AIDA in Verona

It's odd that after Italian class ended, I have less time to myself. I have been trying to read "Under the Tuscan Sun" for the past month but I just have neither the time nor the mood. On the weekends I'm busy cooking. With fresh ingredients from Porta Palazzo, I want to prepare and taste the fresh vegetables and fruits right away. Last Saturday I made my very first cold tomato soup! Yummy and refreshing for the hot day. Beth gave us a chart that lists seasonal fruits in Torino, and of course summer produces the most fruits. This month Syd and I have to stuff ourselves with apricots, blueberries, peaches, cherries, raspberries, and strawberries! And on weekdays, while Syd's working, I'm either surfing on internet, creating blog entries, typing up Chinese writings, doing house chores, or taking a nap. So one way or the other, I'm just not reading (which is one of my favorite hobbies).

Well, all that changed for the past 2 days. I finished the book on the way to and back from Verona. Apparently traveling provides the time and mood for me to read. Beth, Trevor, Syd, and I went to see the famous opera "AIDA" (Verdi's version, though I also saw Elton John's version and I loved it!) in the ancient and oh-the-most-beautiful Roman outdoor amphitheatre (built in 30AD, it's 2000 years old!). Now dig this: NO amplifiers were used yet the voice of each singer traveled all the way to the last row of the theatre (capacity of 30,000 ppl when full)! It was incredible! We were drowned under the stars with Verdi's music, Aida and Radames' love, and Barbera wine in this amazing Verona Arena. Though no elephants appeared in the opera, I felt equally satisfied with the outstanding costumes, dances, singing and horses! I'd highly recommend a nice soft cushion for your behind (you can rent it at the Arena) because my tush was screaming in pain after an hour of sitting on the hard concrete (cheapest ticket). Syd refused to use his body as my cushion. Bad hubby.
























We came back to Torino today while Beth and Trevor continued on to Germany. We will meet up in Venice and Cinque Terre with my college friend Dawn next week. I told Syd that it's good to come home. I miss our apartment in Torino which has my comfy bed, my laptop (yes, I'm addicted to it), the yummy yummy pasta salad I made on Sunday and buffalo mozzerella cheese. Before reaching home, we went for a delicious and refreshing gelato of uva fragola at Gatsby's. Yes, we are home.