Amo l'Italia

Throughout my four months of studying abroad in Italy I have traveled to Spain, England, Czech Republic and France. Each country was wonderful, but none of them compared to Italy. Each city I have visited in Italy has been magnificent in their own specific way. Besides Rome, I have traveled to Florence, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Salerno, Sicily and Venice. My main focus in each city was to explore their culture and eat as much of their food as possible. I became obsessed with trying region specific food and writing about it in this food blog. Being encouraged to taste new cuisine in each city turned me from a plain eater into an experienced one. The food only helped me fall more in love with each city - they were all amazing. Venice was a city of pure fascination; Florence was a city full of sophistication, Sorrento and Capri were cities oozing with romance and of course, Rome, which I have become to love as my home. 

all 32 of us in Salerno

Royal Wedding!

Every girl grows up dreaming of her wedding and future family. Or maybe that’s just me, because I can personally tell you what month I will get married, what color dress my bridesmaids will wear and the names of all my future children (all will have extremely Italian names, of course). I am obsessed with weddings, which is why I had to go to the Royal wedding. Ellen & I went to Hyde Park to watch the wedding because I couldn’t have waited on the side of the street for hours just to possibly see a quick glance of Prince William & Kate. Hyde Park was filled with British people and British flags. There were two gigantic television screens set up at the park to broadcast the processional and the ceremony. I was in sappy girl heaven. Every time Prince William smiled at Kate, a little bit of me melted on the inside. 

After the wedding concluded, Ellen & I made our way over to Westminster Abbey. Even though I couldn’t go into the church because they were deconstructing it from the wedding that took place a few hours before, it was an unbelievable sight. 

Ellen & me at Buckingham Palace

 At Big Ben 

Buona Pasqua!

I love Chinino Easter traditions... dyeing easter eggs, eating tortellini soup and being with family. That's why this year as Easter was approaching I was bummed out I wasn't going to be at home with them for my SECOND favorite holiday (nothing beats Christmas). But, fortunately I was able to spend it in Sicily with my other family, my best friends. The apartment we were renting was just outside of Palermo in a small city called Sferracavallo. There are probably 100 people who live in the town, so it was a little funny having everyone stare at us during the Easter mass we attended at the only church in town. After Easter Mass we purchased a Colomba Cake, the traditional Italian Pasqua cake. The cake is in the shape of a dove. Which completely makes sense because the dove is the symbol of peace. The Colomba Cake tasted sweet & eggy. The random chunks of orange peel inside the cake gave the yeasty bread a little soemthing extra. Also, the sugared and sliced almonds sprinkled on top give it that sugar kick we all want from a cake. 

 Some of us at our apartment 

Arancine

I love suppli. I could eat the fried balls of rice, marinara & cheese for breakfast, for lunch and for dinner. After living in Rome for four months, I have become "suppli obsessed". 

Once landing in Palermo, Sicily we dropped off our bags at the apartment we rented and went to the pizzeria across the street. I was starving after all of our traveling. I wasn't sure what I wanted to quench that hunger, there were so many options. After staring at all the delicious goodies behind the glass... I finally saw it. A suppli on steroids. Literally this fried ball was as big as my head. I wanted it right then. After taking a bite, I realized this huge suppli wasn't a suppli - it was an arancine.  An arancine is a fried ball of rice with cheese, butter and ham. It was so cheesy and so good and so rich.. I could only finish half.

best friends in barcelona

The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.

AUDREY HEPBURN


Ellen. Gina. Steph.

Holiday in Spain

Tapas: the name of a wide variety of appetizers that are combined to make a full meal in Spanish Cuisine. 


The only time I have ever ate tapas before was at Radio Maria's in Champaign and I loved it! But, let's be honest.. Champaign probably isn't world renown for having the best tapas. However, Spain IS world renown for having the best tapas, so I knew I was in for a treat. Plus my best friend Stephanie is studying abroad in Spain, so she took us to the best tapas restaurant, La Flaunta.

I didn't know what to order, so Stephanie ordered for me. She ordered me Pan con Tomate. Which could be equivalent to Bruschetta. It used the same four ingredients - bread, tomatoes, olive oil and cheese. However with Pan Con Tomate, the texture was different. The bread is crunchier - it tasted like pizza crust from America. Also, instead of using chunks of tomatoes like Bruschetta, Pan Con Tomate has a tomato paste which makes it so much easier to eat. 

Perfect Bun.. why are you so perfect?

In a small back alley of Rome hides the cutest food boutique, ever. It's called the Perfect Bun and it is Perfect. Their menu consists of: cookies, bagels, cupcakes, brownies and American coffee. So, pretty much everything in the junk food category of the food pyramid.. my favorite category. 

When we traveled to Cilento, Italy - we went to the 'Museum of the Mediterranean Diet'. I learned that in order to follow this diet you must eat a lot of fresh fruits/vegetables, fish and olive oil. Hmm, Perfect...I think cookies might have a little olive oil in them? 

The Perfect Bun is Perfect distance away from my school, (La Scula Leonardo DiVini) which means I'm able to walk there for breaks and grab a quick snack. After ordering a cupcake, they actually go to the kitchen and make me one. Their onsite baker makes sure each pastry is fresh and gooey. Perfect!

Feeling Fishy

I'm such a picky eater. My Mom would cook me Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets until I was like eighteen because I was so selective. Which is why I have no idea why I love seafood as much as I do. They live in water, have weird eyes and swim. Ew. I feel like that should gross me out and make me not want to eat seafood, but for some reason it doesn't. In Venice I saw seafood risotto on the menu & I thought, "why not?", I mean the whole city is practically in water, so their seafood has to be good.. and it was! 

The rice was soaked in butter and basil. This light sauce mixed with the potent seafood taste were perfect compliments. Although this dish was a little on the expensive side, I got my moneys worth. The cook wasn't stingy at all with his seafood choice: shrimps, muscles, oysters, clams,raw calamari and bits of lobster were hidden throughout the rice. This dish turned eating into a "scavenger hunt game", searching though the rice to find the fish I wanted. But, regardless of what seafood I dug out, I was always a winner with this meal. (Ha, okay that was a little corny.)

Best. Week. Ever.

After flying into Venice – Frank and I soon realized the airport was literally on an island. We took a water taxi to the mainland of Venice. The entire boat ride, I couldn’t stop taking pictures. It was so unbelievable that a city could exist in such a bizarre way. There were no cars, trains or buses – boats and walking were the only modes of transportation. There were gondolas everywhere too, which made it seem, as this city was “fake”. The entire day I felt that Frank and I were in a movie because everything was so perfect, especially when we went on a gondola ride because of the hopeless romantic sap that I am. 

  Workers carried items in carts to lug them from place to place. The smell of fish and freshness filled the air. Frank has a more sensitive sense of smell…so he’d debate with me if that smell was actually as good as I’m making it sound.  This might sound stupid, but Venice just smelled – happy. Maybe because it was 65 and sunny or maybe because we were drinking spritz (the drink Venice is known for) all day.. regardless Venice was unbelievable and experiencing it with Frank made it that much better.

The next morning we flew to Naples. We flew through an English owned airline, so I got Starbucks on the flight – I immediately knew it was going to be a good day.  After landing in Naples we waited in the hot sun (I’m not complaining, I’m a sun goddess) for the bus to Sorrento. The bus ride lasted a little over the hour and since I think I’m a little narcoleptic, I slept the entire ride. Once I opened my eyes, the view was breathtaking. Looking around, there were palm trees, orange trees and curvy roads carved into the sides of mountains. Looking down, there was the bright blue, crystal clear Tyrrhenian Sea. Looking past the water was an image of Mt. Vesuvius with a backdrop of white puffy clouds. I grabbed Frank’s hand to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

Our bed & breakfast in Sorrento was adorable. We were greeted by the sweetest Italian Nonna ever. She showed us all in in’s and out’s of her four bedroom b&b. She even taught Frank and me how to make cappuccino. Since we were feeling ultra Italian now that we knew how to make our own café, we decided to rent a vespa. Coolest experience ever, I can officially cross that off my bucketlist – I rode on a scooter.. around Italy! So much fun!

 The next day we took a boat to Capri. Frank & I both wore tanks because it was going to be around 68 & sunny – our kind of weather. Capri was breathtaking; the boat dropped us off by a little beach surrounded by local shops and restaurants. After following a sign that said “il centro” for about an hour, we realized we climbed about 20 stories high and that Capri’s center was on top of a mountain.  We ate our prosciutto sandwiches & drank plenty of prosecco while soaking in the sun and the view.

people i love, in the country i love

My family. Mike. Sheila. Angela. 

roma.

My boyfriend. Frank.

 roma.

 venice.

 sorrento.

capri.

5 star meals

My family was in Rome this week! It was awesome getting to see them and show them everything around Rome. It was also great because we went to amazing restaurants and I ate delicious meals. Here are some of my favorite:

Trattoria 4 Leoni

Florence, Italy (we took a day trip!) 

I've had cheese platters before, but never have I gotten one as good as this. The name of the antipasti is Carpaccio di porcini. Not only was each cheese distinctively different from each other, but after tasting it was obvious that each was aged properly. And adding a side sauce of honey was interesting and a perfect compliment.  

Ravioli, Pears, Cheese and Asparagus seem like a gross combo. But, that's exactly what this dish was. Fiocchetti di pera in salsa di taleggio e asparagi was the best meal I have ever had. My mother (who also ordered this) and I both ate so slow because of how amazing this dish was. I would eat this every day for the rest of my life... for real.

Taverna Flavia

Rome, Italy

I eat pasta on the reg, so when I have an opportunity to get some meat I tots will. So, I ordered veal! I was nervous because I thought veal was a baby lamb.. well i guess its a baby cow. So either way I still feel bad that I ate some animal's baby. But, I don't feel thaaaat bad because it was sooo good. The meat was soaked in a teriyaki sauce then grilled. It's skin was burnt from the grill in certain places which gave it that crunchy taste, which is my favorite. Sorry mom lamb or mom cow.. whatever you are.

Ristorante Da Fortunato

Rome, Italy

Fresh, Sweet, Savory = Prosciutto e Melon. The combination of the sweet cantaloup and the salty prosciutto is the perfect blend of every taste combination. Sooo good! 

Fiesta!

I love taco bell. But, since there are no fast food mexican chains in Italy..  I needed to make my own burrito to get my fiesta fix. I went to Simply Market, the grocery store down the street. I go so often, I think they know my name. Unfortunately, there was no mexican food aisle at Simply- minor issue. It then became a hunt to find mexican food. Three grocery stores later, I found the beautiful "Old El Paso" label. I found my taco kit.. SUCCESS! I then bought some ground beef, lettuce and tomatoes. I didn't buy any cheese because as much as Italians love their cheese, they don't have grated packaged cheese in the store like we do in 'Merica. And I wasn't going to put chunks of mozzarella on my taco.. so here is my master piece minus the formaggio!

vino rosa

best wine i've had while being in rome, thanks dad :)

Oui Oui!

This past weekend we went to Paris. I fell in love with the eiffel tower because at night it sparkled.. and I love sparkly things. But, I also fell in love with Parisian cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I love my Italian pasta and pizza - Paris was just a nice little break. As soon as we got situated into our hotel, I needed breakfast. Partly because I had been up since 5am and also because I was dying to try a baguette. I got a raisin one, the bread was so fresh and toasty. There were only a few raisins, so it didn't take away from the wheaty taste - it was delicious. 

I had to get a crepe. I guess they're like world famous. Normal Gina would have just gotten a nutella one, (i love chocolate) but i decided to be all "cultured" and try their favorite.. ham and cheese. It doesn't look like much, but my stomach was full for hours after demolishing the sandwich-y thing. 

Then... it was time for dinner. My roommate Maggie's cousin lived in Paris for a couple of years. He recommended this amazing restaurant called, "le bistrot d'henri". On the guide he gave Maggie, his description for this restaurant was "you'll want to rub your face in the mustard sauce". I don't know about you.. but I would never do that because I would break out and get pimples. But, if anyone was willing to rub their face in a sauce, it had to be great- and it was. I ordered pork tenderloin which came with pasta and mustard sauce was spread over both the meat and the noodles. I can't believe how good it was. Not only did the pork melt in my mouth with a hint of spicy mustard, but it tasted amazing with pasta too. I don't get how the gravy tasted so good on two totally different food items, but it did. To the guy who created this sauce, all I have to say is bon travail!(good job!)

Penne, Pansotti...Penis?

There is such a large variety of pasta. Actually, there are 50. Each have their own unique texture that trap in sauces or gravy in different ways, which make them taste different. I've tried the typical spaghetti, ravioli, and tortellini. So, when I saw penis shaped pasta - it was a must have. Besides that it's hilarious that some company would even produce these noodles, it was also valentines day. Duh, could it get more perfect? I figured the noodles would taste bad and didn't mind just because it was funny. But, they were actually delicious... the way it held in the sauce was perfect. The combination of sauce and noodle was flawless. Who would have guessed? Maybe they should make all pasta in the shapes of penises..

back in 'ol napoli

Just got back from our weekend trip to Naples, Pompeii & Mt. Vesuvius. We stayed in Napoli but trained in to the other locations. All three places were amazing and completely different from each other. Besides almost going to Italian jail for the dumbest reason ever,(sorry mom&dad) I had a great time!

I was in Naples coming back to Rome and I didn't validate my train ticket because we were in a huge rush and I didn't know it even mattered. The conductor was going around checking tickets and told me that the fine was 50 euro since I didn't get my ticket stamped... and i literally only had 1.20 euro on me. And if i didnt pay the 50 euro, id have to pay 200 euro at the last stop and the italian police would be waiting for me. So, obviously i starting balling crying, like sobbing and anyways he let me out of it because he felt bad because i cried. HA, so classic. I can't get out of a speeding ticket in Illinois, but I can get out of going to jail in Italy. Being overly emotional 24/7 has finally paid off. So if you ever take a train in italy, get it validated!
Napoli, Italia

Da Michele Pizzeria (The pizzeria from the movie Eat,Pray,Love)= delicious

Mt. Vesuvius, Italia

 On top of Mt. Vesuvius.. #athlete

Volcano behind my rome besties & me

Pompeii, Italia

 just playing around on some ancient ruins that were covered in volcanic ash from mt. vesuvius in 79 AD

Mucca

When Angela & I were 10 & 12 our parents took us to Build-a-Bear for Valentines Day. I obviously got a dog stuffed animal ("cane".. I'm so Italian) because I'm normal. But, Angel, the funniest and most interesting person I have ever met, decided to get a cow. Why? I don't know. Who knows. But, since then I've always had a soft spot for the stupid farm animal. Like, when we would drive past a farm on the way to Monticello, Indiana to go to my cottage, we couldn't help but "awwww" as we saw the herds of enormous animals. So, when we went to the Castello Delle Regine vineyard I was so excited when we got to see cows!! Yay!!

I love cows because they are cute. But, I also love eating them. Whoops..sorry Angel. And after a month of eating nothing but pasta, I have never wanted a burger so bad. I think I ate this in 5 minutes flat. I know it doesn't look that appetizing, but what I can I say - Americans love American food.

t-bone steakhouse roma, italia

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.

-winston churchill 

Museo Nationzale Romana

I enjoy scrapbooking, painting and being creative in my spare time. Sometimes, I think I’m kind of good. That is until I came here and saw the beautiful artwork being preserved in this museum. Frescos, Mosaics and sculptures – the most beautiful and complex ones are on display here. Museum go-ers adore the perfection and realization that each artist put into their work. Since they are so flawless I found it funny that Romans used the mosaics as floor pieces, statues as garden gnomes and the frescos were what you would modernly call.. wall paper. How’s that to having a beautifully decorated home!?

Roman Mosiac: Picture above & below. Used it for the floor. (Displayed on the wall, just to be seen more easily)It starts with a simple geometric shape in black & white with occasional color. The more refined you are, the more tesserae, mosaic squares you used.

How to paint a Fresco: Paint on wet plaster in two layers. Rough plaster (intoncco) is the first layer and on top of it is a smeared white creamy fine plaster, the artist works on this. When plaster dries, it absorbs and becomes permanent within six hours.

Sculptures: Pictures above & below. Romans made copies of Greek original sculptures. They started using more natural and simple poses instead of rigid ones. Contrapposto- movement of body through different planes.