Last night, my friend, Liz and her friend Jennifer came for dinner.  I ‘met’ Liz thru an article in the Sunday Dallas Morning News a couple of years ago.  She got a full page story in the Travel section.  An SMU graduate with a degree in Italian moved to Rome for a few years.  Came back to Dallas, bought a home in Preston Hollow and got a Law degree from SMU.  After a few years, sold her home and moved back to Rome.  She has a blog, Rome If You Want To.  I looked it up, saw her email address on the blog and wrote to her.  She wrote back, we met a few months later when I came to Rome and we have kept in touch ever since.  A lovely, smart, talented and funny lady.  

For dinner, I fixed zucchini slices, sautéed in olive oil, minced garlic a little white wine and sprinkled with Parmesan when done.  Our salad was 1/2 an avocado with dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped red onion, chopped garlic and a slug of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper…all whipped together.  Cooked chicken breast filets in a skillet with oil and made a Gorgonzola sauce.  1/2 stick of butter melted with chopped garlic and Gorgonzola.  A teaspoon of flour stirred in and added cream to thin as it got thick.  Used a rather creamy Gorgonzola, and next time will try crumbly Gorgonzola which is what recipe called for.  We really liked the sauce, but I think I would have preferred a stronger flavor.  That is just my preference.  I will definitely cook it again.  Is there a stronger cheese than Gorgonzola?  maybe Stilton?  In England, I love to get the slightly sweet oat biscuit and add Stilton and cherry jam.  Can make a meal of that…but I digress…

The palace where the quilt convention was held also had a big exhibit last year for the 70th anniversary of the Massacre of Fosse Ardeatine.  I have seen some of the Stumbling Stones around the city with Fosse Ardeatine as the place of death for some of the Jews…but I never knew where or what that was.  In 1944, the Italian Resistance fighters killed some Germans.  In retaliation, the Germans rounded up 10 men for every German killed.  Many were taken from prisons and jails and then they got Jews and innocent bystanders.  They were taken to a cave at Fosse Ardeatine, forced to kneel and shot in the base of the skull – one bullet per person.  Then the cave was blown up to hide the bodies.  The Germans, usually very exacting, had chosen 5 too many for the retaliation executions, but killed them so no one would know where the bodies were.  After the Allies liberated Italy, the bodies were found and received a proper burial.  

On Sunday I had a wonderful time at the Quilt convention.  Some of my quilt group met at the big train station and took the train to Zagarolo.  We were picked up and driven about a mile to the main part of the town and the old palace where we had our quilt day.  This is a big once a year event.  We were set up in three rooms.  In the main room were four quilt store tables with fabric, magazines and tools for sale.  Two tables for people to work, a big table filled with breakfast rolls and juice, tea and coffee and cappuccino.  Two of the pastries were over two feet long!  Then a long table on a stage with all the lottery prizes set up.  We bought tickets..3 for 5 euros.  In the other two rooms were long tables set up for each of the three projects they were teaching.  A runner, a purse and a zipper bag for quilting tools, I guess.  Ironing boards are set up at each end of both rooms.  I sat in the front room with ladies who were working on their own hand sewing projects.  Everyone came by to see the squash quilt project and I was named, Mrs. Squash!  Signora Zucche.  The quilt store owner, Barbara, had her husband were there and her pug, Frank!  
We had lunch on the grounds in the courtyard and it was really good.  A pasta, followed by grilled sausage, Caprese salad, cooked chicory and French fries.  We went back in after lunch and the breakfast food was cleared away, and replaced with cakes and torts…beautiful spread!  At lunch, I met three American women who have lived in Italy for years.  One from Houston!  They know of more quilt groups for me to check out.  We exchanged emails.  Then it was time for the raffle drawings.  I won a cute little pin cushion filled with dried lavender.  The lady drawing the numbers won 2 prizes!  She deserved them, she worked her buns off helping put this day together.   And the husband of our leader won a prize.  She deserved it too!  Then we had Show & Tell.  Some beautiful creations.  I just love my quilting friends here!  
When it was over, Paula and her husband drove me home after stopping at their house to pick up oldest daughter to take her to Baby Jesus Hospital.  She is a sculptor and had hit her arm – hard – with a hammer.  Don’t think it was broken, but probably smashed veins and big bruises soon.  It was very swollen and red and hurt.  I’ll report when I hear.  Just had leftovers and going in to read in bed.  Monday was cleaning day.  Supposed to rain…then be pretty Tuesday on.  I did get a report on Paola’s daughter…the arm isn’t broken, just badly bruised.

Today I went to the Quilt Store and helped Barbara with the things she is bringing to the Quilt Convention tomorrow.  I stayed about two hours and we spoke Italian.  I find getting with people who don’t speak much English is really helping me.   Had lunch and a killer massage.  Can’t wait to go for another.  Next time it will be a foot massage.  From what I could understand, it’s almost a pedicure without the polish.  I’ll just have to get one and see.  

Ok now, get out your recipe cards:  Tonight’s  dinner is what my Chef friend, Alex made for me a year ago.  He has moved to a fine restaurant near Brussels, so no more of his excellent meals.  

Cut 3 zucchini into rondels.  Clean and peel about a dozen large shrimp and cut into thirds.  In a skillet, put olive oil, chopped garlic clove and some dried hot pepper flakes…just a little.  You can always add more.  Cook all of this together while you boil water for the fussily pasta.  When the water boils, add the curly pasta and cook according to directions.  Add about a cup of white wine to the shrimp/zucchini mix, cover and steam a couple of minutes.  Then add about 1/3 can tomato sauce and a cup of heavy cream or Half & Half.  Stir well.  Drain pasta and pour sauce mixture over the pasta.  We added salt and pepper to taste and Parmesan cheese.  Buon Appetito!  Hope you enjoy this recipe.  

I’m off to the big Quilt Convention tomorrow.  Leaving early for the train, so going to bed now.  Buona Notte.

Yesterday would be of little interest to anyone except quilters…went to Mexican place and to Quilt Group.  We learned to make Half Square Triangles.  Aren’t you glad you asked?

Today, we got up early and took the A Metro all the way to the end and got a ticket for Arricia…the town famous for porchetta…the whole smoked pig with wild fennel, Rosemary, salt and pepper.  Saw some lovely countryside on our hour trip there.  It is just a few miles from Castel Gondolfo where the Pope goes for the hot July and August months.  And it isn’t far from Anzio where we will go someday.  We started getting worried when we kept making stops and none were Arrecia.  Turns out we missed it.  So we got off the bus and got on a local bus that took us about 1/2 a mile to Arrecia.  We toured a lovely box-like church with a big dome.  All around the circumference are floral swags held up by big Angels.  A small but very pretty church.  Then we went across the street to the Chigi Palace…peers of the Medicis and Borghese families.  Bernini designed the palace, the square and several buildings across from the palace.  We did a self guided tour of an art exhibit.  Most of the art was of Cardinals and relatives of the Chigis.  One painting was by Van Dyke…but the most stunning was one by Reubens.  It was a profile of a man with curly hair and a beard…absolutely beautiful.  It really stood out as a masterpiece by a master artist.   We went to a restaurant for a Porchetta sandwich.  It was very good, but during the meal, I realized it wasn’t what I had been reading about. It wasn’t on a roll…wonderful crusty bread, but not a roll.  And it didn’t have the extras I had read about, like sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and artichoke hearts with oil.  Later, we walked down to what once was a church, but is now the town theater. On the way, we passed hole in the wall porchetta places…where we should have eaten!  So we have to go back and do the more authentic porchetta dives!  At least they have more character.  One had a huge porchetta that I would have loved, except I was already full.   Behind the theater is a walled piazza with a stunning view.  Far in the distance, it was hazy and one could sit in the piazza and almost think it was the sea in the distance.  On the way there, we met Daisy…a white, 8 month old bulldog.  She was just thrilled to meet us and wanted to kiss us to death…and we let her!  Such exuberance for life!  A happy dog!  We walked back to the bus stop next to what must be the Chigi Palace Gardens.  Hopped the local bus for the spot where we were to catch the bus back to Rome.  Luckily, I read and understood  a notice taped to the bus stop pole that the bus wasn’t running from that spot today thru Saturday due to some construction…so we walked a few blocks and caught the one that was running.  Got home and I fixed salmon steaks sauted in white wine and smeared with Dijon mustard.  Very good.  It was a beautiful sunny and warm day.  Wonderful weather for a day trip.  Off to bed to read.  Buona Notte!

Today was Market Day.  Bought some soil mixture and some plants…a Rosemary, a basil and a mint.  We have two dead vines growing out of planters on our balcony and they need new life in them.  Got lots of food as we had nothing left to eat at home.  Got it home and put away and took off for a new restaurant that advertises Caesar Salad.  We were very excited, because our Caesar Salad guy, Vince is out of business.  Think there were too many issues with his boss.  Too bad because his salads were wonderful.  This one today was horrible.  I knew something was not right when the waiter put the oilive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table.  That’s because there wasn’t one drop of Caesar salad dressing on the entire salad.  Romaine, Parmesan cheese shaves and croutons.  The waiter never bothered asking if we liked it…I was going to tell him to tell the chef to Google  Caesar Salad and compare.  We won’t be back…at least not for their so called Caesar Salad! 

Got home and planted the three plants and knew I needed more…so, went to a shop up the street and got two Daisy plants.  They are with the basil in one pot.  I’ll get another flower next week at the market for the other pot. They look so nice now on our balcony.  Our neighbors have beautiful plants…and now we do too!  

I told you last week or so about meeting the two Americans at the MEXICAN restaurant.  The younger man is moving to Dallas in August.  His girlfriend works at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and I told Will I would introduce him to my friends, Linda and John McFarland.  They are very active at St. Michaels and would be wonderful friends to have.  He writes back today to tell me he already knows the McFarlands!  His girlfriend knows them and introduced them last year…in Hong Kong.  This is really a small world.  I’ve always told people in Dallas if we talk for awhile we will find we have a mutual friend.  I expect that in Dallas…but Rome?  

Went to dinner with the German ladies again tonight.  They are going to be very busy the next couple of days, so we have planned to meet for coffee Friday morning at their hotel…a 15th century palace.  We want to get the history of that place.  Will report later.  Off to bed now.  Long day.  It was actually hot today…even tho so many Italians at still in heavy sweaters, coats and neck scarves.  Can’t rush into this summer thing….

What a fun day.  After cleaning house and washing clothes and sheets and such, I headed off to Baby Jesus Hospital for Children.  That’s really it’s name…Ospidale Bambini Gesu…the biggest Children’s Hospital in Europe.  And a very old hospital with lots of new modern wings.  My Quilt Group was presenting a Quilt to the Children’s Play Area.  Quilters from all over Italy participated in the making of this Quilt.  Actually it is more of a game than a quilt.  The big quilt has 90 small blocks. Each block depicts an animal or a bird. Each block is about 6 inches square.  Then there were 90 identical blocks made…one for each animal or bird.  Then they made 15 small quilts with 15 blocks of the animals and birds…each different.  The children each get a small quilt and little felt squashes, pumpkins or apples.  It is like a Bingo  game.  The ‘Caller’ digs in a bag and brings out one of the small, individual birds or animals.  If that is on your little quilt you cover with one of the felt pieces.  Whoever covers their little 15 block quilt first wins!  We had three little children come in over the course of two hours and even with at least 10 adults playing…each of those children won a prize by covering their quilts first!  Surely there was no cheating on the part of the ‘Caller’!  It was fun for me as I was learning names of animals and birds in Italian and then teaching them what they are called in English…when I could remember what they are called…like a marmot or a narwhal.  Then I got the narwhal confused with a unicorn….and I wasn’t sure if the hedgehog was really a little porcupine.  And let me tell you…they just can’t say Squirrel!  I think there is a funny You Tube of Germans trying to say Squirrel and Italians have the same trouble.  I can’t even spell it the way they can’t pronounce it!  Anyway, it was a very fun and rewarding day…heartwarming for us to bring joy to the children and fun for the children to play and win.  

I got back to the restaurant next door to our apartment in time to meet Andy and a German lady she met a couple of days ago.  They had planned to meet after the lady, Karen was finished with her tour today.  She had told Andy that she was lonely on the tour and had no friends…it had just started.  Tonight she came with three other ladies from her tour.  Another single lady and a mother and daughter.  All Germans and all lovely people.  We had a wonderful dinner and lots of conversation…especially to understand the restrictions of people in East and West Berlin before the Wall came down.  How people in the East could apply to move to the West but had to wait years to be approved.  The older lady had a sister in East Berlin who could only apply after she retired.  We are all going to try to get together again Wednesday evening and maybe Thursday.  So now Karen isn’t lonely…she has three new German friends and two American friends.  And the hostess/waitress downstairs speaks perfect Italian, English, French, Spainish..and since she is German she speaks that as well.  I have trouble with English most days.  And speaking of languages…I really make an effort to make myself be understood in Italian…but as soon as they realize I’m American, they want to speak English!  So, they speak English and I speak Italian.    It’s late…so bedtime.    Must go to the market tomorrow…our cupboards are bare.  I’m planning a shrimp dish and a couple of chicken dishes for the rest of the week.  Going to try to perfect the Chicken and Gorgonzola sauce to have with company next week.  Stay tuned…

We are back home in Rome.  I forgot to tell you about the Church Cat we met.  We are standing in the Cathedral and I see a cat zip across in front of the altar.  He went into a chapel to check it out, then came and rubbed against my leg.  He knew a cat friend when he saw one!  The guide there said GiGetto lives in the church and is well cared for.  I wondered why the alarm didn’t go off as most of the altar areas are set with alarms…but the guide said they are set higher up and GiGetto going along the floor doesn’t hit the sensor.  

Also, on one of the tours connected with the Cathedral where we saw the 1000 year old statue we got to go to the Bishops Palace.  Beautiful frescoes, and an ancient map of Todi showing the 365 churches and bell towers that used to be in the Bishop’s district.  The Bishop stays in Todi two days a week and the rest of the time in Orvieto.  We were also shown a chapel that is only used on special holidays and a secret door that lets you go high above the altar to look out onto the congregation.  Our guide was very knowledgable, but we didn’t think he was Italian.  Then we met his father…obviously Italian.  Then he said his Mother was from Fiji…thus his darker coloring.  He is a sculptor by trade, but loves the Cathedral and being a guide.  Later, we went to the Antique Market.  I’ve seen better stuff at a garage sale!  Pure junk with high prices.  Too bad.  

Today we did nothing but have breakfast and figure out where to catch the bus to Rome.  Nowhere near where we were let off on Thursday.  Several people had told us where to WALK to catch the bus…but it was miles from town.  We never would have found it…and would have passed it if we had…nothing was marked.  We had our hotel man call a cab for us.  When he let us off, there was a big parking lot with a big food truck in the middle.  There was a huge piece of porchetta and that seems to be all he was selling.  We got sandwiches and he cut off a small slice of crispy skin to put on top of the softer meat.  So good!  In town the day before I had seen a porchetta stand, but it was closed…sort of like a small hamburger stand.  If anyone needs a new career…learn to make porchetta and get a food truck!    Our bus to Rome was half full until another bus pulled,up and unloaded his entire group onto our bus.  The we were full!  On the local bus in Rome, I met a couple from Philly and they told me all kinds of places we should go…including Bologna and that area.  So we will plan on that.  I’m tired.  Finished the rest of my porchetta sandwich – I added some mayo – and will go to bed soon.  

Today we had breakfast at the convent in what used to be a choir room.  Beautiful frescoes line the walls.  There are benches all around the room with tables in front of them.  After breakfast, one of the Sisters took us on a tour of the little chapel and the big church attached to the convent.  There is a small window above the altar with the sun shining in and it is lovely.  After that, Andy walked up to the town and I waited below for the little local bus to take me to the top.  As I walked thru the Porto to get to the bus, I noticed 5 big old cats lounging in the grass.  A few minutes later, a car drove up onto the grass and a lady got out, popped her trunk and started dishing up breakfast and water for the kitties.  I took over a little money to give her for cat food.  We talked and her English is excellent.  She used to volunteer at Torre Argentina in Rome about ten years ago as well as with the cats at the Protestant Cemetery.  She lives in Todi now and has 18 cats on her property that she feeds.  The bus never came and she kindly drove me up to the top of the town where the Piazza and Cathedral are.  The first thing we did was to go to the Civic Museum of Todi.  Etruscan artifacts, pottery, very old church vestments with lace and embroidery and a display of ancient coins.  They were in a special mounting and when you pushed a button, each mounted row would flip over so you could see the other side of the coin.  I had never seen anything like that.   Then we went to the Duomo where all those steps are.  Walked up all 33 steps…maybe one for each year of Jesus’s life?  The church was lovely and we went into the crypt where there is a famous 1,000+ year old statue of Mary and baby Jesus.  It was found behind a wall when the church was being refurbished hundreds and hundreds of years ago.  One of the workers, blind in one eye, wiped his face with a towel they had used to dust the statue with and his sight was restored.  So,it is a very important and miraculous statue.  Went to another church with 70 steps and saw it as well.  There is a bell tower that can be climbed, but even Andy was too pooped to climb it…and you know I didn’t!   We had lunch where we ate last night…a 4 cheese pizza with anchovies.  A couple eating at another table on the terrace ordered a meat, cheese and bruschetta platter and it looked so good we thought we might get something like that at dinner.  It was huge and enough for two…but then came their pasta bowls…also huge servings and they ate every bite.  We then hopped a local bus and went to another church way down the hill looking like it is on the edge of town.  Very huge with a big dome, but very boxy inside.  Many huge niches inside with huge marble statues of the saints in each one…probably  12 in all.  We caught the bus back to the Piazza.  Andy got off and I went down to the lower, new town to a knit, fabric, craft store for some embroidery thread.  We had walked past the place yesterday on our way to the convent.  Afterward, I met Andy back in the Piazza and we went to find a place for dinner.  All the places we were interested in don’t  open til 7:30 and we wanted to be home by then.  We stopped in a deli to see if he could sell us some porchetta…which he didn’t have.  We asked if we could go somewhere for dinner that was open NOW.  He said, you can eat here!  He cleaned off a tiny display table, pulled up two chairs and got some paper plates and plastic utensils and glasses. He fixed us a tray of typical Umbrian meats and cheeses and a toasted bruschetta spread with truffle paste.  It was delicious and such a delightful surprise.  What a salesman.  His grandfather started selling meats and cheeses from a large cart in the Piazza years ago.  Then his father bought the shop where we were eating. Three generations.  His daughter and wife came in while we were there.  The daughter is studying International law in Malta.   A younger daughter wants to be a police officer and is waiting to see if she is accepted for study.  We enjoyed that impromptu meal better than any restaurant we could have gone to.  (to which we could have gone.). For you Engish majors!  Walked back to the convent and the sun has gone down and we’re  in bed…soon to be asleep.  Another great  day in a wonderful town.  Will look forward to coming back to Todi.  Til tomorrow…back in Rome.

Today, Andy and I went to the Mexican restaurant and ate before walking to the bus station to catch our bus to Todi.  We were too early, so just waited.  Finally we were off.  About 2 hours later we arrived in Todi and were let our at the only bus stop.  We went to the Carabiniari office (traffic police) and this gorgeous man in a dashing uniform made a copy of a map for us and drew the route we were to take to get to our convent.  About 20 minutes later, we passed thru the correct Porta.  A few meters later we made it to the convent where Luca welcomed us and showed us to our rooms.  We have a suite of sorts.  Two separate bedrooms sharing a bath.  Our windows look out on the convent garden and a view of miles and miles of countryside.  We needed to eat dinner, so we walked up to the main Piazza.  And when I say walked UP that was exactly what we did…a 45 degree walk to the piazza MIGHT be a slight exaggeration…but VERY slight.  This town is wonderful…it is very medieval looking…old with tiny alleys shooting off the Main Street that we trudged up.  It levels off at the Piazza, altho I noticed about 100 steps up to the cathedral.  I’ll count them tomorrow.  After, I get the  little bus to take me back to the piazza.  We found a place for dinner and had a fabulous meal.  Slices of chicken breast with a Gorgonzola sauce.  I believe it was made with butter, flour, white wine and Gorgonzola.  I will try to make it at home.  The chef then brought us two little slices of pizza…a cheese and onion with crispy crust.  That sold us on coming back tomorrow for lunch and a pizza.  Smart man!  It was dark when we left and walked back to the convent…all downhill!!!  Thank goodness.  One of the three sisters who lives here welcomed us when we returned and we got ready for bed.  Breakfast is at 8 tomorrow.  The piazza looks interesting with lots of cute shops, restaurants and a few churches.  We will see it all.  More later…