Ultima

Here is a rundown of my final weeks:

On Friday evening the Prati boys held a Christmas gathering which grew and grew until their small apartment was packed with IES students in green and red chatting and laughing. The group rolled out to Testaccio to dance the night away at Coyote but Julie, Ginny, and I walked home instead, too pooped to party. Passing the classico place I realized I was starving so Julie and I whipped up just a little pesto pasta for a midnight snack. I enjoyed our walk back, the three of us conversing about this, that, and the other.

Kylie and Sophia

IU girls

Saturday was supposed the be my hardworking, buckle down and study day... but where's the fun in that? Pepperoni called me saying he was going shopping for his parents and would anyone like to join. It just so happened that the location he was going to shop is where I needed to go buy my gift for our apartments secret santa. I was feeling peckish so I grabbed (what turned out to be my last) slice from Filippo's which was his delicious eggplant parm. I walked around the Christmas festival with Pepperoni and we completed our souvenir shopping and eyed those giant doughnuts with nutella every vendor was selling. Pepperoni pointed out a store to Aven, Julie, and I called Too Much which was an experience. On the way home Pepperoni and I stopped for a cocktail (grande peroni in truth) from the Despar and enjoyed the cool night air. I can home to help prepare a five course meal with my roommates! Gatto shopped for our wine, Ginny made baked brie, Julie whipped up a pasta recipe she learned from Riccardo (shrimp and cucs with Philadelphia), I made saltembocca, and Sophia baked little apple tarts! It was delicious and we felt truly Italian when we got up from the table two and half hours later.

We all headed out to San Calisto's to see friends and Davide told us that Roberto, Silvo, Vishal, e their roommates from Depaw were all at the Bum-Bum club down the street. We joined the large crowd outside the bar and socialized, I ended up leaving before everyone else because I had a date with the Vatican. Pepperoni met me outside St. Peter's for a celebratory cigar to commemorate our time in Rome together. I've seen St. Peter's lit up at night so many times and it's always impressive. I am lucky to be able to say that it was a common sight for me. So much for that productive day of studying right?

On Sunday we were all excited to visit Nico's house in Castel Gandolfo, an hour or so South of Rome. We missed our first train because the 40 was running behind schedule but eventually we found ourselves at the train station and between Nico's car and Izzy's car we all found a ride the rest of the way. We all sat down together for lunch at Bobbo's: Nico, Sophia, Ginny, Julie, Kat, me, Vishal, Roberto, Silvio (Sil Vio), Izzy, Anna, Flora, and Michel DB. We were a huge crew but lively and enjoyed each others company. One end of the table ordered the wild rabbit which I didn't get to try, Julie ordered the amazing carbonara, and I chose the cacio con pepe. The pastas came out steaming hot and piled mile high. It was incredible but my stomach could not handle another bite! Vishal even ate the last three or four bites from my plate. We all went up the hill  to enjoy the view of the beautiful lake before sitting down to an after lunch/before dinner cafe. We were right outside the Pope's summer church since Castel Gandolfo is the Pope's summer residence. We took the longer train ride home and some of us studied while some napped. Once I was home I did manage to be productive since none of us were hungry for dinner that night anyway. For a study break I walked out to Prati to watch the Broncos and Bears with Tom, Pepperoni, and Mikey. It was a one-sided game but had an excited fourth quarter resulting in OT. I didn't stick around to watch Pepperoni's Bears get trounced.

Davide and I

Just winners right here

Julie and Gatta
(Davide and I)

Amanda, Kacie, Julie, Davide

Me Gatta and Amanda looking better

Roberto, Kat, Julie  being NJ

The group

SKINNY ARM

Sil Vio, Sophia, Roberto
(They are normally semi-attractive men)

Castel Gandolfo's Christmas Market

Us being crazy at the end of the table

Cacio con Pepe!!!!

Nico and Isotta just being BFFs

One of the two laghi nearby

Train station going home

Monday was a strange day, an added part of the weekend! Since I didn't have any finals I didn't have any classes!! I woke up early and reviewed Baroque until I was exhausted and took a quick nap before attending a Forma Urbis review with Gianni. We hammered out the specifics of the Pantheon (edicules and all) and settled on a time for our dinner later that night. After the review session Hope and Pepperoni came over to our apartment to study Baroque with Julie and I. I was not particularly productive and thus when it came time to leave for Gianni's dinner I made Pepperoni walk by himself. Sorry bud. I needed to study much more than I needed dinner with Gianni (and that's saying something).  Gatto was struck by the kitchen god's inspiration yet again and wanted to make chicken parmesan for dinner. Julie toasted some bruschetta and put toppings out on the table and the four of us (Gatta, Julie, Sophia, ed io) had an entirely Italian cena insieme and covered every possible aspect of our lives. We discussed everything from Italian politics to discotecas. Despite this extra long study break I did get plenty of work done before Ginny and Pepperoni returned. By the time Pepperoni had returned Julie and I were ready to sit down and study as a group for Baroque. This didn't work out so well, apparently he couldn't handle our awesome dramatic hand motions and stuffy voices. Julie and I studied well and Pepperoni surfaced from his music whenever we needed his help. My roommates traipsed off to the Trevi fountain to see it lit up at night and I called it a day to rest up for my first final.

Can't get enough Pantheon

Tuesday I popped out of bed early to shower and do some last minute review of Baroque before sitting for my exam (and rocking it). I was home in time for lunch of some left over chicken parm! I threw together the rest of my review for Renaissance and studied my little buns off for most of the afternoon. The entire time dreading the identification paper I had to hand in the next morning after my exam. I was really frustrated that I couldn't ID my piece! To get my mind off of Renaissance Pepperoni and I did our farewell visit to Le Fate. The last student menu, the last lemoncello, and the last time I ever have to see that boy hop a fence ever again. Ciao Gabrielle, Fabrizio, e tutti nella cucina! She sent me home with tanti baci per "Katie" or Gatto. Pepperoni and I came back to our apartment to find everyone out! Kat was studying but Ginny, Sophia, and Julie were saying goodbye to their own favorite dining places. As everyone filtered in Kat took a giant study break (enjoying some MacDo or JWBL) and we all chatted together avoiding studying like the plague! Pepperoni and I ducked out for a quick trip to Filippo's to run an errand and returned to see everyone just as distracted as before. More conversations were carried out as Pepperoni's eyes slowly closed for longer and longer periods of time. I don't think he ever snored but our comfy couch got the best of him temporarily. When he left to snuggle up in his own bed I finally set to work on my paper for Pier Paolo and wouldn't you know it only took thirty minutes to write and I managed to ID the piece. Wish I could've focused like that earlier in the day!!

Doesn't he just look like an Isaiah?

Wednesday morning bright and early I faced the warm cozy dark room of my Renaissance final. He was just asking for us to fall asleep in there!! I knocked that one out of the park as well. When I handed in my exam I said my goodbyes to Pier Paolo and he was such a sweetheart! I will never forget that man and how excited he could get over Giotto and Raphael! I arrived home and started the dreaded task of packing. Anyone who knows me understands that I am incredible at procrastinating and horrible at organization yet a hoarding pack rat. Packing is my nemesis. I got started a little while listening to music when I was home alone but once my roomies filed in I supposed I should start studying for my two hardest finals on Thursday. I read a little of this and a little of that. Bounced thoughts off of Ginny's poor tired brain and went over and over and over Federica's slideshows and the Pantheon. Gatta lived up our study session with plates and plates of fried food: pumpkin and zucchini! I love that little chef so much!! Pepperoni came over to study for a bit and I finally used my pancake mix. I was saving it for dinner with Isotta and Nico but they never could figure out their schedules. Pepperoni even found a new use for the syrup (besides covering up the weird yellow color the eggs made the pancakes)!! Nico came home that night with Silvio and Roberto in tow for our roommate dinner. Davide, Pepperoni, Roberto, and Silvio being our honorary roommates of course. Her mother made us lasagna and we had some cous cous and apple tort thing to contribute. After a raucous dinner just us six made a circle by the tree for our secret santa exchange. We are so smooth and ended up sitting next to the person we had and the person who had us! Ginny gifted to Julie, Julie to me, me to Nico, Nico to Sophia, Sophia to Kat, and Kat to Ginny. Everyone hit the nail on the head with their presents! I got Nico a macchinata to replace the second one we destroyed!! This one is cute and purple and will hopefully last a while. Julie found a paper store by Piazza Navona and bought a frame made from Florentine paper in which she placed three pictures of us girls and the group. I love it and it is currently on my nightstand. Thanks to Aven for the "dregens" paper. After the fun quieted down and poor broken Silvio and Roberto hobbled out Pepperoni, Ginny, and I did one last run down of Forma Urbis. Somehow Pepperoni could not resist that couch again and he took a catnap, slowly spilling onto our floor.... thankfully he's ticklish (you hear that world?!) and I am a mean spirited person when it comes to wake-up calls.

I leave Thursday, our last day, to a new blog post. It deserves that much