Ego

(Coming up with Beyonce songs that are related to these posts is exhausting)

First dinner of Roma is done!

Yesterday we took a trip to the Italian countryside (45 min outside of Rome) to an Agurotourismo farm.  We learned all about wine making and how they grow things in Italy before a delicious lunch and then pasta making lessons, which I was clearly all over.  My noodles turned out pretty well so tonight I cooked my first meal in Roma.

Needless to say, it's delicious.  I bought some tomatoes and fresh broccoli from the farm, so I sauted that with olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper before adding the cooked noodles and tossed it lightly in the pan.  That and a glass of wine from the farm completes one of the best meals I have ever cooked.  It's so simple and delicious, better than anything in the states.  The food here is so fresh, there are no preservatives so you buy everything right before you cook it and you can really taste the difference.  Amazingly good.

Today we had the first part of our accademic orientation and though classes don't offically start until the 31st, we met with some professors today and out language classes start tomorrow as does our core course "Living in Rome: Life in the Eternal City" which I have tomorrow.  Being me, I am excited about learning both the language and about the history of Roma.  Even the business classes sound interesting - the excursion for one of my classes is to Sicily to learn about how the Mafia does business.

There are also lots of Godfather refrences here.

Today Alice, Annie, Rachel and I were wandering around campus, just getting a feel for the area surrounding the university.  There is, like there is in much of Rome, a giant church accross the road from Roma Tre.  We had an hour or so to kill so we ventured over, never expecting to find such a beautiful building.  The outside is run down but the inside - it's the Church of Saint Paul whose like #2 after Peter if your RC.  Underneath the alter is his grave (WHICH IS CRAZY).  If you remember, after JPJ II died, there was this big CNN crisis about this church in Rome where all the Popes headshots are and there were only a few more spots left in the church and Wolf Blitzer was freaking out because after all the spots are taken it's the end of the world!  Anyways, that's the church where all the pictures are.  So all the Popes are up on those walls.  And there are 27 more spots left so hopefully the end isn't all that nigh.  It's beautiful though, if there is one thing the Catholic Church can do well is make beautiful churches.

Which I can't seem to upload now because chrome is being lamesauce.  Hopefully Pope pictures soon!