Finally, Some Good Food

The last 3 days have been pretty great food-wise. First, while we were in Rome, we had a group dinner that Tulane paid for. I really wish I could remember the name of the place we went, but luckily I know where it is so that I can go back there. We just had the antipasti, and it was pretty insane. It was family style dining, and they brought out plate after plate after plate - there was no way to keep up. It was mostly vegetables, but there was some cured meat and some meatballs. The meal was really wonderful, and I heard it was only 15 euro a person which is great for the quality and the amount of what we ate.

All of the food so far in Sicily is so great. Last night the entire group went to a pizzeria that was the best pizza I think I have ever had. Everyone here eats very late, and so even though we went at 8 or so, the place wasn't packed until 9:30. We really had a leisurely meal. I would say that it was how I really pictured meals in Italy, and incidentally, they are pretty close to classic New Orleans meals like the 3 hour Galatoire lunch. We had both white and red local wine, and I thought it was interesting to note just how spiced they were. The bread was savory but also had this hint of cinnamon. I would guess that these are spice influences from the middle east. At the end, they brought us these frosted, freezing cold bottles of a thick chocolate beverage and creamy lemoncello, both of which are on the house and just part of the experience. They are very, very alcoholic and sneak up on you like crazy. Marda and I went back for lunch there today, and they still brought these giant bottles even though it was lunch and there was only 2 of us.

Tonight we went to a different pizzeria as part of a smaller group, and it was good as well although not quite like last night's experience. Still, I don't think I can eat pizza in Rome ever again.

Also, we picked grapes from outside our hotel room and ate them. And! There is a pomegranate down the street.

Sicily

Our hotel.




The view from our room.




Yesterday we left Rome for a design workshop in Sicily that will be 10 days long. We are in a town called Gioiosa Marea that used to be located high on a mountain, but there was an earthquake in the town and so they relocated down closer to the beach. The view from my hotel room is pretty great. Last night while I was trying to sleep, I could hear the crashing waves. We have a balcony and are able to keep the double doors thrown open all night.

This is a nice change from Rome. It is a pretty small town; it is definitely smaller than Oxford, and very walkable. One thing that I found pretty interesting about Sicily was that in the 1970s they built a main highway to Palermo and it is almost completely underground in a tunnel system. I can't imagine driving in a tunnel for that long.

The Knife Sharpener: An Update

Yesterday and today I noticed the knife sharpener again, only this time he was walking around with his motorcycle and not in the market. I realized today that he is walking though the streets and calling out to the residents that he is available for knife sharpening like an ice cream man with a sharpening stone. I really wish I had a knife for him to sharpen!

Not Posting

I have been very busy since school started, and this has caused me to not post. To be frank, my biggest issue involves image processing. First, I am too busy to remember to photograph things. Second, when I do photograph, I then have to put them on my computer and I would prefer to send them through photoshop. In particular, my pictures are all very large files and I think Blogger would be pretty upset with me if I attempted them without shrinking them first. Then I don't post because I feel like I have to have pictures.

So! I have made the decision to post with or without pictures. Hopefully it does not become too much of a habit, and it helps me to post more regularly.

The first weeks of class have been hectic. Last week, we spent the majority of the time in a crash Italian language course. I am glad that it is over (the crash part anyway) because now we are much more focused on studio. For our first project, we are doing a close study of a piazza of our choice; I decided to study the Piazza del Popolo. Specifically, I am studying the intersection of the more transit-oriented lower piazza that goes through the historical main gate to Rome with the reflective upper piazza that is a park that is visually oriented with the Vatican. I wish I had my camera with me in studio today so that I could photograph my work that I have pinned up.

Tomorrow we are going to Sicily for a 10 day intense workshop. I am able to focus on that yet because of our review this afternoon, so I am not excited about it yet. I bet after the review I get there. This gives some general info about what we are going to be doing: Sicily Lab

At Night

I have yet to be at the right angle at the right moment to get a good picture here. At some point soon I am going to set out to really visit the Roman Forum and its ruins, so maybe the picture will happen then. For now, every time I see the colosseum I am only passing through.

The Knife Sharpener

I noticed a man in the Campo di Fiori today who has converted his motorcycle into a knife sharpening station. It is still ridable; he just comes into the market, parks, and then switches on his sharpening stone using the motorcycle motor. I wish I had a knife for him to sharpen.

The internet also seems to be behaving a lot better, so maybe I will be able to post more updates now.

Ditta G. Poggi

Due to the lack of air conditioning in Rome, most homes and businesses have windows and other ventilation open to the outside. Because of that, when you walk by you can smell the building in ways that you might not be able to in a block of sealed conditioned buildings. One day early on, I smelled a tiny library before I saw it. Later as I was visiting the outside of the supreme court building, I was shocked to notice that it smelled like the Ole Miss law library. Does law have a smell? Ditta G. Poggi smells like wooden pencil shavings from the sidewalk.

This art store is probably my favorite I have been in. I like that it is a series of winding rooms like a lot of Roman stores, and that they have such a wide variety of stuff. It is a block from our studio space on a corner halfway between studio and the Pantheon. I haven't actually purchased anything there yet, but I think tomorrow may be the day.