Fellowship, Friends and Food

I went to the beach so it's allowed to be summer now. Granted, I didn't spend the day at the beach but I spent time laying around the pool and then went to the beach for dinner. I guess I could just explain. Saturday I caught a ride with some people from church to the Vitalone's (family from church/my Italian teacher/my friends) summer home in Fregene, just about forty minutes outside of Rome. They were having a dinner party. They grilled out and it was almost like being home :) Vivi, the Vitalone's daughter, who attends Harding, is home for the summer. We got along really well and I think we'll be good friends and we're both excited about that! Anyway, we went for a walk on the beach while everyone else stayed home to chat and make dinner. Did you know most every beach in Italy is private and you have to pay to go? This I didn't know but luckily the Vitalone's are already members at beach and I got to mooch off of them. After we washed the sand off our feet and I wiped the blissful smile off my face (just kidding, that stuck around all evening) we went to the bar where I had my first aperitivo. It's just munchie, finger foods and a specific drink (alcoholic or non). When I said, "oh, it's like an appetizer." Vivi said no, but I'm still saying yes. Well, I guess it's closer to the bucket of peanuts at Texas steakhouses or the bowl of mixed nuts you'd find on a bar. So not quite an appetizer but about as close as I get due to my frugal fiscal sense. Aka: My student loans are always hungry so they get to eat first and I get the leftovers. Giancarlo, man from church and my ride, dropped by to pick up gelato for dessert so we finished our non-appetizer appetizer and headed back. The fellowship was just as fulfilling as dinner.

The next day I accompanied Salvatore and Cinzia, my adopted aunt and uncle (don't worry Aunt Pam and Aunt Angela, they're not replacements, just stand-ins :) ) to their plot of land near Tolfa. When I've mentioned this to any other local no one has had any idea where I'm talking about. But it's eighty km north of Rome and situated on the ridge between two hills. It was gorgeous in kind of a weird harsh way. At least to me. I meant to take pictures but well, I have none, sorry. We were meeting a man who was interested in buying their land. He wanted to meet them first which was strange. Cinzia said it's just business that doesn't matter but the man insisted so we made the trip. And I am glad. There is nothing on their land except a run down house and barn. They've been working for six years to get building permits to rebuild but as Cinzia always tells me, "nothing in this country is easy." So that issue, plus they're both still working, plus Tolfa is tiny so there's not much to do, plus they don't have kids who'd come visit have convinced them they should sell. But visiting made both of them think they don't want to sell. It's a nostalgic thing I think. They planted a bunch of trees out there 25 years ago so now they're growing and beautiful and help you just imagine it in years to come. Also, the man was shady about what he wanted the land for. Salvatore has decided the man wants to use it as a lumber/stone yard which we all agreed was sad and should not be allowed to happen. I told Cinzia it was my dream to own land outside of the city someday and she said it had been hers too before she got too old.

After our meeting with the man and inspection of the land we went for lunch. The restaurant was in the middle of the country near Tolfa. We had to open and close a gate ourselves so the cows wouldn't get out and on the road up the hill to the place passed a water truck which Cinzia told me meant they didn't have running water. How can you run a restaurant without running water? Beats me but apparently these people know because it was great and they were busy. The food, well, briefly put, was fantastic just like pretty much everything else I've had here. And just like always Salvatore placed an order for me on top of what I'd already ordered and gave me a portion of his plate. I wasn't starving to begin with so I couldn't eat everything. Salvatore told me he was disappointed I wasn't eating up to my full potential. He said that because he's seen how much I can and do actually eat on more than one occasion. I was able to fend off dessert at least until they drove me home and we stopped for gelato. Part of me is looking forward to being pregnant someday so I can blame my post-meal food baby on an actual baby.