We did some walking around in Genova last week, trying to find the good parts. There were some pretty sights to see, including the Brignole (pronounced bree-nyo-lay) station, to the right. My roommates, Francesca and Simona, graciously held two, separate dinner parties to share some delicious Genovese dishes. The food was fantastic, and their company even better.
The first dinner (pictures HERE) was for Francesca, Simona, a friend of Francesca's, her toddler son, Kim, and me. But later in the evening, our bartender friend across the street sent some of his buddies over. Soon the apartment was full of twenty-something Italians, all enjoying the wine and hashish they'd brought along with them. Italians stay up late! I was so tired from the wine and big meal that I was barely able to stay awake on the couch. One of them spoke excellent English, and we practiced our Italian as well. Good humor and friendliness translate easily. It's always fun learning new slang and local words. (Sidebar: my new nickname is Gnoccha. It's like female gnocchi, and sort of means cutie. Some more, er, colorful, yet positive descriptors are also related to potato words. "Why potatoes?" asked Kim. Francesca didn't hesitate, "Because they're good!" Perfetto.) But back to our dinner party. It was really fun to be around so many people our age in a social setting, in this different culture. Spirits were up, but I was still exhausted, and the night ran late. So I took a few pictures here and there, all the guests eventually left, and Kim and I hit the sack. Whew!
The second dinner was just last Friday, and much tamer, though the four of us did put a dent in a bottle of amaretto, Kim's new favorite before/after dinner apertif. Francesca made focaccia formaggio (among other amazing dishes), and we spent most of the evening joking, laughing, and taking terrible pictures (shown HERE).
Ultimately, I think these lovely ladies are the only things we'll miss about Genova. We're SO happy to be in Assisi, and there are many more pictures to come from this phenomenal city.
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