On Friday night, Niraj and I met some friends for an appertivi in the University District. They had found this amazing little restaurant that used to be an old house. It was 3 stories and each level of the house had it's own tables and a bar. The decor was gorgeous, and it did feel like you were in somebody's house! It was very quaint and definitely worth going back to. We all had a Spritz (a popular Itlian cocktail consisting of a fizzy white wine called Prosseco and Aperol Liqueor... yum!) and talked for hours. It was a great evening.
Saturday, I decided to explore the city some while Niraj locked himself in the library and ventured out to do some shopping. They are beginning to put up Christmas decorations and lights everywhere in Bologna (they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here so it's ok to do this so early... haha) and the city is starting to buzz with excitement! I cannot wait until the turn all the lights on, and you can count on pictures of that. That night, Niraj and I decided to make a full, home cooked feast. We made salad, lemon/garlic balsamic dressing (made with AMAZING balsamic vinegar from the local town of Modena), bruschetta, homemade bread, Spaghetti Carbonera, and a nice Pinot Grigio. The picture below doesn't even describe how amazing this food was! We were both quite impressed with how we're slowly mastering Italian cooking, and we filled ourselves to the brim! :)
Yesterday was the biggest adventure of the weekend, however. We decided to do a day trip to nearby Parma. We arrived at the train station early to catch the 8:30 train only to find out that nearly every train leaving that station was canceled. So not thinking anything of it, we waited around for awhile and managed to get one out of Bologna just before 10:00. We arrived in Parma a bit after 11:00 and walked outside to pouring rain and freezing temperatures! That didn't stop these two determined travelers though, and we faced the rain. We spent a few hours exploring the town which really is beautiful. It was a lot smaller than Bologna and very quiet (probably an effect of the rain and the fact that it was Sunday). We sat in on Sunday Mass at the Madonna Cathedral, saw the famous pink-marble Baptisery and its amazing frescoes, walked around the Duomo Cathedral, found the old town Pharmacy, walked along the riverfront, and explored the area and parks around the Government buildings. We saw some amazing sights, but it was a hilarious day due to being soaked head to toe and having umbrella difficulties. I now know that if you buy a 3 Euro umbrella you get what you pay for (and yes, I do know it was inside out in the pictures, but I had no control over it!!!). I've put the pictures below, so check them out!
Parma Pictures
Probably the best part of Parma was our lunch. YUM!!! We went to this quiet little trattoria tucked away in a small alley, and it was one of the best meals either of us has ever had. We started off with the famous, local, incredible plate of Parma's Prosciutto and Parmesan Cheese which is eaten with Torta Fritta (a type of warm, soft fried bread). This meat and cheese was unlike anything else and it was incredible... no wonder it made the town famous! Then Niraj had pumpkin tortelli, and I had tortelli stuffed wtih prosciutto and cheese. Both were again topped with Parmesan and covered in oil and butter. We also enjoyed some house red wine, and concluded the meal with a piece of chocolate cake that literally melted in your mouth. We sat there about 2 hours, watched other Italians eat to learn "proper" etiquette, and walked out in a food coma.
Our adventure didn't end there though, because once we arrived back at the train station to head back home, we again noticed nearly every train was canceled. In summary, there was a train strike and we were stuck in the station for over 3 hours!! We finally made it out on a jammed packed train, and our short little day trip turned into a 12 hour journey! Needless to say we'll be checking to see if it's a strike day before venturing out from now on...
So, that's our latest Italian weekend! This week we have the typical classes and work, but there are some interesting events and speakers happening at school that we'll keep everyone posted on. So, happy Monday!
No comments:
Post a Comment