The rambling recipes & travels of a home baker

Day 8: Versailles to Viterbo

Au revoir France.  Ciao Italia!

The morning began with sunshine and warm weather again, so Ernie and I decided to take it easy and read the International Herald Tribune and my book (Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton – thanks Stesha!) at a cafe in the sunshine.  I had never quite explored the town of Versailles much since both times before I’d arrived by train.  Ironically, Ern and I didn’t get much farther, but we did manage to find a sunny cafe spot for an hour or so.  That’s something about vacation that we don’t have in our daily lives – time to linger. Or maybe I just need to not schedule so much stuff – including extra work.  Hmm….perhaps a breakthrough…or just vacation talk.

So we stopped by our last boulangerie where I picked up an interesting cake with cherries.

Oh and Ern went to a barber shop – coiffure des hommes – for a shave.  I thought Mom and Dad would want to know that.

So we then drove to Orly to catch our flight (Vueling – I believe the less expensive version of Iberian Airlines) to Rome.  While in the airport we ran into two of Ernie’s SYA students.  One just turned 17 that day.  She lamented jokingly about being old and I think I just about choked on my yogurt.

So in true Marlene fashion, I slept the entire flight (1h40m) to Rome and upon stepping on Italian soil, Ern seemed immediately refreshed, renewed and excited because everything seemed familiar.  He kept saying, Northern Europe is so different.  It’s pretty, but it’s so civilized. No one honks, or yells across the street and it’s so clean.  His other observation is that it’s lovely, but in Italy the ugly is uglier and the pretty is even more beautiful, I can believe that.

The weather in Italy is what I expected for Paris – in the low 60s, with grey skies and some showers.  So I was underdressed as we waited for the train to Viterbo, but I soaked in the chatter around me, recalling the terms, “binario” (platform, I think), uscita (exit)…it all sounds familiar, but I tend to reply in French right now – oui, instead of si.

We made it into Viterbo by 8pm and lugged my bags to the apartment in the old town.  Ern stayed here last year, but now lives with his host mom, Anna, outside of the center of town, so his colleague and daughter live here.  Ern crashes here from time to time.  We headed to his favorite pizza place, Il Monastero, where the pizza is classically thin crust, like a cracker, and I kid you not, comes on two plates, so you essentially get two pizzas.  It’s a little ridiculous, and it costs about 6-7 euros.  Take that Delancey!  We ran into the faculty having a reunion dinner there for a former SYA instructor.  I think I had multiple people say that I was so like Ernie, or that we were so alike – expressions, gestures, etc.  I so don’t see it, but others have said the same, so it must be true.  I need more data though.

So here’s the ridiculously large sized pizza.  Mine was broccoli sausage on the left and proscuitto mushroom on the right.  Seriously two plates.  I think we tried to justify this because we skipped lunch…..

It’s exciting to be in Italy.  I like seeing how Ernie flourishes here and how he embraces how expressive the Italians are.  Walking down the street, he said hello and spoke with every other shop keeper.  I think Ernie and Italy are a good match – louder and more expressive.  France might be a bit too restrained for him.  It’s lovely and he can appreciate it, but he’s more at home in Italy.  It’s partially the language and that people here care for him, but it’s the character of the people around him too.

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