Monte (wk 2)

Week two of study abroad has been anything but boring! It feels like we have been doing something amazing every single day. Even during the few times when there is nothing to do, I still find myself smiling. This place is just so relaxing and peaceful.

The first important thing we did since my last post was our group wine tasting. It was a beautiful experience with a very kind woman who ran a shop around the corner from the Fortezza. She took us down into the cellar below her store, and she sat us at a long table with giant wine barrels all around us. It was my first time ever drinking wine, so the experience was made that much more memorable for me. We tried one white and two reds, and we also tried a lot of bread, meats, and cheeses in between. This was very high on my to-do list while I was here, and I am glad I got to experience it so early.

The famous duomo of Orvieto

A day or so afterward was the day-trip to Orvieto. It is an incredibly beautiful city, with an even more incredible history. The journey required a bus and a train, but all things considered it was not a difficult trip to make whatsoever. The first thing we did upon arrival was visit the duomo in the main square of the city. It is a truly beautiful building, inside and out. I then tagged along with a few other professors and students to climb to the top of the town clocktower.  The view from that high up was absolutely breathtaking. Afterwards, we toured the underground tunnels that have been used for close to two thousand years, if not longer. We finished up the day with some free time. I took advantage of this opportunity to have my first real, genuine, Italian calzone. It was expensive, but it was definitely worth the coin. To cap it all off, I ate a big cup of the best gelato I have eaten since landing in Rome on August 13th. Hopefully the other excursions can live up to the standard set by Orvieto.

The kind of relationship I dream about

That night most of the guys got together to go to Montepulciano's famous steakhouse. Dr. Tudor refers to the owner as "The Steak Nazi" as a reference to the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I had seen this restaurant on a travel video by Rick Steves, so I had been looking forward to trying this place out for weeks and weeks. It was definitely worth the wait. It was by far the best meal I have had since arriving, and it might be up there with the best meals I have ever eaten. The Steak Nazi is truly a performer. He loves attention and it felt like the kitchen is his stage. He enjoys having people record him as he chops away at the meat, and he will even pose for pictures as he did in this picture to the left. That woman next to him is his wife, who also works in the restaurant. It was such a great experience that we all agreed -- before the check even got to the table -- to schedule another dinner there for later in the week. We decided that it was mandatory to eat there again before Dr. Tudor left for good. It was a great experience and I hope I will get to go a third time before I go back home in October.
As I said in my introduction, even when I have nothing to do, I am still having fun. Oftentimes I have more fun doing nothing than I do going out at night. Last night, for example, I bought a panini for dinner after my fantasy football draft had finished. On my way to meet up with the group at the contrada near the Fortezza, I decided to just sit down, eat my dinner, and soak in the views. I found a short wall next to the road that had a great view of the lights of the Italian countryside to go along with it. I haven't felt that relaxed in years. It reminded me of the time just over two years ago when I ate a similar sandwich on the beaches of Normandy. All I was worried about was the taste of the sandwich, and the beauty of the world in front of me. It makes me smile just thinking about it.

So, that is a summary of my second week in Montepulciano. I will leave you with these photos from our second trip to the steakhouse that include: two of the girls gnawing on t-bones, and a very concerned child looking over at our group.