last weekend i traveled to milan for the world's fair! it was overwhelmingly spectacular- like disney world but without the stupid rides and long lines (for the most part). the theme this year was feeding the world and i was in heaven. each country had a pavilion set up showcasing their food production and consumption and of course all of the ethnic food. I had one too many fried, cheese-stuffed plantain dough balls from ecuador but everything was sooo good that i couldn't help myself. one of my favorite pavilions was nepal's, which was left partially unfinished because of the recent earthquake. it was so beautiful and understated. if you want to see any of the pavilions from the expo they're all online here!
on saturday, we explored the city. it's funny how different milan is from rome. everything is modern, even some of the architecture. they actually play music from this decade in stores and restaurants (rome just found out about the spice girls and destiny's child). everyone in the streets was wearing louis vuittons, i kid you not. they also have restaurants serving food other than italian. it's almost like they've heard of civilations outside of italy??
i didn't get a chance to eat much in the city, but a did enjoy brek, a fun little marketplace type restaurant where they served paninis, pasta, stuffed tomatoes and the best pastries.
sorry for the brief post and the worst pictures yet, but i am off to another weekend of traveling after a busy week of schoolwork. i'll be back with more updates soon!
on sunday, i lived out my greatest italian dreams by taking a wine tour in tuscany. i'm not joking when i say that i came to italy for this exact moment. tuscany is a dream. the lush landscapes and abundant vineyards look like they are out of a movie.
first we went to montepulciano, an adorable hillside town south of florence surrounded by rolling hills. we visited cantina gattavechhi where we got to tour their wine cellar, which dates back to 300 B.C. (!!), and were then served their most notable wines alongside platters of cheese and cold cuts, wild boar pasta, and biscotti, of course.
we then headed to montalcino in rural tuscany and saw the most amazing views of the rolling hills and vineyards that surrounded it. we tasted incredible wines from altesino while soaking in the views.
i don't have words to describe the beauty and how happy tuscany makes me, so i'll leave you with pictures instead. for now, i am trying to finda job on a tuscan vineyard and stay here forever.
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??
