badabing-gabagool

[badabing-gabagool]

Ciao bella!

Currently on my 12 hour flight time, reflecting on the last few days. Wow, 2 weeks went by so quickly! Here were the last few days-

Saturday I headed to my Colosseum tour, and if you don’t wanna learn a bunch of history, skip this bit.

The Colosseum was built between 70-80BC. In the morning, the animal and hunter shows were put on. The afternoon was for criminal executions, and the evening was for gladiator battles. The Colosseum was originally completely covered in marble, but once it was not being used anymore, the marble was taken and used to make churches, stairways, etc. The Colosseum used to have a giant canvas that sat across the top to shade the 70,000 people inside. It consisted of several levels and had an underground. The underground had elevators to raise the animals, and gladiators through the floor. It was completely dark down there and was terrifying. It was loud from animals roaring, humid, smelled bad, blood dripping down from up top, and literally no light. 300 slaves worked there, moving animals around, setting up elevators, and moving prisoners. Contrary to popular belief, gladiators were not allowed to be killed in battle as they were too expensive to train and pay, and refs were on standby to regulate the fights. Being a gladiator was a risky job, but if they lived, the payoff was great.

We also went to the Forum, which was a center square, used for gathering, political discussion, and served to be the center of town. Now, you can see where the square was, and remnants from the temples and buildings that surrounded it. Excavations is the area started in 1930. Ancient Rome is buried 20km down from where the current roads and buildings are. Over the course of hundreds of years, wind, and storms have brought in silt, and covered up the remains, thus raising the land. There’s an underground metro they have been trying to build for 25 years now that has been on hold because every time they start digging, they dig up another ancient ruin. Rome was founded by Romulus in 700BC. There’s a lot of history to dig up there. It’s so cool to see these places, and imagine what it must have been like. Kinda an out of body experience. I really enjoyed walking around.

After this, I ate a delicious carbonara, and checked out the Crypts of the Capuchins. These are crypts with thousands of bones of dead monks, arranged into beautiful patterns, and designs. Macabre af. I wandered over to the Spanish Steps next, and they were packed, so I only stayed for a second and then headed to Villa Borghese (big ass gardens) for sunset. That night, me and a few others from the hostel went out and had a spectacular dinner. Ravioli stuffed with chestnuts, homemade pasta with meatballs, tiramisu, cherry pie, and all the wine. I had a really nice time getting to know my roommates, and we were up late into the night hanging out.

Sunday was my chill day, so I got up, and searched out the farmers marker, on a mission to get one last porchetta sandwich. I succeeded, and enjoyed my sandwich as I wandered the aisles of the market. Next, I headed back to that bakery to get a bunch of cookies to snack on. Then, up to a park, where I laid in the sun and listened to my audiobook for a few hours. In the afternoon, I wandered back towards home, and stopped in a trattoria for an amazing cacio e pepe. I checked out the Knight’s Peephole next, which is a tiny peephole built into a gate on a church, that if you look through it, you can see something pretty cool. I won’t ruin the surprise. I meandered back to the hostel as the sunset on the ruins of the Forum and Circus Maximus (once a gladiator race arena that sat 150,000 people). Really spectacular night. That evening I hung out with the owner of the hostel for a few hours, before heading to the airport. My flight wasn’t til 6am today, but last public trans went there at 11pm, and it’s 50€ to get a taxi, so I decided to camp out at the airport instead. I took a 3 hour flight to Lisbon, now I’m on my 12 hour flight to SF, and then another 2 hours back to Portland. I can’t wait to be home!

This was a remarkable trip. I’m so happy I got to hangout with my friends. They made my experience absolutely incredible, and I’m grateful to have such good friends. Italy is beautiful, and delicious, and I can’t wait to come back (in 2 years with Brian!).

[badabing-gabagool]

When in Rome...

I’ve made it to Rome! And holy crap, is it a big city full of really really old things. Reminds me of New York actually. Loads of people, lots of hustle and bustle, tons of tourist traps, and overpriced food.

I got in Thursday afternoon, checked into my hostel, and then headed straight out to watch my walking tour. The walking tour was good. Between the guide being a genius, and the vast history of Rome, I was overwhelmed with facts and information. Here’s what I can remember-

Via Flamini is one of the first roads in the world. It now starts at the Unification Palace (which was once was the Temple of Jupiter), and goes 400km to Europe. Troops coming back from war would march down that road, through the Arch de Triumph (there are lots of these in many countries, what your winning troops march through when they’re back from battle), and into the center square.

Julius Caesar was a general in the army for 5 years (usually position is limited to 1 year). Senate was like, yo come back and give up your armies, you’ve got too much power. Caesar was like nah, and declared war on Rome. Wins and says he dictator for life. Caesar ended democracy and created an empire. 4 years later politicians stab him to death, 27 times. Augustus is pissed his great uncle was killed, so he makes an army and he declares war on those who killed Caesar. 50,000 ppl die and Augustus wins. Augustus conquered more land than an Roman emperor ever- British to Israel, Portugal to Prussia. 41 year reign, and they built everything in his time. Stadiums, temples, aqueducts (running water!). Musulini loved Augustus Caesar and thought he was the greatest emperor. Musulini wanted to be the best Augustus.

The Pantheon- mathematically perfect, it is as tall as it is wide. Made from concrete that is thick on the bottom, and tapers as it goes up with a mixture of lighter concrete, so it needs no keystone. Made for all the gods, Jupiter in the center with 12 gods around him. Later when Christianity becomes the kingdoms religion, the god statues are removed and replaced with Jesus and the 12 disciples (convenient!).

It started raining during the walking tour, and by the time I made it back to the hostel, I was soaked. The rain was nice though, because everyone at the hostel stayed in, and it gave us a night to all hangout and get to know each other. I met some awesome new friends from Mexico, Russia, England, and Turkey, and we had a nice night of wine and laughter.

The next morning I was up early to see the Vatican. I bought a guided tour, which took me through the museum and St Peters Basilica, and allowed me to go in an hour early. Definitely worth it because 20,000 people a day go to the Vatican, and it gets packed. The tour was longggggg. Like 5 hours long and I was so tired and hungry by the end. The Vatican is interesting. Every square inch of the museum and church is covered in paintings or murals or maps or tapestries or sculptures. It’s very overwhelming. You could sit and look at one wall for an hour just to process everything on it. Everything is so detailed and thought out. It would take a person 4 days to see everything in the museum, so we just hit the highlights. The Sistine Chapel is a giant room, completely covered in Michelangelo’s paintings. The room was empty when we got there, and it was nice to take it all in without being jostled around. The church is one of the biggest financial institutions in the world, and boy does it show. Gold and ornate and elaborate shit everywhere. Leaves a conflicting feeling, as there are tons of homeless people in Rome (and everywhere else in the world), and the church is sitting on all this wealth. And boy do they like to show it off. By the end of my trip, I was done with the flashiness. I learned that the church made tremendous, ornate churches to give the appearance of power, even if they didn’t have it. And they became their own country in 1929 just to keep all that power, and not be told what to do by any other governing body. There’s quite a lot I learned about the church on this trip that supports the negative view I already have about the institution, now backed up by many more facts. They’re an intricate part of the history of the world, and where, and why we are the way we are now, so I’m happy I went.

After the Vatican, I got some food, and headed to the Trevi Fountain. It was packed, so I threw some elbows, got my selfie, and dipped. I checked out the Unification Palace next, along with some ruins, and a cat sanctuary. I took a quick nap next to some old temple, and then headed to my walking food tour.

What a highlight! The tour group consisted of 5 of us- me, 3 older Americans, and our guide Luke. He took us around the Travestere neighborhood, and I fell in love. It was much quieter and cuter than the touristy parts of Rome I had been in. We started the tour by eating fried artichokes (many people recommended these to me! it was awesome) and a glass of Prosecco. Next up, we went to a wine restaurant, that’s wine cellar dates back to 80BC! The property was purchased in 1890, and that’s when the owner started to dig to make a cellar and found the old, already existent room, and secret passage from the Roman era. Soooo cool to be down there. We tried lean pork stew, which is said to have been Caesar’s favorite. Next up was an Italian bakery, established in 1940 and still using the original oven. We tried amazing cookies that I’m planning to come back and get. We had porchetta next, which is pig jowl, and it was my favorite eat of the night. We had a suppli next, which is Italian street food. It’s a fried ball of rice mixed with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. So tasty! We ended the night with pasta, and gelato. I was stuffed and headed back to the hostel to hang with my roommates for a bit, before calling it a long day.

This morning I am hanging out at the hostel for a bit, before taking my Colosseum tour. As a person who doesn’t like big cities, Rome has been cool, but is definitely the least favorite spot of my trip. Still, it’s remarkable to see these ancient remnants, and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna fangirl freakout at the Colosseum. Ciao!

[badabing-gabagool]

Alloraaaa!

What a wonderful few days it’s been! I’m so sad to leave Val, her family, and beautiful Tuscany.

Saturday I arrived to Montecatini, and was met by Val! It’s been 3 years since we’ve seen each other (besides the other day briefly), and we’ve both dipped out of miserable LA since then, so it was a exciting reunion. She took me on a stroll around her town as we caught up on all the happenings of each other’s lives. Montecatini is beautiful, and a bit touristy due to the thermal waters that can be found here. People come from all over to drink the water that will cleanse them (read: have them shit out the contents of their body), and give them youth (🙄). We grabbed cocktails that night to celebrate, and catch up more (the nitty gritty).

Sunday we headed out to San Miniato, an adorable town on a hill, famous for their truffles. So much of Italy (and really Europe) is just strolling around cities and enjoying the beauty of them. And that’s exactly what we did. We met up with Steve, Val’s boyfriend after, and went out to a traditional Tuscan lunch. Always let your friends order for you! Steve put together an awesome spread for us to try, with different meats, cheeses, and croutons. I also learned what inzuppate is (dipping shit into other shit), and fell in love with biscotti and vin santo (an alcohol you dip your biscotti into). We took a stroll around Empoli (Steve’s hometown), and then headed to Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo di Vinci. Both towns were quaint, and beautiful, and I could walked around them all day. That night we went to a soccer game! Empoli vs Cremonese! It was awesome! So funny how similar things can be, even in a different country. The chanting, and cheering reminded me a lot of Portland, though here fans have been known to beat the shit out of each other and occasionally kill each other, so fun things like colored smoke have been banned and entry is highly regulated. The match ended in a tie, and we headed to a bar to continue the night with Val and Steve’s friends. Man, do I appreciate people using what little English they know with me.

Monday, before we headed out for the day, Cinzia (Val’s adorable mom) braided my hair something amazing! We got the most amazing carbonara for lunch, and headed out to Lucca, a walled city, and where Europe’s biggest Comic Con will be held next week. We ate treats, and shopped, and relaxed, and rode a tandem bike ride around the wall, and it was beautiful, and perfect. That night, Cinzia cooked us an incredible mushroom lasagna, and I tried necci, a sort of crepe made with chestnut flour (chestnuts and things made from it are very popular here) and filled with ricotta and Nutella.

Tuesday we headed into Florence, and walked the hell outta that city. We started with the Cathedral di Santa Maria Del Fiore, which is one of the most remarkable cathedrals I have ever seen (and packed with people also checking it out!). We walked over Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge with old shops on it, and Val introduced me to castagnaccio which is a dessert made from chestnuts and I’m obsessed. We trekked up some crazy hills next to get to Boboli Gardens, and spent a few hours meandering around, enjoying the art and shade. Piazzale Michelangelo was next, where we got our stair workout on, and caught awesome views of the city. Florence is beautiful, with so much happening! It was weird to be in a bigger city after being in only small ones, and I definitely prefer smaller cities, but I didn’t get to eat Florentine steak, so I’m gonna have to come back. That night, Val’s dad cooked us carbonara (my favorite!) and we FaceTimed with Brian to plan our next big adventure.

Wednesday we enjoyed another Italian breakfast (pasty and cappuccino), and checked out the old thermal water house in Val’s town. The architecture is absolutely stunning, and we had a great time walking around, laughing at old fancy people, and taking silly photos. Lunch was next and omg, Val and Steve took me to their friends fresh pasta shop. Holy shit, that gnocchi changed me. It was so so good. I will be thinking about it for a long time. Our final stop of the day was the most touristy thing we did- the Leaning Tower of Pisa! And it was great! I was so excited! And had a great time laughing at everyone being Power Rangers while also being a Power Ranger myself. We checked out the church (spoiler: it was beautiful) and enjoyed the sunshine. I’ve really lucked out with weather here. It was supposed to rain the whole time, and we got sunshine instead! That night, Cinzia chopped my hair off and made me so beautiful! I love my new haircut and I love that she did it for me! We all went out for one last dinner of delicious pizza, and Val and I settled into face masks and a comedy special before going to sleep.

Leaving today was so sad. It was great to spend time with Val and her family, and I wish these things didn’t end so soon. We’re already planning our next reunion, and that will be awesome and epic. I truly appreciated everyone doing their best with English and trying to include me, plus Val taking on the responsibility of interpreter all week. Sometimes it was challenging to communicate, but we made it work.

More thoughts on Italy- Italian culture is hella rude (though they may not realize it). We talked a lot about that this week. I’m more sensitive to rudeness since moving to Portland (surprise), and so is Val since living in LA. And damn, it’s every man for himself in Italy, with very little common courtesy. Though, if this is the norm, and people have never experienced anything different, they don’t know how nice it feels to be nice! (Reminds me of NY but in a more intense way).

The food in Italy is very specific to the region, and it’s necessary to eat what that city/area is known for because you won’t find it a town over, and/or it won’t be as good. I love this! It was great to eat the “musts” of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Also, chestnuts are super popular here in the fall and everyone is obsessed with them. Roasted, crushed into flour to make other treats, just raw. They’re great! Gonna search them out when I get back home.

Okay I’m sick of writing. Ciao!

[badabing-gabagool]

All about balsamic vinegar

There are 2 types of balsamic vinegar- IGP and DOP.

IGP (cheaper, better for cooking, and salads)- It is made from a combination of cooked grape must (cooked down grapes and their juice), and white wine vinegar. White wine vinegar is added to speed up the process, and produce more product. Law requires that you have a minimum of 20% of each, but other than that, the ratio is up to you. The higher grape must to white wine vinegar ratio, the better the balsamic. Law requires this to sit in a wooden barrel minimum 60 days. And after 3 years, you can call it aged. Fraco’s company makes IGP aged up to 15 years. The ingredients are put in one barrel at the start of the aging process, and stay there until deemed ready.

DOP (old, expensive, amazing)- This is made from only grape must, no white wine vinegar added. The process starts by pouring grape must in a batteria (family) of barrels, that are all different wood, and get smaller in size. Every year, as water evaporates our, they refill the smallest barrel with the contents of the next biggest barrel, refill that one with the contents of the bigger one before it, and so on. When they reach the biggest and last barrel, that is then refilled with grape must from the “mother barrel”, a giant ass barrel of grape must that has been chillin for a year, and used to refill all the biggest barrels of the different batterias. 300L of cooked grape must are needed to make 250ml across 25 years old. That is an incredible amount of grape must. At Franco’s company, the youngest DOP is 12 years old, and just gets older. We tried 50 year old balsamic, 100 year old balsamic, and balsamic from 1890!!

Both kinds of balsamic are made in barrels and kept to process in the attic. In summer, the heat evaporates out air, and concentrates the grape must. In winter, the cold lets the grape must “work” and sweeten. The top is always off of the barrels to allow for water to evaporate. If a barrel’s contents are too acidic, traditionally a stone would be placed on top. The acidic air eats away at stone to get the acid out, and balance the contents. The air can be so acidic, it eats away at the stone. Now with technology to regulate temperature and environment, the stones are not needed. The acid will still eat away at the wooden barrels, thinning them, but you can’t throw them out. They contain too much good flavor! So you have to build a new wooden barrel around the current one.

In Modena every year, 90 million liters of IGP are produced, while only 10,000 liters of DOP are produced. That’s how long, and demanding the DOP process is.

At Franco’s company, they produce around 8,000L of IGP a year, and 1,000L of DOP. And their boxes are in Braille! They gave me a bottle of the 15 year old IGP, and a balsamic vinegar jelly! So kind of them! That is all ✌🏻

[badabing-gabagool]

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...

Hello from the fast train to Florence! The last few days have been so wonderful, and delicious! Here’s the rundown-

Wednesday I woke up in Bologna, and ventured out to find the canals that still exist here. That brought me up by the university district, which was full of students, and cute, colorful alleyways. Did you know Bologna has canals? They’re not used like they are in Venice, and are mostly covered up, but there are still portions you can see through a “hidden window���. Next stop was the Asinelli Tower, to climb all 498 steps to the top. What a beautiful day it was! Bologna is nicknamed La Rossa for a reason- terra-cotta roofs as far as you could see. Climbing down 498 tiny wooden steps was much more tedious than going up them, and I was about ready for lunch when I reached the bottom. I headed across town towards a restaurant a friend had recommended, and on the way, stopped in a vintage shop to check out a jacket (that I wound up buying). I made friends with the owner, and he ended up taking me out for lunch and drinks. He got to practice his English, I got to hangout with a local, and eat amazing tagliatelle. We parted ways after, and I headed back to my Airbnb to collect my things, and go to the airport to get my rental car. It was a mess getting there, a mess when I got there, but I did get the car, and was finally reunited with Barbara! Barbara and I became friends 3 years ago, when we were partnered up at Seabeck DeafBlind Retreat. We quickly realized we were soul sisters, and since then have taken a cruise together, hung out in LA, and partied again in Seattle. We headed to her house in Modena, and I quickly got used to driving in Italy.

Driving in Italy- same as New York or LA. Fast, aggressive, not many people use blinkers, no one cares about other cars or pedestrians, keep moving, and if you hesitate, you will be cut off or honked at. Always grateful I learned to drive in that, as it makes driving in other places much easier. I will say though, I really enjoy the nice driver I’ve become since moving to Portland, and I look forward to getting back and being kind to my fellow drivers.

We got back to Barbara’s house in Modena, and spent the night drinking wine, and catching up. The next morning, we headed to her new house that she’ll be moving into shortly, to check in on the painter. Her condo is great! And she’s painting each room a different bright color! (Told you we’re soul sisters) We grabbed lunch near her house after, and I had the best pizza I’ve had thus far- buffalo mozzarella, basil, prosciutto, and sun dried tomatoes. In Italy, it is normal for one person to eat a whole pizza to themselves! So that’s exactly what I did. Ate the whole damn thing. Afterwards we headed to the Ferrari museum, which I was reluctant to go to because I don’t give a fuck about cars, but Barbara said we should check it out. As expected, we both didn’t give a fuck, and were in and out within 15 minutes. She said the bigger museum was cooler, so we agreed to try again the next day. We then headed into central Modena, and oh my goodness is it beautiful. We snacked on street chestnuts, and cheered on college graduates celebrating in the street. Barbara is a terrific tour guide, and taught me a lot about the history of the city, and what the different buildings are. Here is what I learned-

The patron saint of Modena is San Geminiano. He died in 1100, and they have his body chilling in a stone coffin in the cathedral. 31 January is the day they celebrate him every year, so that week the take the lid off and you can stare at his dead preserved body. The Duamo of Modena (the cathedral) was built in 1111, and is now a UNESCO site. The municipal building and clock tower were built in 1300, and are still in operation. In February, different cities have a carnival, in which they wear region specific outfits and celebrate with regional foods. Pavarotti is from Modena, and many streets, bars, and theaters are named after him.

We got dinner at a place downtown, and holy. shit. We had tortellini in brodo (broth) and it was AMAZING. And then we had steak. Covered in balsamic vinegar. Made here in Modena. AND I AM CHANGED. It was the best most amazing steak I’ve ever had, and now I am ruined forever.

Yesterday we headed out to Barbara’s uncle’s balsamic vinegar company. It was started by her great great grandfather, and has been passed down each generation, now to Franco, her uncle. Her very cute cousin Francisco (who will one day operate it), gave us a tour, and explained the manufacturing process. I’ll make a separate post about that, because it’s lots of info and super fascinating!

We headed to lunch next, where we doubled down on our Italian and get pizza with pasta on it. And got a dessert pizza covered in Nutella. Because why not? We then checked out the other Ferrari museum (spoiler- still boring), and then went to see where the old Deaf residential school of Modena was housed, and where the current Deaf Club is housed. The Deaf Club of Modena has 300 members! We ended the night we traditional Modena food- gnocco fritto (delicious puffy bread) filled with prosciutto and different meats, and tigella, a flat roll that you fill with lard, cheese, or jams. We stayed up most of the night chatting, and had a bittersweet goodbye this morning. No worries, we are already making plans for our next reunion :)

This morning, after leaving Modena, I headed to Eataly, the giant food “amusement park”. I have been wanting to go here forever and it did not disappoint. It is a HUGE property, full of restaurants, bars, and shops, all focused on Italian food. Everything sold there is produced on site, so they have a big ass farm, cows, goats, pigs, chickens, and also a cheese making factory, brewery, winery, salami factory, chocolate factory, coffee roaster shop, candy making factory, rice processor, and more than I’m missing. This place is so big, you can rent bikes or electric scooters to get around it. They offer tours, classes, and food related events! I was on cloud 9, walking around with the stupidest smile on. I watched them make fresh mozzarella, and then ate a whole ball of it. I had a calzone filled with prosciutto and cheese, and a few pastries. The place is incredible. I can’t wait to come back with more time so I can digest, and then eat more. But alas, I had to drop of my rental car, and get my butt to Florence. So here I am, on my way to see my wonderful friend Val, training through the beautiful countryside. Italy is gorgeous. Every inch is quaint, and colorful, and exudes old magic. I am so happy to be here.

Cin cin! 🍻

[badabing-gabagool]

I am 246 Tagliatelle

I made it to Italy! And what a wild few days it’s been. And by wild, I mean smelly. 24 hours of travel leaves a distinct funk that takes a few washes to get out. But here I am, clean and funk free, in my Airbnb in Bologna.

This journey started Sunday, when I hopped on an 11 hour flight from SF to Lisbon. Our plane got delayed, and I missed my connection to Rome, which meant I would miss my connection to Bologna. Customer service was no help, so after a bit of a panic, I convinced them to send me to Florence instead, and I could catch a train to Bologna from there. I called up my buddy Val who lives in Florence, to get more info on how to get from the airport to the train station, and she generous offered to drive me! This was a treat because we were not supposed to see each other for another week. After a tearful reunion at the airport, and a quick catchup, we said see you later, and I hopped my train to Bologna. I got in around 11pm, walked to my Airbnb, and sadly did not pass tf out, but rather stayed up til 2am (thanks jet lag!).

Today I got an early start, and began the day with a cappuccino and pastry, as you do. Then it was off to my walking tour! Things I learned-

In 189 AD, Bologna was named the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. They have Roman aqueducts that are still used today! The first university in the western world was founded here. Bologna has many nicknames- La Dotta (the wise, because of that university), La Rossa (the red, because of all the terra-cotta), and La Grassa (the fat, because of all the good food here). All the towers in Italy are leaning except for one. One tower in Bologna, Garisenda, leans 2mm a year. They have to keep shaving the top of it off. It once stood at 60m and is now down to 48m! It’s the leaniest tower in Italy, even leanier than Pisa! There are over 24 miles of porticos here (covered walkways with apartments on top), and became required by the city to allow for more housing. Tagliatelle is jokingly used as a unit of measurement here- 7mm. 3 popes have come from Bologna, and Pope Gregory the 13th is one who set up our modern day calendar. Petronius of Bologna is the city’s patron saint and often depicted holding the city in his hand. There’s a story that a chef went into a hotel room to take an order, and walked in on the goddess Venus laying naked in her bed. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind, so he shaped her into pasta. Rather, the likeliness is her belly button into pasta. Okay, I’m tired of listing facts.

After the tour I headed to the market for food, and settled on tortellini de carne, and an aperol spritz. Oh my god, it was so good. I also got some street meat, 100g of prosciutto for 5€ to tie me over as I wandered around. I checked out some big, ornate churches, and took a tour inside the Anatomy Theater of the first university. Basically a giant wooden room with statues of famous physicians around it, and a lectern being held up by 2 skinless bodies, and in the center of the room is a table they would dissect bodies on, and students would sit around and learn. Only male students, because females can’t learn. Also, they were thought to not have souls that went to heaven, so often female cadavers were used.

I then began the trek to Sanctuary of the Madonna de San Luca. A 2.5 mile walk, uphill, to a big ass church. It was a great walk! Beautiful, and good exercise climbing all those stairs. I got great views of Bologna and the surrounding towns. Then I began the long trek back. It started pouring, but luckily I was walking under one of the longest stretches of porticos in the world- over 2 miles straight of coverage. I made it back into city center, found myself a pizza joint, and went to town. Omg. It was so good. So good! And giant! And only 7€. Have I mentioned the food is really cheap here? It’s really fucking cheap. Like 1.50€ a cappuccino, and 2€ a gelato. Consume all the deliciousness!

Observations- There are many small dogs here, and a good number of people ride their bikes (without helmets!). People make the most intense eye contact I have ever experienced, and as a person who actively avoids eye contact with strangers (especially men), it’s been uncomfortable, but interesting to unpack. Way more smoking here than I’m used to back home, and most people I’ve interacted with know some English. The city is colorful, clean, and easy to get around. Tonight I was able to get back to my Airbnb without using my gps (if you know me, you know this is a big deal).

There is nothing like wandering around a new city (especially in Europe). It feels like you’ve stumbled upon magic. Magic that’s been around for hundreds of years, that millions of people have found, but now it’s all your own. I’m excited to have a few more hours in Bologna tomorrow, then grab my rental, and head to Modena to stay with Barbara. More food to be eaten, more sites to be seen! I love you already Italy!