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I’m Suffering from Gelato Withdrawal. . .

Finally, here is the much-awaited Italy Travel Blog. Due to high public demand, I’m putting out this one before the Chartres “1000th Anniversary of the Commissioning of the Cathedral” Medieval Festival that took place the week before I left for vacation, so stay posted for the Medieval Blog to come out probably next weekend. I really should write these blogs more often because I end up with so much to put in them they become very long - so here’s another long one, sorry!

I'm Suffering From Gelato Withdrawal

Lisa Damico
2007-03-08 19:53:32

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be prepared for our sailing trip the upcoming weekend once I returned from a few days in Rome.

Even though I didn't know I was supposed to throw coins in the Fontana di Trevi fountain the last time I was in Rome, I still ended up coming back (and I made sure to get things right with the coins this go round). I stayed again this time with Roberto's Aunt Tullia (that's Zia Tullia in Italian) and even though she's not technically my aunt I call her Zia Tullia too. She's a 70 something year old woman who moved to Rome from Milan 5 or so years ago who is continuously reading about places to visit in Rome so every time I come to visit she's full of suggestions on churches, ruins, etc for us to go see. (Rome is not the only topic she enjoys reading about though, pretty much anything is fair game as at one point I found myself receiving physics and mathematical formula lessons . . . in Italian . . . in her
living room). This trip's itinerary included among other things a visit to the mausoleum with the best preserved mosaics in Rome. When we arrived at this mausoleum, there happened to be a wedding going on inside it, but that didn't come between Zia Tullia and her mosaics . . . so I, a solid foot taller than Zia Tullia, tried to inconspicuously tag along behind as she walked right into to the middle of things to learn about "i mosaici della chiesa di Santa Constanza." Our other planned excursion was to see the Chinese Warrior statues on display for the first time at the Quirinale. Basically my days in Rome entailed an outing in the morning with Zia Tullia, we would come back to her house for lunch then I would go back into the city for the afternoon/night and we would eat dinner together when I returned.

Speaking of meals I also got a crash course in Italian cuisine. Among other things I was instructed on how to make the one food that is not prepared with olive oil in Italy (such a thing exists you ask?) Yes, yes it does, it's risotto, which is prepared ...