It helps to speak la madre lingua here

Italian class at 8am was just as tough to get up for as on Tuesday. So after class, I went back home and took a nap...for 6 hours (oops). At 3:30 we decided we had to be productive, so at 4:15 we finally left the house (I am not usually this slow and calm back at home, I guess la dolce vita has hit me already!) to walk around. Rachel, Meagan and I walked down via Nazionale to get some sweets and cappuccino. We went to una pastacceria that's nearby that we always pass, and I got an amazing crostata al cioccolato.

The pastries there looked amazing, and I noticed this biscotti-looking cookies called cantucci. I had never heard of cantucci and I always see them, so I asked the guy qual'e` la differenza fra di biscotti e cantucci? He said that biscottti are piu` croccante (crunchy). I love learning new things!

Then we walked to get our daily cappuccino (from a cafe that one of our hostel friend's sister works at), and walked around the market. I was looking for a scarf (and bought a black pashmina one), and also leather gloves (which I will wait on), but I also enjoy walking around and talking to the locals in Italian. We made friend with a vendor from Bangladesh who sells jewelry, and he asked me if I speak English, and I responded "Si, ma preferisco parlare solo in Italiano" which got the three of us free bracelets. Mine signified love.

Such a nice guy (a little pushy), but I am so happy that I speak the language, and it is definitely beneficial! After my friends went to class, I kept walking around the market to speak to vendors in Italian. Then I was starving and made dinner at home. Garlic-y spinach with fresh parmigian on top, and penne with garlic, tomato, cream, and more parmigian.

If you haven't noticed, I am using the same ingredients for many things. I am trying to not spend too much money and instead just making do with the ingredients I have on hand. It's been working out pretty well. That's the Italian way.

Ciao!