Fiera del Vino

This past weekend, I went to Andrea’s friend’s villa in Montefiascone for Fiera del Vino (festival of wine). Montefiascone found its way on the map hundreds of years ago went Cardinal Defuk’s assistant traveled to Rome, stopping in villages along the way to test wine for his boss’ journey. When finding wine worthy of the cardinal (who enjoyed libations like all clergy of the time), he wrote “Est” on the doors of the wine cellars. 

“Est” in Latin means “Here”. The assistant was so impressed with the wine of Montefiascone that many cellar doors were emblazoned with “Est! Est! Est!” When the Cardinal finally made his journey down from the north, he ended up staying in Montefiascone, until his death. He is buried in the church in town and requested that a bottle of his beloved wine be poured over his tomb every year. And that is how wine from this small mountain town has become so famous.

There were eight of us staying at the villa on Friday night. After a dinner of bruschetta, pasta, grilled meats and vegetables, we went into the town of Montefiascone to sample some of this infamous wine. It was good! On Saturday, only four of us remained for the peak night of the festival…the open wine cellars. Ten euro got us a glass with holder and tickets to nine different wine cellars. We made it to five. My favorite wine of the evening was a merlot from the cellar of Antica Cantina Leonardi.

The town itself was enchanting. Old buildings built into the side of hills, windy cobble stone streets and the best part, a tranquil lake. On Saturday afternoon, we walked around the lake and the town.  On Sunday we closed up the villa and headed back to Rome. A wonderful, intoxicating weekend in la citta di Montefiascone.

Sunset at the Villa

Adaptation

THE SHOWER CONQUEST

Living La Dolce Vita 3 weeks

After more than three weeks in my new home, I would say that I am adapting quite well. I’ve cooked several yummy meals in my kitchen, figured out how to work my foreign washing machine, shopped for necessary household items and purchased a cell phone. The only thing I haven’t quite mastered is showering without leaving a shallow lake on my bathroom floor. 

As you can see in the picture below, there is no shower curtain in the bathroom – just a tub and a shower nozzle. This is typical in Italy and most of Europe (that I’ve seen anyway). It feels strange to splash water everywhere, but it’s hard not to when you have more than a foot of hair to wash! After a few days of guilt over leaving a small lake in the bathroom, I bought a mop. Apparently that is what Italians do in this situation, though my Italian roommates don’t seem to have such difficulty!! I guess the European shower can be conquered. This gives me hope.

As I navigate this strange, but beautiful country I am realizing that there are many things that I already love about being here and also a few things that I really miss about my motherland.


What I love:

-Cheap and delicious wine - we’re talking average 4 euros for a really amazing bottle of wine

-Tomatoes (pomodori) – I can’t get enough of them!

-Having a balcony

-Gelato! I am so spoiled, I don’t know if I can ever eat American ice cream again.

-Breezes, even on the most humid days

-The constant learning curve – whether it be in language, cooking or crossing the street

What I miss:

-Having a clothes dryer – though my clothes dry in a fresh breeze on the balcony, they still dry quite crispy! Hopefully the iron I bought today will help a bit??

-A proper shower – I think I’ve vented my frustrations enough on this subject

-Monthly cell phone plans – having a cell phone is ridiculously expensive in Italy. I won’t bore you with the details, but trust me when I say that I miss paying a monthly fee and having a million minutes and being able to send as many texts as I want.

-Orbit gum – sounds random, but Italian gum SUCKS!! (Anyone planning to visit, please bring me lots of Orbit!!)

-Internet connection at home. The wait list is 6 months to get internet connection. I'm not kidding.

-Confidence when I’m speaking, cooking or crossing the street (see learning curve above)