The Second Coming

Well…. Jesus is BACK and he’s not pissed like everyone thought he would be.  In fact, he’s quite chill and hanging out in Viterbo.  Last week I saw him … Him… daily at the piazza del plebiscito.  This week He seems to have moved uptown and is hanging out at the fountain about 20 yards from my apartamento.  He’s just sort of grooving and watching people.  You know.  Not judging.  Being a true stylist.  In short… He’s FABULOUS! 

I had my medieval history class this morning and it was TOO inspiring.  Marco is our teacher and he is passionate and glorious.  I am learning so very much.  In fact, I’m learning so much it makes me hungry.

So, after class I go to the market and get the ingredients for pasta carbonara.  What is for lunch, you ask?  This:

First, these are gloriously beautiful and exquisite zucchini with their flowers.  I am going to saute these little beauties in some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Second, pasta carbonara.  This is SO totally easy but it is all about technique, darlings.  So, you need some fresh pasta (about half a pound or so), garlic, two eggs, pecorino, butter, pancetta (75 grams) and some salt and pepper.  This will make about 2-3 servings.

Put water and salt into a pot.  Turn on heat.

In a sauce pan that is big enough to hold the pasta as well, put in butter and heat.  When melted add pancetta and mashed garlic clove (just smash it because you are going to remove it later).

While that is browning, crack two eggs into a bowl and add about 2/3 cup of pecorino (try and get the best… what I have learned is that pecorino IS the sauce so don’t get crappy stuff)

When water is boiling, add fresh pasta, wait till it returns to a boil and then time for 2 minutes.

Pancetta should be brown so turn off heat and remove garlic. 

After 2  minutes, use tongs to pull pasta out of water and put in pan with pancetta.  Toss and toss.  Pour in your egg and cheese mixture. Add a bit of pasta water to keep it moist and satiny. 

Toss it like a MONKEY, girl, because this is what cooks it.  If it seems a bit soupy you can turn the heat on for just a bit.  But don’t overcook. 

Put some freshly ground pepper on it and enjoy your lunch.  Ciao, bella!

Full Metal Catholic

In case you don’t know, ‘full metal’ is military-speak for someone who is tough, accomplished, a bad ass.  Today was a full metal Catholic day featuring ME, immersing myself in masses and folklore and sacraments of the Church. 

This is an important weekend as Viterbo is celebrating an event that is dear to their hearts.  This inscription from a placard at the sanctuary of Maria SS. Liberatrice (or) della Trinita:

‘The church is known by the people of Viterbo as the sanctuary of Mary Liberatrice because it is linked to the veneration of the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary which is attributed to Gregoria and Donato d’Arezzo.  This miraculous event came about on the 28^th of May, 1320.  As told by numerous local chroniclers, the sky above the city became so dark as to terrorize the people.  Crowds of demons with crow-like bodies, noctules and eagles moved about in the darkness threatening the people with the menace of hell.  At the height of the fear, the figure of the venerated Madonna appeared in the Saint Anna chapel of the church of the Trinity, inviting the people of Viterbo to come and pray in front of her image.  The entire city gathered at the feet of the Virgin, pleading for protection and their prayers were immediately answered.’

The chapel mentioned is here along with the painting by the d’Arezzos.  There are countless silver gracia receveta (for graces received) ornaments that have accumulated over the centuries.  It is a magical place and very powerful for Viterbans:

The dates of May 28 and 29 are special in this community so it is customary for some youngsters to receive their primi comunioni (the sacrament of the First Communion) and they look like little angels indeed.

I went to mass THREE times this morning.  Take THAT!!!  Anyway, I tried out mass at St Faustino in the early hours of the morning.  And, guess what?  NUNS!!!!

Anyway, I enjoyed following along in Italian.  Fortunately, there was a paper that had the day’s scripture on it and I was able to recite some of it.  After that, I went to the First Communion celebration at the Trinita and THEN caught the last mass at St Francesco. 

St Francesco is a place of DIVINE beauty.  You can’t even believe it.  Outside of it is this pulpit that St Bernardino of Siena preached from in 1426.

And inside is the tomb of Pope Clement IV who died in Viterbo in 1268.  What can you say… it’s very modest:

And after all this SPLENDIDO Catholic stuff I went to the antique store and bought a 19th century mother of pearl rosary.  While I was there I also got a beautiful old plate and some early 19th century cutlery.  The kitchen items in my apartment are just TOO hideous and I can't eat GORGEOUS food off of ugly plates.  Here's my lunch....

What is possible before 11am on a Saturday?

It’s Saturday morning in Viterbo.  I have a list of things to do today so I get going early.  This is just a report on what I did BEFORE 11 am.  Yes, before 11 am.

I wanted to do a sketch of the piazza and Chiesa del Gesu.  I am there at 8am and they are cleaning and preparing the outside tables for customers who want to sit outside with their caffe and enjoy the ‘fighter jet’ swallows.  I am interested in the Chiesa del Gesu because of its connection to Dante’s Inferno.  On March 31, 1271, a horrific crime happened in the church.  Two French noblemen, Guido and Simone di Monfort took revenge for the murder of their father by killing Henry of Cornwall (cousin to the English king) during mass.  Yes, during mass.  Dreadful business.  Such a crime, committed as Dante puts it ‘in the arms of God’, gets Guido placed in hell with those who have committed similar acts of violence. 

Here I am sketching the Chiesa and the fountain in front of it:

After this I walk to the Piazza del Plebiscito and go into Forno Fiora, a bakery that is magnifico and multo buono.  I grab a loaf of bread made of durum wheat (panne duro) and a heavenly little loaf that is topped with tomatoes, olives and an anchovy.  Then I take it home…. And eat it…. WITH a glass of wine.  And it’s 9:40 am. 

Sure, I’d love to be thin.  Thin and gorgeous.  Thin, thin.  But you know what is more important than being a size 6?  Eating this:

      

Now, I must be off to the open air market up by Piazza San Faustino.  The market features local produce and meats and cheeses.  It also features this fabuloso prosciutto man…..

And local pecorino, as I am making cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) this evening.  AND fragole of the GODS!

OH!  And how I wish I could drive all these goodies back to my apartmento in this little Fiat.  This is the most perfect car IN THE WORLD!! 

And all of this before 11 am............................................ a presto!

Santa Maria Nuova and other Marvels

Italian class was cancelled today so that left me with a free morning to head into the recesses of the medieval quarter for more discoveries.  My first stop was Santa Maria Nuova, which though the walls and frescoes date to the late 13^th century, legend has it that is was initially a temple founded in 380 AD by descendants of Hercules.  In fact, when you walk into the church you see many fragments of marble that have been mounted to the walls and these have been dated to the 6^th century.  This much-loved church was restored in the first part of the 20^th century and much of the hideous restructuring removed… that is, ‘updates’ that had been done in the 16^th century.

One amazing aspect is the marble cippus outside the church that declares the foundation of the church in the year 1080.  But the super cool thing is that there is a marble pulpit that Thomas Aquinas preached from in 1266.

My guidebook tells me that this triptych The Savior Giving His Blessing was originally thought to be of the 4th or 5th century.  Contemporary scholars now agree that it must be 13th century.  According to 'an ancient manuscript, the painting was found miraculously in 1283 when the crate which held it was hit by a plow and the oxen suddenly kneeled down and refused to continue plowing.'  Animals are always doing strange things in the lives of the saints and in religious folklore in general.  I like it though!

Here are some thoughts as I’m sitting inside the church:

I then decided to walk to the Papal Palace, which was built between 1255 and 1266 by the order of the Capitano del Popolo, Raniero Gatti.  According to my little history book on Viterbo, the first Pope to live there was Clement IV.  He was elected Pope in Perugia and arrived in Viterbo in 1266.  This was the first of several Viterbo-housed Popes and part of a schism within the Church that had both religious and political repercussions. 

The museum at the Papal Palace is small but full of interesting objects.  Most favorite of mine are the many relics.  I LOVE old bones and especially those that are purportedly of saints.

In the afternoon, the students of the summer session took a bus to Civita Bagnoreggio.  This is like some kind of dream.  Really.  A petite medieval village, perched on an imposing granite hill.  Cut off from the world.  In fact, it’s called the ‘dying city’ and that might just refer to the fact that the pilgrimage up there, i.e., straight up hike, might kill you.  But once you’re up there, GORGEOUS!  And the restaurants are v v groovy.  I had cinghiale (wild boar) that was served with a petite polenta cake.  Yummy with a glass of wine. 

 

Nun Alert!

Why are they always in pairs and under five feet tall?

Let's get going....

In the morning at about 6:30 you want to get up and open the shutters to the sounds and sights that only a medieval town can give you.  Swallows soaring and chirping, pigeons marking their territory, fresh air blown south from Tuscany and the sweet smell of apricot tarts baking at the bakery on via Cavour. 

Get up and start a stroll around 7:30.  Surprise the locals with a lilting ‘buongiorno’, that pleases them more than you can imagine.  In Viterbo during the middle ages (and I don’t think it has changed much) there are three centers of civic life.  Piazza del Plebiscito is truly the center of Viterbo and a wonderful place to start.  It’s the plaza of the people, really, and a place that has rich history and romantic nuances AND…. I’m pretty sure this guy is Jesus.  Check him out:

The Piazza del Plebiscito was the administrative center of the city starting in the second half of the 13^th century.  The most important of these structures in the Palazzo dei Priori and you can see that much of it was constructed during the reign of Pope Sixtus IV as is seen on the façade.  If you haven’t studied Church history it may surprise you to know that the papacy and the epicenter of the Catholic Church was often in flux.  There were times when Rome was NOT the center.  Some Popes demonstrated their loyalty to France and/or other parts of Italy.  For a while, Viterbo was the residence of the papacy and therefore one of the reasons why there is so much stunning architecture here.

Viterbo was also a place of love and glorious romantic yearning and tragedy.  For example, I love the story of Galiana, a young girl whose great beauty was the cause of her death.  According to the legend, a Roman noble who had been scorned by Galiana laid siege to the city with the intent of taking her by force.  Finally he consented to abandon the siege if he could lay eyes on her just once more, but when Galiana appeared on the top of the tower, he couldn’t bear the idea that he was going to lose her so he shot her down with an arrow.  Her sarcophagus (or at least a copy of it… the original is in the Civic Museum) is seen here, at the door of the Church of Saint Angelo of Spatha.

After stories like that, there is no other thing to do than to go to drawing class where you get an inspiring lesson on linear perspective and then you apply it as you try (so very very hard) to draw a twisty medieval alley. 

This girl needs a huge lunch and a carafe of wine.  Let’s go!  Gnocchi with clams, cod fritters and whatever everyone else is having.  No cooties here.  Pass and enjoy!

    

A typical day in Viterbo

A typical day in Viterbo means rising at about 6:30, opening the shutters to the sounds of doves cooing and starlings whirling about and calling to each other.  At about 7:30 on some days, haven’t figured the routine out yet, church bells ring.  I make my caffe in an Italian stovetop coffee maker and it is strong and perfect.  Then I will have a little breakfast of bread, butter and jam or a vegetable salad drizzled with olive oil.  The BEST in the ENTIRE world, of course.

I walk to the Universita della Tuscia, which is housed in a converted convent complete with impressive walkways and a cloister walk in case you need to meditate over your Italian language homework before you go into class.

 

I am taking a full load here, trying to learn as much as possible, and so some days are a marathon.  Italian at 9-11; drawing and painting at 11:30-1:30; break for lunch (where sometimes I join the Food Journalism class at a restaurant for the full, multi-course Italian lunch; then Dante at 4:30-7:30.

Here are some of my drawings.  The steps of San Sisto and the tower at the Porta Romano:

  

As I walk home, I see new things… shrines to the Madonna that I have overlooked, shops selling gorgeous fruit-filled pastries, an interesting kabob place, a shop that sells a strange combination of goods, cell phones, baby strollers, purses and tuna.  Hmmmm.  Why ask why?  It’s all TOO beautiful and divine.  It’s a mystery.  Like the miracles of St Rose and/or the way that avoids being hit by a Fiat DAILY.  It’s the Cloud of Unknowing…..  J  My favorite state of being.

I may stop by a market on the way home and collect whatever looks completely new and exciting or what looks familiar only better.  The tomatoes here are worth anything…. ANYTHING, and that includes a 9-10 hour flight.  Come here JUST for the tomatoes.  They are heaven.  You will love them any time of the day.  Make yourself a simple pasta dish with asparagus, garlic, tomatoes and olive oil.  Pour yourself a glass of wine.  Sit down and let’s chat about the day.

Day trip to Roma

Day to day life is beginning to settle in.  I will tell you more about my days in the next post but right now I want to write about the day trip we took to Rome on Saturday.  There are several field trips that are a part of the session and integrated into much of the curriculum for the various classes.  Since most of the classes deal with either history or art, it makes sense for USAC to send us all to Rome for a quick tour.


We took the train to the Metro station and then got off at the Colloseo... which is the Colloseum right in your face, big and bold, and fat and sexy.  Glorious, really.  Looming over you and showing you who is boss.  Our tour guide then took us around the perimeter, talking about all the entrances and the types of entertainment featured.  She assured us that gladiators in general were not as handsome as Russell Crowe but I am not convinced.  Alas.

Though we all had earphones, it was near to impossible to hear our lovely guide.  There were thousands of people, as you can imagine, and really, we all just wanted to make it to 1pm when we would be released for lunch.

After lunch there was a pleasant stroll through the old Ghetto and a stop at the pantheon.  To my horror we got at the end of the line to enter.  But the line moved quickly and soon I found myself within a structure that is honestly stunningly beautiful.  You REALLY need to experience the Pantheon interior.  There is NO description for it.  It is like being inside of a vacuum, a perfect orb, a celestial sphere......

Medieval quarter quarters

Here is a tour of my 17th century abode:

Italy's thick air and a slow internet...

Maybe the air is super thick here but it takes forever for my videos to upload onto youtube.  I have one cooking right now but in the meantime, let me take you on a tour of Viterbo.

Viterbo is like a little museum exhibit.  It is the best preserved medieval town (12th century) in all of Europe, I believe.  My apartment looks down over a tiny via and into the courtyard of someone who has great style and/or tons of luck:

But the basic streets look like this:

Today was a celebration of St Rita and the church of the Trinitas was very busy with congregants and worshipers attending mass and buying roses as offerings... and that included me. 

As you walk around Viterbo it is clear that Mary (as in the Mother of God and the Boss of Heaven) is always peering down over you, protecting you and making sure you are following all the trash management rules:

Seriously, trash management is very important here.  EVERYTHING is recycled and there are many rules and bins you have to mind, days for the pick up of certain types of trash and stiff fines for being a lazy loser and not recycling.

But back to God, many of you may know that my alma mater is little known St Rose of Lima in Murphrysboro [sp?], Tennessee.  I have just discovered that there is a St Rose of Viterbo.  She was born in Viterbo in 1233.  A young girl with a delicate constitution and a serious love of God, she demonstrated God's favor via an early miracle of her transforming the bread into a rose.  When Viterbo was besieged in 1243, her courage and dedication to the people of her home town became legend.  In June of 1250 she fell very ill and after having visions of dead people ("I see dead people!") she was visited and cured by the holy Mother.  The Virgin Mary then told her to undertake a pilgrimage and then become a Franciscan nun.  She then battled the heresy of the city by running through the streets and declaring the righteousness of God.  She died on March 6, 1251. 
Pope Alexander IV, resident of Viterbo, later ordered the exhumation of her body... which was found to be miraculously preserved.  You can see it when you visit the Church of St Rose:

Which is pretty fabulous, you must admit.

Uh oh. Nuns!

The Religion of Food

I haven't yet said anything about the food here so I need to dedicate a post to just that... Food, Glorious Food!  And nowhere else in the world will you find that food and dining is such an integral part of the culture.  In Italy, meals are partaking in delicious things but also 'eating with the eyes', as Stefano our program director put it.  Italians are interested in two things, he said, food and beauty.  And there is a partnership there that everyone expects and respects. 

Food is about gathering, conversation, ideas, expression, conversation about the food you're eating and the food you ate before and the food you're going to eat soon.  Last night we had our orientation dinner which was held at a trattoria in the medieval quarter.  The courses were antipasti (fritti ~ breaded and deep fried peppers, zucchinis and eggplant; Bruschetta with tomatoes and olive oil and bruschetta with tuna; assorted dried meats like prosciutto, coppa and another spicy meat), a red sauce pizza, paper thin and divine, followed by a sausage pizza, then a tiramisu-type dessert. 

Okay, it was fabulous and the whole thing lasted THREE hours... I was about to die.  But! It was glorious.  And I have to say I was dying to get to the supermarket today to stock up my kitchen in my apartment with tons of vegetables.  Three days in Rome of almost all pizza and pasta and I am quite yigsed out.  In Rome I ate some terrific street pizza, don't get me wrong!  One time I had zucchini flower and anchovy pizza that was enough to make you roll your eyes back in ecstasy... but a girl can only eat so much pizza.  At least that's the case for this girl.  Ugh.  I need veggies!!!

So you shouldn't be surprised that my first trip to the market brought home this:

Lettuce, tiny green beans, tomatoes, beets, garlic, prosciutto, Romani burro (butter from the Rome area), brigante pinna (delicious sheep cheese), latte fresca (fresh milk, unpasteurized), pane cotto a legna (peasant-type bread), ouva fresche da allevamento a terra (eggs from chickens who are free and eat off the ground), Nero d'Avola wine....

And then I made this enormous salad and ate the whole thing:

Ciao!!