The Villa!

The villa is very nice! While I had some idea of what I was getting into before I came, I had imagined this place to be completely different. The main levels are coated with marble flooring and details that you cannot find in construction these days. The bottom level is the kitchen, dining area, and laundry (in the garage); the second level is studio and the library, and this is the level that opens up to the garden area, and the third level is all of our bedrooms and bathrooms. I have found in my first week here that it is pretty nice to be able to walk down the stairs to get to studio- where at school you have to get in your car, drive to studio, find a parking spot and then hike to class! Everyone seems to get along pretty well, and everyone seems fun to hand around! I was worried about not knowing anyone, however everyone seems very nice!
At the beginning of each semester, students are given a chore or responsibility. My chore (along with Laura Lynn) is to run down the stairs to the local bread shop and buy the bread and focaccia for the day. It is kind of fun to talk to the ladies at the bread shop in Italian and order bread each day. It is a nice way of life to get what you need each day (since everything is so fresh). Sometimes, after my bread run, I go for a jog up the hill behind the villa. It took me a few times to get used to the hills, but once you get to the top the views are amazing! You can see down the other side of the mountain to the towns below, there is part of a fort up on the hill that I run near, and you can see the other direction towards the ocean, which gives you an exaggerated view of what I see at the villa every day.
On Saturday afternoon, our professor (who is from Brazil) had a Brazilian BBQ in the garden. We sat out there all day, eating the steaks he cooked along with some sides Laura Lynn cooked. It was fun to relax and get to know everyone better!

The first week here, we have had Italian lessons for 2+ hours each day. I pretty much know the basics of Italian and I know how to ask essential questions now! Sunday night, we went to a nice Italian restaurant with our teacher and had a 5 course Italian meal. It started with an appetizer, which I am not entirely sure what it was, but seemed like two different breads- one with cheese and the other more potatoey with rosemary in it... needless to say it was delicious. The second course was pasta, and we were given a tortellini type of pasta (but not exactly tortellini) with a walnut cream sauce. This sauce was the best sauce I have ever had... I need to find a recipe! The other pasta we were given to sample was regional pasta with pesto sauce. For our main course we were given the choice of a local fish, or chicken along with potatoes. I chose the chicken of course. It was very good but by this point, I was pretty full! Finally we were given desert, and later coffee. The desert was an ice cream/pastry mix (so I was told). It was not as cold as normal ice cream, but it was very good and refreshing!

The rest of my weekly schedule:
Monday: Studio
Tuesday: Travel days- visit nearby towns/cities
Wednesday: Modern European Architecture and Studio
Thursday: Sketch class and Studio
Friday: Italian Rationalism... then we are free to leave for the weekend!

Now that I am all settled in Genoa, I have become familiar with many of the streets (and hills and stairs- they are everywhere) and ways to get around! I am having fun noticing all the little differences between our cultures. And I am starting to adapt to the Italian way of life!