we sat behind which made for fun times). I took a sleeping pill eventually even though I didn’t think I would need one. Unfortunately, by the time we were in Frankfurt on the layover to Florence, I was still drugged up and passed out, my body numb and spread across three metal chairs. A small car apparently hit the aircraft that was supposed to take us to Florence, so we had to wait longer than expected, but that was okay with me. By the time we got to Florence, I was so refreshed that the entire trip seemed like a short dream.
In the airport in Florence, my mother’s first cousins, Vittorio and Anna were excitedly waiting at the gate. They were so cute. They packed us in their minivan for a week-long Italian roadtrip. They live in Ravenna, so they picked us up in Florence and we rode down the lovely autostrada I would come to know so well to Roma. We were so tired when we got to the apartment hotel that we ate dinner and went right to sleep.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
While stands the Colloseum, Rome shall stand;
When falls the Colloseum, Rome shall fall;
And when Rome falls - the world.
The next day, we conquered, yes, conquered, Rome in a day. Everyone woke up at the asscrack of dawn (7:30 am, Vittorio was in the Italian military, which I would learn later…I suppose that explains a lot). It was a very hot day but I didn't give a damn. I was delighted to enter the city of Caesar. Here I was at last, standing where the Emperors of ancient Rome once stood. I could only imagine the ancient Romans walking about. We started touring by 9:30...we saw the national monument of Rome, the incredible Colosseum, which gave me the chills. The thought of walking in the same stadium as men adn women from almost 2000 years ago was unbelievable. I could just envision the lions and tigers chained up getting ready to be released on the helpless Christians. San franceso romana church (with his corpse in the basement! so cool!), the trevi fountain, then some very unimpressive pizza by the Trevi fountain (I had pizza marinara and it was cold and tasteless. Weird right?) Then, we walked to the Piazza Navona which was definitely my favorite piazza. It was very large and spread out, lined with beautiful fancy restaraunts and full of fountains. We saw the Pantheon (ahh!!!). It was so cool to witness the Egyptian (the obelisk with hieroglyphics outside), Greek (the front is modeled after a Greek temple) and Roman influences (the rotunda, or rounded roof of the temple is special to Ancient Roman architecture). I was so excited to see this church as it had comprised countless Art History papers in high school and saved my ass on the AP exam.
After that, I experience my first gelato in Italia at Vittorio’s favorite shop, Ai Tre Tartufi, that had been there since 1859 (molto bene, i must say. and once you've had the best...it's hard to try the rest). Something cold was much needed in that seething heat. It was so hot out that mine melted in seconds. It was the height of the heat wave in Rome and no amount of 3 euro water bottles was quenching my thirst. 
Anyway, we wandered around some more and finally found the Spanish Steps (so glorious, I wish we could have sat down there longer but it was so hot that day that the sun had turned the stone extremely hot and my ass was on fire taking this photo). We climbed to the top where Daniella was harassed by a gypsy man trying to give her a rose as she shouted “Vai Via!” I thought it was pretty harmless but Daniella was freaked out. Eventually we headed back home, exhausted, to rest. Later, we went to Vecchio Roma on the opposite side of the River from the main city. It was very romantic and beautiful. The bridges all lit up the river and there was a small boardwalk filled with bars, restaurants and a string of carnival games. Anyway, Rome is an art history orgasm. I cannot even give enough justice to because I am writing this after seeing many cities. I definitely need to go back. It’s like when Fred and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fred summed it up well. "You can never see everything there, but feel guilty not seeing everything."
Friday, August 21, 2009
The next day, we woke up again to Vittorio’s trumpet horn at the ass crack of dawn for Vatican City. The heat wave was still intense in Italy and it was reaching the high nineties by 10am. The Sistene Chapel was definitely an experience. It is the Mecca of Catholicism. I couldn’t believe the amount of marble and ornate details. We decided it would be a good idea to climb to the top of the Vatican in 100 degree weather. Climbing the small 350 stairs of the cupola was not fun. Especially for my sister who was getting scared and clusterphobic as the stairs started getting smaller and smaller and smaller until only half your foot could fit on a stair and the hallways got darker and narrower on every level. “don’t worry dee, you can’t die in church. It’s impossible. No one dies in church,” I told her. We finally got to the top of the Cupola, which was more crowded than a Third Avenue bar on a Thursday night. It was also not at all anymore cooler or breezier up there. In fact, there was probably less oxygen and I don’t recall being thirstier in my life.
Daniella was in a bad mood and Mom was exhausted from the climb so unfortunately I didn't get to see Michaelangelo's frescoes :( which I was pretty depressed about. We hopped back in the car for the drive to Foggia. The drive itself was very scenic and beautiful. We drove through countless mountains of Napoli and farms. I couldn’t believe the small little towns in the middle of nowhere and on top of mountains. For lunch we stopped in Campobasso, a region famous for its Mozzarella di Bufala.
After more hours in car, my ears falling victim to old Italian music from the fifties and sixties and seventies due to a dead iPod (damn you iPod Touch), we were finally in Foggia around 5pm. My body was aching from sitting in a car and I couldn’t wait to walk around. We got out of the car and immediately were greeted by my mom’s other first cousins Gregorio, his wife Rosa, and daughters Natasha, 20, and Laura, 13. This was really exciting as we had only been pen pals since we were little! Daniella and I were so surprised as to how small they were. They were sooo mini and petite! Natasha looked liked she was in middle school, for real. We unpacked the car and brought the suitcases inside their apartment. Alas, we found ourselves sitting again, eating again. Rosa prepared some antipasto (like, breadsticks, proscuitto, mozzarella, some mayonnaise vegetable thing (it seems like they really like mayonaisse over here), boiled eggs and toast things with olive tapenade…). It wasnt very good at all but the spaghetti pomodoro was just the way I like it (without meat, thank the Lord and full of sweet garlic goodness). Soon after, Natasha asked Daniella and I to go out with her to “el centro” – the downtown. After taking the bus from their apartment downtown, we meet her boyfriend and his friend Michele in a park (which was still very crowded with kids and families at night). We walked around and they showed us their small downtown and went into a Cuban themed pub. I soon realized it was a Friday night and we were the only ones in the pub. Foggia is definitely a different type of city. In America, it wouldn’t even be called a city but a large rural town with a center that has a large and old (and beautiful church). Anyway, the pub was lame so we left and the Italians decided to take us to their new bowling center. We got into Michele’s car and he proceeded to blare angry Sum 41 music and go 90 mph. The car had no seatbelts. I decided I was an idiot and a bad example for my younger sister. I turned to my sister Daniella and said, “This is very dangerous.” She quickly rolled her eyes at me like I was being an irrational mom. Though my mom didn’t even care when I told her hours later that night. “Mom, we almost died tonight.” Maria didn’t seem to care. “That’s what they do here Alex.” Am I crazy?? Or just a nerd?
Anyway, you can’t imagine the happiness I felt when the car was finally parked. My heart was still beating as we walked toward the bowling alley. Anyway, the bowling alley was like entering a time machine to 1985. No kidding. Everything is so outdated and florescent. I felt like I was in a Chuck E. Cheese. But its not just at the bowling alley but everywhere in Foggia. They are just trapped in time. By the way, I fail at bowling.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Not much happened on Saturday. We went to the centro comericial or the mall which was very…. Interesting. Italian fashion for the youth is horrible in my opinion. Very tacky. I felt like most of the things could have been found on Canal Street or in anywhere in Chinatown for that matter. However, I got a pretty nice haircut and blow out. I was SO nervous because I couldn’t express how I wanted it in Italian, but luckily I had the help of my cousin Natasha and it turned out pretty nice.That night, we went to a pizzeria/dance club outdoor thing. It was a very nice night. Maria got prettttty tipsy. It was fun dancing under the stars.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The long haul to Ravenna…six hours in the car, six hours up the boot of Italia! This drive was very beautiful. Mountains to your left and a beautiful blue sea to the right. My iPod was charged so it was a nice chill ride I actually really enjoyed. All those hours on your own, in your own head, with no where to go or nothing to worry about, is really enjoyable.
We finally arrived in Ravenna around dinnertime. Anna's daughter, Maria, had prepared dinner: Primi platti: Penne with a thick bolognese sauce. While some say delicious, I say no grazie. Anyway, Anna was quite offended watching my sister and I pick through the sauce…oopsies. The pasta was followed by grilled steak and bruschetta on grilled focaccia. Anna got even more mad that my sister and I didn’t eat the steak. My mother then explained to Anna and Vittorio and the entire table that I am a vegetarian (even though I’m not). I later asked why she told them this, and she said it was the easiest way for them to understand that I didn’t like meat. Anyway, that made for awkward times. After dinner, my cousin Alessandro, also 20, took my sister and I around Ravenna’s downtown. Ravenna was absolutely adorable. A small artsy city with so much medieval history. Everyone, I mean everyone, bike rides to get around. The cobblestone downtown was filled with chic shops and restaurants and gelatarias of course. Alessandro showed us where Dante’s tomb was which was really cool..though really eerie in the nighttime. Anyway, I think Ravenna is the perfect place to live if I lived in Italy. It’s right on the beach, though the actual main downtown is inland. After the short tour, Alessandro took us to one of his breakdancing gatherings. Supposedly, my cousin is the only breakdancer in Italy to be able to bounce on his head. um. ouch. haha. It was cool to watch and I now have a newfound respect for the breakdancing scene.
and this... this is so i can always remember those painful car rides crammed in the backseat...
