off to vienna, i'll update you with many pictures when i return!

TODI

on saturday my school took a trip to the medieval town of todi in the wine producing region of umbria, italy. stepping into todi is like stepping back in time. the town itself is surrounded by walls and situated atop a HUGE hill, at least it seemed that way after taking approximately a million uneven stone stairs to the top. it was absolutely worth it, though for the breathtaking views of wine country. the streets were made of uneven stone and the storefronts boasted seemingly outdated shops such as apothecaries.

after exploring todi, we headed up more windy mountain roads until we reached an estate where i would be fed the biggest meal of my life. immediately we were herded in and served wine that was grown on the property (!!). twe were fed a traditional wedding banquet which consisted of more courses than i could count, but highlights included: crostinis, pizza, fried zucchini blossoms, quiche (which in italy means pastry puff with creamy cheese inside?), salami, prosciutto, asparagus risotto, wild boar ragu, stewed lamb, venison, chicken and rosemary potatoes, a simple salad, tiramisu, biscotti with dessert wine for dipping, and to finish, espresso. YES i tried all of the meat and NO i didn't like it very much but my last worry was being underfed. it was a memorable dining experience to say the least.

ciao for now, i will be back to post about more of my adventures soon!