Cappuccino

Today in our Islam and Migration classes today we discussed the experience of immigrants to Italy. We examined the historical background of immigration to the country, and the geographical considerations which make Italy a hub of moving peoples. We also looked at the political history of the Italy and its modern derivations from the Roman Empire and commune/city-state organization. It is intriguing to consider the geopolitical similarities between Italy and the United States, and the ever-shifting states of immigration in each country.

Between classes, I had a caprese pizza. It was quite good, if not a bit messy (the tomatoes and slices of cheese had a tendency to slide quite easily. I also made a grocery run to procure more milk, cereal, and fresh fruit. After class, a group of us went to Café Magnolia to watch the Italy-Slovakia football match. I was compelled to buy a drink to stay in the cafe, so I elected to try a cappuccino. If you didn't know already, I don't drink coffee. This was big.

To be fair, it tasted decent, with a bit of sugar added. It definitely was coffee, and definitely was frothy. I'm guessing I won't be ordering any more cappuccinos moving forward, but I figured that if I was ever going to try it, I might as well get one in Rome.

The football match was a bit of a heartbreaker. Slovakia led all the way, but Italy made a valiant comeback effort in the last ten minutes of the match. At one point, the city erupted in cheers over a tying goal, only to have it cruelly negated by an offsides call. Italy ended up losing 2-3.



In the evening, we had dinner at a restaurant across the Tiber. We just walked around and chose a place that looked good and inexpensive. The place we found had very reasonable prices (I paid €7,00 in total), and good food. My Penne al Arrabiata was flavorful and filling with the provided bread.

Afterward, back at our apartment, I climbed onto the roof (there's a ladder and platform up there) to get a view of the sunset. It was quite a sight, but there are definitely buildings in all directions, and a polluted haze in the air. Such incredible power humans have to shape the world we live in.

P.S. Photos will probably be in short supply on Tuesdays and Thursdays, what with us being in the classroom a good portion of the time. Sorry!