Last night I met a man

It's the first time since I’ve been here that I met someone who made my heart beat a little faster. At the recommendation of a fellow blogger (thanks for that fabulous list!), I went to Etabli for drinks with a couple friends. We arrived around 10pm and the place was practically empty but the décor was supercute so we decided to stay anyway. By the time we ordered our 2nd bottle of prosecco, the place was packed and we had the perfect table to watch all the action at the bar.

There was a guy I noticed standing at the bar with 2 friends—we called him The Scarf Guy and were gossiping about him, trying to figure out if he was cute or not. Then his friend (who we called The Short Guy) caught us looking, nodded in our direction and the group turned around, looked at us and smiled. For the rest of the evening, every time I looked up The Short Guy was looking my way and when our eyes met, he would smile or give a little wave.

Around 1am we asked the waiter for glasses of water and he said we had to get it at the bar. So Ana and I went up to the bar which, of course, happened to be right next to where these guys were sitting. The Short Guy waved again and then got up and came over to introduce himself. We all started chatting and then Ana tactfully excused herself and left us alone. I learned that he’s from a small town in Abruzzo but has been working as a derivatives trader in London for the past 15 years and was just in town for the weekend, meeting with a client.

Later, he and Scarf Guy invited us to join them at a club nearby. It was a great place, I wish I could remember the name (cute cave-like space and SO many cute men, my head was spinning)—we danced until 4am when we finally decided to call it a night and said goodbye to the guys. Randomly, as we were leaving, I bumped into a friend of Wendy’s that I met the night of my birthday party… unfortunately the Suit Guy wasn’t with him :o/

Its funny b/c I wasn’t at all interested in Short Guy at first, I thought Scarf Guy was more attractive. He isn’t bad looking but short guys just don’t do it for me (I’m short myself, I need to marry someone with a little height to give my kids a fighting chance! lol). But he ended up being really interesting and said all the right words. Not in that smooth-talking Casanova way, just sweet. Like at one point he said, “You have a beautiful smile, it lights up your whole face. Scarf Guy and I were talking about it earlier. When I saw you across the bar and I couldn’t stop looking at you. It just… I don’t know… made my heart happy”. I know that sounds totally cheesy but he said it in this shy, quiet way that totally won me over. He was really fascinated by my life, my travels, everything; New York and Paris are his favorite cities; We had a lot to talk about.


Anyway, as I was heading out he asked if he could see me again. He had a 1pm flight later that day and said he knew it was early but would I possibly consider meeting him for coffee around 9am. That was just way too early for me (it was after 4am by that point and I could already feel the hangover setting in) plus I didn't want to ruin the magic of that evening with a less than perfect reality, but I gave him my number and email address anyway and he said he hoped I would consider coming to visit him in London.

We spent all of 4 hours together, the night was so short. And I’ll probably never see him again but that’s ok. I think it was exactly what I needed. I’ve been feeling a little lonely these past couple of weeks. I don’t know if its b/c the weather’s turned cold and grey and the days are shorter and everyone’s coupling up, getting ready to hibernate for the winter... but I’ve been missing love lately—and all those deliciously warm feelings that come along with it. A fleeting encounter was probably all this was meant to be, but meeting him “made my heart happy” :)

Day 3-5: Torino

Last 4th of July I went to my old college roommate’s apt in Union Square (NYC) for a party on her rooftop. While I was there I heard a couple girls speaking in Italian so I started talking to them about my dream of living in Italy. Dani (from Rome) and Val (from Torino) were both working for an Italian company in New York. We ended up hitting it off and hanging out a few times before I left for Paris and Val invited me to come visit her in Italy. So when I was planning my trip to Cinque Terre I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to check out Torino, a 3 hour train ride away.

The walk from the station down via Roma was my first taste of the city and I liked it immediately. The best word I can use to describe Torino is elegant. It has this very regal, almost aristocratic feel. It reminded me a lot of Vienna. The wide boulevards and piazzas, the grand, historic cafes, the twinkling lights strung up everywhere...

I stopped at Mood Café for a cup of coffee and little snack, and read my book and people watched while I waited for Val who was picking me up around 6pm to go to her friend’s place where we would be staying for the night. Her friend and her boyfriend live in an apartment in a villa in “The Hills” of Torino, where all the noble families and celebs live. Apparently, a lot of these families are now broke so they’ve turned part of their homes into condos—you have to have an “in” to get one of these coveted apts. This particular villa was on a large, gated property, just gorgeous. I wish I could have taken pictures of the house itself but the owners are super strict so I didn't think it would be the best idea. They don’t even let their tenants walk on the grounds… not even to sit quietly under a tree with a book. There’s even a big dog roaming around just in case anyone gets any funny ideas (ok, the dog isn’t to keep the tenants away but I’m sure it doesn’t help that he’s there).

(my bedroom at the villa apt)

That night we met up with Val’s friends for dinner. She was sweet and specifically collected her friends who spoke English so I could converse with everyone. We went to a typical Piedmont restaurant and the food was delicious. We had about 3 bottles of wine, starters, entrees, dessert and coffee... the meal was quite an event.

(mixed appetizers: polenta, asparagus, artichoke, etc)

(Risotto w/ sausage, zucchini and truffles)

(Torino's famous chocolate)

After, we went to this bar called Pastis in the trendy nightlife area for drinks.

(It was Halloween, obviously)

On Sunday, Val and I took a tour of the city. She brought me to a historic café in Piazza Castello (the biggest in Italy) for breakfast and then to the National Cinema Museum at the Mole Antonelliana building, the symbol of Torino.

While we waited in line I was thinking “Ugh, I like film but this is going to be incredibly boring.” Nope, it was fantastic! One of the best museums I’ve ever been to. It’s such a thorough, concise collection of cinema. Starting from the very beginnings of the industry (the cameras they used, peep show boxes, etc) to present day stuff (the current exhibition was on Manga). And it covered everything from lighting, to studios, to directors, to advertising. It was so interesting and really cool to see all the props, costumes, photos and things from famous movies.

Later we went to the church that holds the Shroud of Jesus, the cloth He was reportedly wrapped in after the Crucifixion. They only bring it out on rare occasions but a photographic copy is on display all the time. Its incredible b/c there are blood stains in the places He was wounded (His head, His side, His wrists) and the faint outline of a man’s form imprinted on the fabric. Of course no one knows for sure if this is the real deal but its incredible to imagine that you may possibly be looking at the actual cloth that wrapped Jesus’ body.

That evening Val had to leave and I was invited to link up with Fede, one of Val’s girlfriends, for a pizza & beer night at her apt with a couple of her friends. We hung out chatting about life in the States (she spent nearly a year in San Diego learning English), dating in Italy, all sorts of stuff. It was a really fun, chill night.

The next day I had a long, lazy breakfast at a popular café in The Hills, just reading my book, watching the rain fall outside and ogling the hot bar guy.

Then I did a little shopping before heading to the station to catch my 12:30pm train to Milan. I really like Torino. Its a beautiful, clean, sophisticated city.

Day 1-3: Cinque Terre

This year, my birthday gift to myself was a weeklong train trip around Italy. I decided to go to Cinque Terre, followed by a few days in Torino and Milano. I invited my friend Ana to come with me for the first leg of the trip and we were blessed with 3 days of beautifully crisp, sunny autumn weather (which turned cold and cloudy the day we left).

On Thursday we took a 9:30am train from Termini and arrived in Vernazza around 3pm. I found this cute little hotel right in the main piazza (being the last week of the season, we managed to book a room at a great rate the night before we arrived. In the summer you have to reserve a hotel months in advance). I read that Vernazza was the most dramatic of the 5 villages and as soon as we stepped off the train I could see why. You walk through the town, down this narrow, almost cramped street lined with shops and restaurants, and then suddenly you’re there: the road opens up into a big piazza overlooking the harbor with an unbroken view of the sea, colorful boats tied up at the dock, a huge bell tower, a peek of the next village in the background, locals milling around shooting the sh*t all day long.

We checked into the hotel then decided to do the 2 hour hike to Monterosso (the 5th village) that evening before the sun set. It’s the most difficult hike and considering I haven’t so much as climbed a set of stairs in the past 6 months, I was convinced they would have to send in the rescue squad to pick me up. Its nearly all stairs, mostly uphill and in some places, there’s barely a path to walk on—just a crumbling ledge on a cliff, leaving you clinging to the side of the mountain to inch your way across. But even with all that, the views were exceptional and so worth it.

We stopped every 5 minutes to catch our breath and take pictures… my first glimpse at Cinque Terre and I couldn’t believe how stunning it was. By the time we could see Monterosso in the distance, it was nearly dark so we picked up the pace. Imagine being stuck on a mountain with no handrails, no lights and just faint red& white markers to guide us in the pitch black night... yikes.

(Monterosso from the hiking trail)

When finally reached Monterosso, took a tour of the village then treated ourselves to some local wine at an outdoor café. We met a sweet, middle aged couple from North Carolina who were on a two week vacation around Italy and would continue to bump into them the entire trip (part of the charm of the area is how tiny it is. By the end you've seen everyone at least once and you're saying hello to everyone as if you've known them a lifetime). Back in Vernazza we went to a restaurant recommended by our hotel for the local specialty, trofie with pesto (my favorite dish) and of course, another bottle of wine. Afterwards we went looking for a bar and bumped into a really cute guy in the street. Ana stopped him to ask where we could grab a drink and he told us that we came at a bad time. Sadly, an 18-year-old girl had just died in a car accident and her funeral was held a couple days before so the village had pretty much shut down. But he was heading down to the harbor and could show us the one place that was still open. We ended up spending the rest of the night with him sitting on big wooden barrels outside of a little Enoteca, drinking wine and listening to his hilarious crazy travel stories (which included sleeping with a woman he thought was a prostitute in Vegas but who turned out to be a friend of his Los Angeles girlfriend… she found out and dumped him. And the time that he got high on LSD in Bangkok… lol, well he was a gorgeous, 23 year old bartender from a tiny resort town, I wasn't too surprised/shocked by any of this).

(Vernazza at night)

Towards midnight, his Norwegian girlfriend showed up and started acting all possessive and bitchy, ruining the vibe. And Ana had gotten into a strange conversation with a weird man who admitted that he’d been secretly watching her all afternoon. At that point we decided to call it a night—conversing with stalkers was not on the agenda.

The next day we had breakfast at a bar near our hotel before taking the train to Riomaggiore to hike in the opposite direction—the 3 villages that would lead us back to Vernazza. We toured Riomaggiore and stopped at a little café near the church for another cup of coffee (and to stretch!) before doing the nearly 3.5 hour hike.

(Coffee in front of the church in Riomaggiore. And yes, I hiked in a dress, sue me.)

The start of the hike is along Via dell’Amore (Lovers Lane), the easiest and most beautiful trail.

In Manarola, the fishing village, we stopped to fill up our water bottles and taste a few of the local specialties (mainly pesto, SOO good).

The hike to Corniglia was one of my favorites (also the wildest). We were inching along (mainly b/c I'm such a scaredy cat and kept thinking I was going to plunge to my death) and kept laughing at the fact that we had to step aside to let elderly people and little 5 year old babies walk ahead of us b/c we were too slow for them. A damn shame :)


When we got to the town we stopped for lunch and then explored the village with the North Carolina couple we met the night before.

There’s a panoramic view from the center of the village and we hung out there for a while, just soaking it all in.

(this guy napping on the ledge scared the sh*t out of me! If he falls its a straight drop onto jagged rocks. Who does that?!)

We finished with the 1:45 hour hike to Varnazza and stopped for a quick snack (Focaccia di Recco, delicious!) before rushing down to the harbor to watch the sunset.

We sat on the jetty and watched the sun as it sunk into the Mediterranean right in front of us. It was so close, it seemed as if you could swim out and touch it if you wanted to. Everyone was quiet, some had brought bottles of wine and we were huddled together against the cold. We all cheered when it was over. After Santorini, its the best sunset I have ever seen. I couldn't help but think of B and how much he would love a trip like this.

That night we had dinner at a fantastic seafood restaurant in Monterosso (I had the trofie again, followed by mussels) and chatted with a really nice couple from Philly sitting next to us. Then went to a free sciachetra tasting (a dessert wine) before walking around the village, looking for a bar. Some random gross guy stopped us in the street and asked us to join him and his friends for drinks but we declined and walked around the village in order to lose him before ducking into “America Bar” (full of graffiti, dollar bills taped to the walls, music & movie posters and Britney on the stereo... naturally).

We were relaxing with our glass of wine when some older, balding man came over, sat down at our table and said, “Can you read this for me? I just received this report from my doctor but I don’t know what it says”. We looked at him blankly until he started laughing and said he thought we were doctors… apparently we “look like doctors”. Um, right. At one point he asked me where I was from and when I told him New York, he kept asking which country in Africa my family came from—I was not even going to start this time so I just ignored him. So he continued talk to Ana in Italian until she suddenly gave him a dirty look, abruptly pushed back her chair, stood up and said, “Stacy, lets go”. At the same time, the gross guy who approached us in the street earlier had come into the bar (there’s only 3 bars in the village, he was bound to find us sooner or later) and came over to our table with two glasses of wine for us, thinking he could weasel his way in. He thought he was being slick by sending his friend in first with that stupid Doctor line. Ana said, “No thank you, we were just leaving” and the guy just stood there looking stupid with the wine in his hands. We went over to the bar to pay and the bartender asked, “How come you’re leaving so early?” And I said, “Um, its just time for us to go” and he laughed and shook his head, understanding that we were escaping those crazy men.

As we were walking back to the station to catch the train to Vernazza Ana gave me a quick translation: apparently the guy was asking her about her background and she told him she was Brazilian but that her great-grandparents were from Italy. He asked where in Italy and when she told him the name of her family’s city, he said, “Ahh, good. You’re from the North, the real Italy. Not like in the South. That’s not really Italy, that’s Africa. Its terrible.” Ana was horrified. Its a good thing I couldn’t understand him or we would have had some problems. He had some nerve to actually say that ignorant, racist sh*t as if Ana was supposed to agree with him, especially considering that 1) she’s from Brazil which is such a mixed country, and 2) she was with me. Well, what can you do? Small town mentality.

So we went back to Vernazza to hang out in the piazza in front of our hotel, just watching the boats bobbing in the dark and the light reflecting on the water (the town is very romantic by the way, we were saying that it was too bad we didn't have boyfriends with us!). Then we started chatting with two American girls who were drinking wine on the bench next to us. We decided to get another bottle for the 4 of us to share (meanwhile, the piazza was full of young locals) and ended up talking with them till nearly 2am.

The next day, our last in Cinque Terre, we had breakfast standing at our little bar (by this time, we were friendly with the barman) before picking up last minute souvenirs, then sitting out on the jetty in the sunshine to read and eat lunch until noon, when we had to leave Vernazza for our next (separate) destinations.

(Vineyards in Corniglia)

I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype but Cinque Terre is incredible. Its been such a tourist hotspot for the past 10 years, I wasn’t sure how it would be now. I don’t know if its because we came in October instead of August but it was absolutely perfect. It didn’t feel too contrived or commercial or like the town had sold out. It just had that idyllic small town feel, beautiful views and a deliciously slow pace… it was like something out of a postcard. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how its possible that I’m able to witness all these incredibly breathtaking places. I just don't understand why. I feel so blessed, so undeserving of this life. But I love the feeling of traveling to beautiful places and having these experiences... seeing things that take your breath away, that startle you. It makes you feel so alive, like the world isn't so bad after all, like anything is possible, like the sky is the limit...

Things I remember most about Cinque Terre:

*The intense smell of flowers along the hiking trails, particularly between Corniglia and Monterosso. It reminded me of my childhood days picking honeysuckles in the woods with my friends.

*The sound of the waves breaking against the rocks.

*The peaceful silence that you could always “hear” in the midst of all the sounds of nature and the gravel crunching under our shoes.

*The color of the sky as the sun set over the Mediterranean.

Happy 27th!

My birthday was fantastic! I had an absolute blast and considering I didn’t have my “real friends” around to share it with, that’s saying something. I started the night off at the Expat Happy hour near Campo de Fiori at 8pm. I met a couple friends there for a quick aperitivo but the party itself was boring and way too crowded, kind of a bust.

At 9pm we left to walk uptown to ‘Gusto. We arrived at 9:30pm (after stopping to say hello to "my buddy" Colin who we bumped into along the way. He organizes those Rome Party/Drinking Tours and I've been running into him every couple of weeks since I first arrived in the city, its pretty funny) and got a table close to the stage where Wendy would be performing later. We ordered a couple bottles of prosecco (naturally, it was my Champagne birthday after all!) and various dishes, all yummy (I had pasta with roasted duck and zucchini).

The group was a mix of people I’d met over the past month—Ben, my NYC filmmaker friend; Ana from my language course with her friend from Brazil and her Italian boyfriend; Frances, a pharmacist from San Diego that I met 2 nights before at a bar who was taking a month-long vacation in Rome; Kristen, a girl I met on the Orvieto trip and a couple of her Italian guy friends.

Wendy’s show was phenomenal… the woman can really sing and it was great b/c she played all my old favorites (Robin Thicke, Jill Scott, Prince, Sting) but with a little jazzy/bluesy twist. It was a really fun atmosphere. I was surrounded new friends, delicious food, never-ending glasses of prosecco and good music... what could be better?

After dinner, Ben and I joined Wendy’s friends at a club called Bloom near Piazza Navona. Aside from the fact that we paid 15 Euros for a glass of wine and the crowd was kind of corny, it was a fun way to cap the evening. We sat around alternately bashing the B&T-esque crowd and dancing to some serious house music. At one point, some cheesy guy kept coming over to try to talk/dance with me. I was dancing near a bouncer who ended up stepping in and telling the guy to get lost. Aw, my own personal bodyguard. When Ben and I left (around 3:30am), the cheesy guy was outside and said, “When you leave, make sure you walk with your nose in the air.” I just gave him a look like, boy, please.

Oh, there was one cute guy, a friend of Wendy’s. I didn’t really notice him till we got to Bloom (he was part of the group from 'Gusto, they all came over to wish me happy birthday) but throughout the night he would pass by and grab my waist or my arm, or make little comments. The whole time I was like, “Who is this random guy in the suit?” I couldn’t see his face b/c he would sneak up behind me then walk off before I had a chance to get a look at him. At the end of the night he came over to say goodbye and I asked, “Oh are you going home now?” And he said, “Yes, do you want to come with me?” with this look that was so… Italian. I don’t know how else to describe it. He just gave me this intense look then walked off. I guess he was sort of joking, sort of not. lol, I thought it was hilarious… and the man very sexy. But to tell you the truth, by that time it was 3am and I had been drinking since 8pm so you can't really trust my judgement on that one. In any case I told Wendy about him (for the life of me I can’t remember his name) and she said we’d all do dinner soon… hmm.

Buon Compleanno!!

Today is my birthday—and to top it all off, my Champagne Birthday (when you turn the same age as the day you were born) so it feels extra special and sparkly.

Tonight I celebrate by doing a few things: First, I’m going to a Rome Expats Happy Hour near Campo de Fiori which could be a nice chance to meet some interesting, like-minded people. Or at the very least enjoy an aperitivo with a couple girlfriends.

Then I head to ‘Gusto Wine Bar for dinner with a random mix of people I’ve befriended over the past month, some as recently as last weekend. One of these new friends is a singer named Wendy Lewis from Gary, Indiana (RIP MJ) who’s been living in Rome for the past 15 years. She tours all over the continent (she’s just getting back from a gig in Zurich as a matter of fact) and tonight is her first local show in a long while—it happens to be at 'Gusto, on my birthday. A bunch of her Italian friends are coming out for the show and she invited me to join the table and celebrate with them.

And this weekend I’m taking a week long trip to Cinque Terre, Turino and Milano—I forfeited a day at the spa (which is ridiculously expensive here by the way) in favor of a train trip up North to visit a few cool cities and see some friends I haven’t seen in a while.

So that’s my birthday! I’m off to give myself a manicure/pedicure and a relaxer (yes, I’m doing it myself… and yes, I know its bad but you can’t afford luxuries when you’re living the gypsy life!), a little beautification for the occasion.

Take a look at the lovely note I received from The Universe this morning:

A few years back, not so long ago, heaven and earth erupted into a major celebration with the news of your impending adventure into this very time and space. You see, someone like Stacy [last name] doesn't come along all that often. In fact, there's never been a single one like you, nor is there ever ANY possibility that another will come again. You're an Angel among us. Someone, whose eyes see what no others will EVER see, whose ears hear what no others will EVER hear, and whose perspective and feelings will NEVER, ever be duplicated. Without YOU, the Universe, and ALL THAT IS, would be sadly less than it is.

Quite simply:

You're the kind of person, Stacy,

Who's hard to forget,

A one-in-a-million

To the people you've met.

Your friends are as varied

As the places you go,

And they all want to tell you

In case you don't know:

That you make a big difference

In the lives that you touch,

By taking so little

And giving so much!

Stacy, you are so AWESOME! For your birthday, friends and angels from every corner of the Universe, including buddies you didn't know you had, will be with you to wish you the HAPPIEST of days and an exciting new year in time and space. You won't be alone!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Stacy!

How beautiful is that?? I realize everyone probably gets the same message but it brought tears to my eyes! How special am I! THANK YOU, Universe!

27 is going to be a fantastic, incredible year, I can feel it!

Day trip to Umbria/Lazio

On Sunday I went on a day trip to Umbria & Lazio with a new friend I made here in Rome (a French Au Pair from Paris). Her language school planned the trip and she invited me to come along.

I barely made it though, and all b/c of daylight savings time. On Saturday night before I went to bed, I set the clock on my iPhone back one hour. I set my alarm for 6:30am since I had to meet the bus at Termini station at 7:45am. I woke up around 6:20am and decided to get out of bed and check the time online to make sure my iPhone didn’t do something funny during the night… sure enough, it was 7:20am NOT 6:20am! My phone automatically adjusted the time at 3am so my clock went back two hours instead of one. I had just enough time to brush my teeth, throw on some clothes and sprint down the street to the bus (thankfully I live only 15 minutes away, add one reason why its good to live in SanLo). I arrived at 7:50am but I wasn’t the last one… a lot of people seemed to have clock issues that morning. We actually left one poor girl behind who arrived at Termini at 8:02am and couldn’t find the bus.

Our first stop was Orvieto. There were about 20 of us on the trip, lead by Marina’s language teacher who was an excellent tour guide and gave us a full explanation of all the sights. Sadly my Italian is still really shaky (aka nonexistent) so Marina had to translate for me. And as English is her second language it was easier for her to do the translation in French. So I got an Italian lesson AND got to practice my French, not bad. We saw the Duomo (where I learned about those ever popular Italian names),

wandered around the tiny streets (I love Europe and their little cobblestone streets, barely big enough for two people to walk through), saw the first home of the Popes before they built Vatican City (who knew!),

and took in the incredible view from the walled edge of Orvieto.


Afterwards, we had 2 free hours for lunch. A group of us branched off in search of a Slow Food restaurant recommended by my new friend Elyssa (an expat who’s been living in Rome with her Italian husband for about 8 years). It was completely booked so we went back out into the street to try to figure out where to eat. An old Italian couple were leaning out of their window watching the street (why do old folks love to do that?) and called out to us, asking us where we were from (we made quite a colorful group). We rattled off the list of countries (England, America, Holland, France…) and chatted with them for a bit. We asked for their recommendation for lunch and they pointed us to Ristorante Cocco, a tiny place just across the street. We got there just before a huge crowd of Italians showed up, filling the rest of the tables. And it was one of the best meals I had in a long time… the 9 of us shared 3 bottles of vino rosso della casa, 2 bottles of water, a starter and main dish/pasta each (I had caprise to start followed by tagliatelle with black truffles… SOO good) and paid only 11 Euros per person! Comparably, the other group when to a place near the Duomo (tourist central) and paid 17 Euros for "5 pieces of ravioli and a soda".

We rolled out of the restaurant completely stuffed and sleepy from all the wine to meet up with the rest of the group for a tour of the Duomo (it was closed in the morning for mass) before moving on to the next village.

Civita di Bagnoregio is nicknamed The City of the Dead b/c in its 2,500 years it has survived 24 earthquakes, Nazi occupation and bombings and is still standing... for now. It's literally this tiny medieval village perched on the very top of a mountain.

The eerie thing is that mountain beaneath it is finally starting to crumble so they don’t know how long the village will survive (parts of it have already fallen off!). Its connected to mainland Italy by a long, narrow bridge that snakes its way up the mountain to the city gates. It took us about 20 minutes to walk there (mainly uphill, my legs are so sore today!) but once you get inside its the most incredible sight.

The village looks frozen in time—you can walk the entire place in about 10 minutes, everything is rustic and ancient, including the people who live there.

There are one or two B&Bs, a couple of trattorias and a church in the center of the piazza, naturally the social hub of the village. There are about 14 residents now (bless their brave souls!) but crowds of people from the village down below swarm the piazza in the evenings; eating roasted chestnuts, listening to music and hanging around chatting with each other.

It was incredible… and to know that the village won’t be around forever makes it even cooler that I actually got to see it.

So the trip was fantastic—even the 2 hour drive was pleasant, just watching the beautiful Italian countryside. We made it back to Rome around 7:30pm. An exhausting but wonderful day.

Total spent for the day:

Bus ticket— 12 Euro

R/T cable car to Orvieto— 2 Euro

Lunch at Cocco— 11 Euro

Just names

Can I just share a “blond moment” with you for a sec?

4 Italian names: Matteo, Marco, Luca, Giovanni

4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

I only just TODAY (during a tour of the Duomo in Orvieto, more on that later) realized what the English equivalent to these ubiquitous Italian names are! LOL… lordy :)