After the first week challenge of the Italian lessons, I am settling into private lessons with Sabrina (she is a lovely, flirty, 40-something Italian) and Mauro (kind, soft spoken, ex soccer player type) who is the director of the school. Both have a wonderful approach and philosophy on learning Italian.
Did I mention that I am learning Italian in Italian?...yes, this is "immersion" of course, but I really liked learning Italian in Santa Barbara with Elisa who taught Italian in English. I am ajusting though -- I was able to have a conversation this morning with Silvana about "the Count" and why I don't want to live there. So I think my Italian is shaping up. At this point I understand much of an Italian conversation if I hear it and I can write it pretty well, but the actually speaking takes time for me.
Yesterday for my lezione (lesson), Sabrina took me out and about and pointed out things and we just worked on vocabulary. It was fun and she had her arm looped in my arm the whole time -- too cute!
mercoledì 28 febbraio 2007
I met a Nobile Count!
Yesterday I really missed just getting in my car, driving to my destination with no challenges, getting what I need and then going home -- no fussing...and this works with my to-do list that I carry with me!
So, yesterday I was scheduled at 2:30 (and in my mind that means 2:30!) to look at an apartment to rent (I have to find an apartment because I am leaving the host family when my course ends in a few weeks).
A very nice woman from Florence who manages apartments in Siena picked me up and took me to see the place. First, the driving was insane (I'm grateful to be alive today), but it all seemed to flow with the traffic anyway. But then we got lost in the countryside of Tuscany (I enjoyed the view, but quickly got frantic about the time because I had to be back for school). Finally we arrived at Poggio Pini....this would be the four story mansion owned by Count (yes as in count dracula or sesame street purple count)...Count Fabio Devvechio (Noble family). Holy cow. The property was amazing and he was a very nice 78 year old fella who is in amazing shape and smokes a cigarette every few minutes. The villas for rent could rent for $1500 a month, but because it's low season he offered me $600 a month -- brand new, tuscan style, washer and dryer, bedroom, kitchen, internet, etc. It's about 15 minute walk to the bus and then 15 minutes to Siena.
As nice as it was, I did not feel at ease here. It seemed very lonely and cold. I did get to see the small chapel next to the mansion; a little creepy I must say. Charm was definitely missing and all I could concentrate on was a gigantic WHITE spider! It took forever to walk through the property because we were in conversation the WHOLE time...walk a few steps...stop and talk...walk two steps...stop and talk...I can see the car...I'm almost there...I'm looking at my watch and inside I'm screaming "I don't have time!"
Finally, we depart from "The Count"...everytime I say that I just want to giggle and Julia got a kick out of the whole story...and I made it back in time for class.
So, yesterday I was scheduled at 2:30 (and in my mind that means 2:30!) to look at an apartment to rent (I have to find an apartment because I am leaving the host family when my course ends in a few weeks).
A very nice woman from Florence who manages apartments in Siena picked me up and took me to see the place. First, the driving was insane (I'm grateful to be alive today), but it all seemed to flow with the traffic anyway. But then we got lost in the countryside of Tuscany (I enjoyed the view, but quickly got frantic about the time because I had to be back for school). Finally we arrived at Poggio Pini....this would be the four story mansion owned by Count (yes as in count dracula or sesame street purple count)...Count Fabio Devvechio (Noble family). Holy cow. The property was amazing and he was a very nice 78 year old fella who is in amazing shape and smokes a cigarette every few minutes. The villas for rent could rent for $1500 a month, but because it's low season he offered me $600 a month -- brand new, tuscan style, washer and dryer, bedroom, kitchen, internet, etc. It's about 15 minute walk to the bus and then 15 minutes to Siena.
As nice as it was, I did not feel at ease here. It seemed very lonely and cold. I did get to see the small chapel next to the mansion; a little creepy I must say. Charm was definitely missing and all I could concentrate on was a gigantic WHITE spider! It took forever to walk through the property because we were in conversation the WHOLE time...walk a few steps...stop and talk...walk two steps...stop and talk...I can see the car...I'm almost there...I'm looking at my watch and inside I'm screaming "I don't have time!"
Finally, we depart from "The Count"...everytime I say that I just want to giggle and Julia got a kick out of the whole story...and I made it back in time for class.
Cooking Class
Last night I took at cooking class which was organized through the school I am attending. This was really fun and gave me a chance to spend time with the other students. We started with prosecco, a drink which is enjoyed before dinner preparation. Prosecco is delicious!!! It tastes like sparkling apple juice and champagne and it's a little dry. Spumante on the other hand is similar, but more fruity (equally delicious).
Because the pasta was from scratch, we didn't end up eating until 10pm even though we started preparing at 7pm. It was well worth the wait. The pasta was gnocchi pasta; I think I rolled approximately 100 pieces of pasta. The dough has potatos, lots of flour, egg and nut meg -- everything that is so good for my figure. Each little cut of dough was pressed onto a fork and quickly rolled down the fork to make a print (kind of like the fork prints in peanut butter cookies). Knowing how to do this -- now that is art!
We cut and marinated artichokes in water and lemon and just ate them raw. The sauce for the pasta (sauce is called "salsa"), was pomodoro with fresh garlic and parsley. It all sounds simple, but each bite was delicious and very rich! And of course, we all drank vino.
I am getting to know the students better -- Annie from Chicago, Sid, Mike and Ben (from Nor Cal), Pat (the oldest in the group besides me -- he's a whopping 22), Julia (my housemate) who I have come to adore, the other Julia, Sweet Claire, Alice, Amy and Allona. All are under 20 and all are from the US except Alice from London.
All of us looked "so cute" in our cooking aprons and made quite a mess cooking, but we really enjoyed the experience. Sabrina, one of my teachers was the cooking instructor and she is so lovely! By the way...the whole cooking lesson was taught in Italian, but somehow when food is involved, I retain the information better. Buon Appetito.
Because the pasta was from scratch, we didn't end up eating until 10pm even though we started preparing at 7pm. It was well worth the wait. The pasta was gnocchi pasta; I think I rolled approximately 100 pieces of pasta. The dough has potatos, lots of flour, egg and nut meg -- everything that is so good for my figure. Each little cut of dough was pressed onto a fork and quickly rolled down the fork to make a print (kind of like the fork prints in peanut butter cookies). Knowing how to do this -- now that is art!
We cut and marinated artichokes in water and lemon and just ate them raw. The sauce for the pasta (sauce is called "salsa"), was pomodoro with fresh garlic and parsley. It all sounds simple, but each bite was delicious and very rich! And of course, we all drank vino.
I am getting to know the students better -- Annie from Chicago, Sid, Mike and Ben (from Nor Cal), Pat (the oldest in the group besides me -- he's a whopping 22), Julia (my housemate) who I have come to adore, the other Julia, Sweet Claire, Alice, Amy and Allona. All are under 20 and all are from the US except Alice from London.
All of us looked "so cute" in our cooking aprons and made quite a mess cooking, but we really enjoyed the experience. Sabrina, one of my teachers was the cooking instructor and she is so lovely! By the way...the whole cooking lesson was taught in Italian, but somehow when food is involved, I retain the information better. Buon Appetito.
Museums in Siena
Do I have to write about the museums???....This is how I kind of felt about visiting the museums. But how can I be in Siena and not go to a museum?? After a choppy conversation with Silvana about the museums ("molto molto molto!")....hmmmm three "moltos"...I guess I should go is what I thought at the time. Silvana's son is an art historian and teacher and has written many books on the museums in Siena also.
I visited Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena. I am a fast "browser" let's say...so, I don't "study" the art so much unless it REALLY catches my eye (well, I pretend to study it, if one of the guards is watching me and I feel like I need to spend at least 30 seconds admiring it). Nevertheless, the first 30 minutes was enjoyable. Let me say this....ALL of the paintings are religious and they all look the same to me. HOWEVER, I did appreciate the amazing colors in the paintings -- deep, deep royal blues, golds (which I read suggests the idea of divine light), creamy ivory's. These paintings are hundreds of years old and that's interesting to think about and visualize the person who created it.
The other museum I visited is near the Duomo -- The OPA. It caught my attention a tad more because there were ancient artifacts too. Of course when I'm looking at a really old skull of a priest that lived hundreds of years ago, that's going to catch my attention. The antique bibles were really amazing too. The views from the top of the OPA were breathtaking (should I even tell you that since I don't have a single photo yet to show you?)
So there you have it, I visited a museo!
I visited Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena. I am a fast "browser" let's say...so, I don't "study" the art so much unless it REALLY catches my eye (well, I pretend to study it, if one of the guards is watching me and I feel like I need to spend at least 30 seconds admiring it). Nevertheless, the first 30 minutes was enjoyable. Let me say this....ALL of the paintings are religious and they all look the same to me. HOWEVER, I did appreciate the amazing colors in the paintings -- deep, deep royal blues, golds (which I read suggests the idea of divine light), creamy ivory's. These paintings are hundreds of years old and that's interesting to think about and visualize the person who created it.
The other museum I visited is near the Duomo -- The OPA. It caught my attention a tad more because there were ancient artifacts too. Of course when I'm looking at a really old skull of a priest that lived hundreds of years ago, that's going to catch my attention. The antique bibles were really amazing too. The views from the top of the OPA were breathtaking (should I even tell you that since I don't have a single photo yet to show you?)
So there you have it, I visited a museo!
lunedì 26 febbraio 2007
Molto! Molto!
Dinner last night was a delicious adventure. Julia, my delightful translator was away to Firenze (Florence) for the day, so there we sat -- just me, Silvana and Paola. I managed to get a few sentences of conversation out about how I went to the museums, studied and shopped. Silvana, it seems, describes everything just about as "Molto! Molto" (a lot! a lot!) For example, regarding the museums... "Molto, molto Bellisimo" and the shopping "Molto, molto!"...I love her enthusiasm.
I ran out of things to say, so I just ate a little more salad...I figured if my mouth was full, I wouldn't need to talk. The salads by the way are so simple and delicious '-- just romaine lettuce with olive oil and salt. We also had bowtie pasta with garlic and pesto, some sort of rolled meat with cheese and tomatos with olive oil and salt.
After dinner I took my plate into the kitchen; the kitchen is so small! I imagined with the meals she has been cooking that the kitchen would be bigger, but it is little and so is the stove, sink, table and refrigerator.
Word of the day: la scarpetta = scraping last bit of sauce
I ran out of things to say, so I just ate a little more salad...I figured if my mouth was full, I wouldn't need to talk. The salads by the way are so simple and delicious '-- just romaine lettuce with olive oil and salt. We also had bowtie pasta with garlic and pesto, some sort of rolled meat with cheese and tomatos with olive oil and salt.
After dinner I took my plate into the kitchen; the kitchen is so small! I imagined with the meals she has been cooking that the kitchen would be bigger, but it is little and so is the stove, sink, table and refrigerator.
Word of the day: la scarpetta = scraping last bit of sauce
Tonto was in my shower last night
So....I finally got a hot shower last night!...sort of...I thought I would give it a try, so I turned on the water and it was hot! But...I didn't know how long it would last. So, very quickly I undressed, hopped in the shower!...wash my hair!...wash my face!...the whole time the Lone Ranger and Tonto theme song was running through my head...da dun da da du dun da da... (don't know if that's how you spell the humming of it, but I will give credit to Nor Cal (that would be Mike)). (Nor Cal by the way calls me So Cal:)!!!!...coap up!...shave one leg!....oh no...the water is cold!...
So, I shivered one hairy leg out of the shower, but just happy I got a 3 minute shower.
So, I shivered one hairy leg out of the shower, but just happy I got a 3 minute shower.
domenica 25 febbraio 2007
Day trip to the Countryside!
This past Wednesday (And I do apologize for no photos yet!), me and the group of other students took a day trip to Montepulciano, a quaint, very old village. The trip there was about an hour and the scenery was....well, you guessed it...breathtaking. Hills, fog, vineyards, old homes, narrow roads.
When we arrived we visited a Catholic church...so huge, so unbelievable, so drafty...
Then we went to the Azienda Agricola Contucci for wine tastng. Napa what? The wines were so flavorful. We took a tour through the winery and learned that the old stone building is built in arches to keep sound out because "noise disturbs wine." The wine comes from Sardenia and the bottles are stored o the side because wine has to touch the cork because 3-4% of corks are "sick" and side storage will tell whether or not the cork is suitable.
Drinking the wine made everyone a little more social and friendly. The Italian guy pouring the wine, talked really close to all of the women, but not in a creepy way, just a very sincere and friendly Italian way.
I loved Montepulciano -- the winery, the copper workshop, the bus ride getting to know everyone. I can't wait to see where we are going this week!
When we arrived we visited a Catholic church...so huge, so unbelievable, so drafty...
Then we went to the Azienda Agricola Contucci for wine tastng. Napa what? The wines were so flavorful. We took a tour through the winery and learned that the old stone building is built in arches to keep sound out because "noise disturbs wine." The wine comes from Sardenia and the bottles are stored o the side because wine has to touch the cork because 3-4% of corks are "sick" and side storage will tell whether or not the cork is suitable.
Drinking the wine made everyone a little more social and friendly. The Italian guy pouring the wine, talked really close to all of the women, but not in a creepy way, just a very sincere and friendly Italian way.
I loved Montepulciano -- the winery, the copper workshop, the bus ride getting to know everyone. I can't wait to see where we are going this week!
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