For class this morning, we had a chance to meet with Amara Lakhous, the author of our assigned novel, Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio. Through a translator, Mr. Lakhous answered our questions regarding the novel, and provided his thoughts on the state of immigration in Italy. It is apparent that he is a very learned man, and that his personal experiences as an immigrant have shaped him and his stories quite deeply. It was a very interesting discussion, and Mr. Lakhous even signed our books afterward!
After class, I made a trip to the grocery store with Daniel and Zinnia to pick up some household products (paper towels, soap, etc.) and a few food items. And not a moment too soon - we'd run completely out of toilet paper.
In the afternoon, we all took a trek down to Villa Borghese - a stately museum housing some of the fine art collected by the historical Borghese family in Italy. It took a good half hour of walking to reach the villa, but the museum itself is surrounded by a massive park and majestic tree-lined driveway that make for a very attractive view.
The artwork inside is even better. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures in the museum, but the Bernini sculptures were fantastic. Check out Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" to get an idea of the amazing detail and motion conveyed in his works. And he was not much older than us when he made that sculpture!
For dinner tonight, Mauna made ginger beef with rice and a salad. It was really, really good (props to Mauna!). The beef was tender, and the ginger had excellent flavor. I'm trying to see if I can't come up with a way to steam a fish (my personal favorite), but I'm quite glad we can make these Asian meals on our own!
After dinner, we headed out to Gelateria del Teatro to get gelato for Molly's birthday (July 3rd). When we got back to the Campo, everyone sang "Happy Birthday" quite loudly in celebration.
And with that, we reach the conclusion of week 2 - we're halfway through!
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