Salad

On account of the Peter and Paul holiday today, many of the shops and bakeries were closed. Among the closures was Piazza Vittorio - the place we were scheduled to have our Migration and Markets class. As a result, we only had one class (Islam and Italian Cities) today. We discussed the Renaissance in Italy and its intricate dependencies on external exchange of people, culture, and ideas. We also looked at a few pieces of art as indicators of the socio-politcal climate of the Renaissance era. Symbolism of objects, dress, expression, and framing all worth discussing. I sometimes wonder what artists would say to group discussions about their works. Would they nod their head with satisfaction at our understanding of their intentions? Or would they shake their heads in disbelief at our overanalysis?

In any case, after class, a group of seven of us met up to discuss/plan our collaborative project for Markets and Migration. We will be preparing a collective photo essay with 30-35 images depicting the migrant experience in Italy. We kicked around some thematic ideas, and have a rough proposal to work from. I think it'll ultimately be the images that dictate the project, though.

For lunch a few of us went to a restaurant called L'Insalata Ricca. As you might imagine from the name, the restaurant specializes in salads. They have quite an impressive array of different salads with a variety of meats, fruits, toppings, and dressings. I had a smoked salmon salad with avocado, lemon, and mushrooms. It was very fresh and flavorful, and surprisingly large (though it did cost just over €9, so it had better have been worth it).

Past that, it was back to the apartment to do readings, prepare for projects, and blog. I also picked up some groceries (including lots of fruit - I think I must be eating upwards of four pieces per day).

For dinner, David and I made pepper chicken over pesto penne. There are only so many ways to dress up pasta, but thus far we've been largely (and fortunately) successful. I did have to throw out some of my basil, however, as it had wilted and lost its flavor from being in the refrigerator for too long.

Well, I should get back to reading. 30-odd more pages for tomorrow! G'night, all.