So today started off with a bit of extra credit (like that
Dad?)! We went to the Museo Palazzo Reale which is located in the Balbi
Mansion. It houses rooms of artwork among the ornately decorated rooms of the
mansion itself. The reason we visited it is because it is written about in
Hester Lynch Piozzi’s observation of Genoa 228 years ago. We couldn’t visit it
during class because it is not open during our class time. Since our first
journal entry is comparing Piozzi’s view with our own view, we decided it would
be smart to visit it as well. It was a bit surreal to think that we were
viewing the same paintings she viewed 228 years ago. I loved it! Pictures were
not allowed inside, but we did take pictures outside on the terrace and in the
courtyard.
Incredible mosaic rock work!
After that we walked our favorite street, Via Girabaldi,
until we found a café we had never tried. We stopped at one and had an
incredible Italian meal. I ordered a caprese salad that was amazing! Tomatoes
in Italy are more fresh and tastier than you could ever imagine! For dessert we
thought we were ordering coffee, but we order crème café (pictured below). It
was a cold espresso that was cream based but not too heavy and had the
consistency of slightly melted gelato. Most definitely one of the most heavenly
dishes I’ve ever tasted. We will definitely be going back for sure.
After lunch, we went to class. Again class consisted of
chatting in the classroom for a bit and then walking around. Today we visited
the Museo Rosso e Bianco and viewed a lot of art that I honestly don’t know
much about. From my past art history class, I knew what I was looking at so I
was able to appreciate the techniques used and the pictures being depicted. We
then headed to the Cathedral of San Lorenzo. This is a beautiful cathedral in
Genoa that was saved from being bombed in World War II. They actually have on display the bomb that
was dropped on the cathedral that never went off. A little bit freaky to walk
by, but I guess if it hasn’t gone off yet it probably won’t!
One great addition to our day is that Lily Beth’s mom came
to visit! She is staying with us in Genoa and traveling to Florence with us
this weekend! It’s been really fun sharing our life in Genoa with her!
After class, we all went to the same little café for
aperitivos. Some of our classmates have
become friends with the family that owns the restaurant and are on a first name
basis with them. It was great just to sit and enjoy the atmosphere of our new
home.
After going back to the apartment and regrouping (trying to
write our journal for homework), we decided to head to our favorite ristorante
on the pier. Caroline, Anne, and I went
and had a nice panini dinner (around 10 pm… going back to the states will be an
adjustment). We became friends with our
waiter who recognized us from before. He helped us with our Italian and we
helped him with his English. We asked
for his name, but he said it too quickly and we didn’t want to ask again. He
was super cute and since I’m the only single lady, I have dibs! He’s actually
French, but also studying abroad in Italy for a year. He explained that in
addition to working on phrases, we need to work on our accent and
pronunciation!
All in all, it was a
great day! Each day we become more familiar with Genoa and which roads and
alleys to take… and not take! It was also a great day for food. I had the best caprese salad, espresso dessert, and a panini with great wine accompanying it. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip for class to
Nervi and then Friday we leave for a weekend in Florence! I know I will have
much to say after that! Ciao!
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