Jo’s Travelogue

It’s official, spring has arrived! I woke up to much colder weather this morning, and it rained again in the evening. Though the temperature readings are the same as what I recall to be supremely cold, I found the weather rather bearable today.

I did all the packing and we checked out of Hotel Baviera at 12noon to make our way to Vicenza. By the time we reached there, it was 2plus in the afternoon. Finding our next hotel turned out to be quite a chore. No one seemed to know which bus went to the street it’s on, and when Simone went over to a policeman to ask for directions, we ended up having to dig out our passports to get them checked. Finally, when he asked a cabby if it would cost a lot to get to Hotel Continental, the cabby said that the road was closed for works and he would have to make a big detour to get there. His suggestion? Take a nice walk, the hotel’s only about 15 minutes away by foot. Fifteen minutes, my ass.

We walked and walked and passed by a beautiful arch to a flight of steps, built by Palladio. I think Palladio is the reason why anyone would visit Vicenza, and it’s his work we’re there to see. After the arch, we made a turn in the wrong direction till we asked a senora for directions, and she told us to follow her. She walked really slowly… but point us in the right direction, she did. I was convinced that we could have walked through the town centre from the train station to the hotel, but I could have been wrong.

Hotel Continental is a hotel with very basic amenities, but we get breakfast and internet access with the room. I liked Hotel Baviera a lot better, and ironically it was cheaper than Hotel Continental. Anyway, Simone and I checked in at about 3.30pm and he wanted to relax a little before going out. But of course… I felt a little tired from the walk too and he’d been the one lugging the suitcase. Simone started channel-surfing while I checked out the map the receptionist had provided us. Then I freaked out when I saw that 
Teatro Olimpico – which I read was Palladio’s most famous work in Vicenza – closes at 5. We were out of the hotel in a flash and started walking to Teatro Olimpico. It seemed that wherever we went in Vicenza, we’d have to walk.

It wasn’t difficult to find the Teatro, and we were there in about 15 minutes. We entered into a pretty courtyard, lots of grass with benches under shady trees and lined with statuettes, some of which were damaged and had missing arms or heads.

Simone didn’t sleep in as late as I thought he would, and we managed to leave the hotel about 1 in the afternoon to do a bit of sightseeing – of course, shopping was on my agenda. After all, this is Milan! We took the metro from Repubblica to Duomo where I couldn’t resist MacDonald’s, while Simone had coffee. 

I put on a jacket and we walked into the Duomo. It’s a huge breathtaking cathedral, and contains many busts of popes looking down at us from the walls. We found a crypt, and also paid 1 euro each to view the cathedral’s treasure. I joked with Simone that he should remain in the room since he is ‘tesoro‘. There was a strange structure later, which Simone figured out to be a man with his skin thrown over his shoulder. We skipped the roof… I made the decision to skip cos there was an entrance fee of 5 euros with the stairs and 7 euros with the elevator, and I neither wanted to take the stairs nor pay more. Ha… I regret it a little now though, I should have gone to check it out. 

We then walked into La Rinascente, a department store next to the Duomo. It carried everything branded from cosmetics to bags to jewellery. I decided I wasn’t going to bag anything there, so we left and walked down a pretty shopping street where there were boutiques like Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. We walked further and the shopping became more accessible for ordinary folks like me. I bought makeup from Sephora and a few Tinkerbelle PJ tops from Oysho. Not a lot of shopping, but I was contented. We also chanced upon a sort of “book pasar malam” – makeshift tables with many books for sale. Simone picked 2 books, and I picked one that describes Italian psyche and behaviour in a satyrical manner.

Simone was rather set on finding a nice trattoria where we could taste northern Italian food, or Milanese food. We ended up walking across a roundabout to a castle, which was rather beautiful too. We sat down at a fountain just outside the castle to rest our feet a little before exploring it. Just then, I ran out of memory space on the camera and made a uh, groundbreaking discovery. I could swop the memory cards between the camera, the PSP and the phone! Hooray for Sony products. 

Most of the castle wasn’t accessible – maybe cos it was already evening and admission was closed (if there was admission at all) – and we walked right through it (past a picturesque courtyard) and ended up at a park on the other side. A police car was parked there, and Simone went to ask if they could recommend any trattorias. The guy gave Simone a number to call and said it was the best trattoria around with many years of history. He also suggested an area that we could visit as there are many dining establishments in the area, Navigli.

We then walked back to where we came from and stopped at a bar across the road. Drinks in Milan are more expensive than Porto Santo Stefano. At this bar, however, we tried some of the bar food for aperitivi and the food was quite interesting. Bar food in Porto Santo Stefano usually consists of cured meats and dips and fruits, pretty light stuff. Bar food in Milan, however, consists of cold pasta, riso, potatoes and the like. How do people go for dinner after eating this stuff? I was baffled, and I still am.

Simone called the trattoria a number of times, but there was no response so we decided to try Navigli. We took the green line on the metro to Porta Genova, and then asked for directions. After walking down one street, we emerged at a canal that’s kinda cute. The buildings were old, and there were bars and ristorantes and trattorias lined up both sides of the canal. Simone fell in love with the place at first sight… His whole face lit up, and he immediately professed his love for it. I wasn’t very impressed… It felt like Boat Quay to me. But I was happy to see him happy.

We passed by a shop selling various paintings, and there was a painted series of Milan in 4 seasons in the store window that was very beautiful. There were also a few portraits of horses, and they all had 4 horses in them. Interesting that they should all have 4 and I remembered them for it, because I considered buying one of them for my father, then remembered 4 isn’t a very lucky number in our culture.

We came across a bookstore next which was running a sale where every item – book or CD – was going for 2 euros. I ended up picking 5 used books in English because cheap books were hard to find in Porto Santo Stefano… if I find English books in the first place. We walked down the entire canal and turned into the street on the other side of canal. Most of these bars had a happy hour price of 6 or 7 euros, and you could help yourself to all the food on offer. Cool, except if I’d eaten any of that I would have to forget about dinner. We sat down in a quieter beer bar for more aperitivi, and then Simone spotted a trattoria that states Milanese food. Looked good to me… I was attracted to the menu degustazione which includes wine for 30 euros. Other prices for mains looked okay to me too. 

The trattoria had quite a spacious interior. We were seated in a section where only one other table was occupied. A couple came in shortly after us and sat at a table behind me. We placed orders… I asked for the menu degustazione and the maitre informed me that at least 2 people had to order this menu. Simone was a great sport and said he could eat that too, though I knew he was about to choose other dishes, so as to try a wider variety of food. 

As we waited for our food to be served, another couple walked into our section and sat down. The guy asked for an ashtray, and Simone was instantly alert and asked the maitre if we could smoke in that section. He then requested an ashtray as well, and so did the man sitting directly behind me. The maitre also brought us a glass of red wine each as part of the menu, and a plate of bread covered with a napkin.

Our starters arrived – a huge plate each of cured meats (bresaola, salami and proscuitto), dried fish cooked in vinegar, some unidentifiable crunchy cubes which I thought tasted like pork skin, and some pate. Very yummy, but I couldn’t finish the cured meats. Our primi piatti arrived next – riso alla milanese and tagliolini con barolo vino and sausiccia - half portions on each plate. I liked the riso, which is flavoured with saffron, while I felt that the tagliolini was too strong on the palate and left most of it on the plate. Simone really liked the tagliolini though, and kept making appreciative sounds as he ate it. Secondi piatti consisted of a cotoletta a pollo in panatta (which is a chicken cutlet in cream sauce, garnished with cherry tomatoes) and another meat which er, tasted to me like my father’s stir-fried pork with tomatoes and salted vegetables. Ha… Simone can’t remember the dish so I’ll describe it better when he does. 

Our set menu didn’t include dessert, and by then we were both too full for it but it included coffee (and tea for me). Simone also asked for grappa, which was orangey in colour. Simone said it’s a grappa from Torino, and is stronger than colourless grappa. We got away with 60 euros for the entire bill, which means there was no tax and service charge, and either they forgot to charge the grappa or the grappa was complimentary. Great place, great food… I would return if I ever visit Milan again.

We woke up super early at 7.30am, and Franco drove us to the bar to say bye to Patrizia first. She asked if we wanted food… I chose a croissant with a creamy centre, and Simone asked for a salmon sandwich so I wouldn’t be hungry in the afternoon. For himself, he chose nothing so I asked Patrizia to put another chocolate croissant in the bag. Patrizia being Patrizia, she popped in an extra croissant.

We then left for Orbetello to catch a train to Milan, and reached there to find the ticketing counter closed. I guess it was closed either because it was Sunday or it was just too early in the morning, but seriously… it’s the train service! Shouldn’t the counter be open everyday? So anyway, Franco berated us for not letting him buy us the train tickets the day before when we had problems with the ticketing machine and the senora selling tickets at the magazine stand insisted she could only sell tickets for as far as Genova. We bought tickets to Genova – not much choice there – and Simone said we’ll try to get the train inspector to sell us tickets from Genova to Milan later on the train.

It was a long ride that felt long but not unbearably long. We were on the Intercity train that stopped only in the cities and not the smaller towns. I played PSP until the battery went dead, and napped once. Simone had bought his sport gazette and a crossword edition so he was quite entertained on the journey. When the ticket inspector came round to check our tickets, she said she couldn’t issue tickets for Milan. Simone said it used to be possible and we’ll just have to make a dash to the ticketing counter in Genova to be in time for the next train. Well, as I’ve said before, Italy can be a supremely frustrating country. 

We got to Genova and I waited with the luggage while Simone made a run for the tickets. He returned to tell me that according to the ticketing machine, the train we wanted to get on was full and we’ll just board it anyway and pay our fare on the train. I wasn’t very sure about doing that cos there’s some penalty involved in paying fares on trains. I asked him to try buying tickets from the ticketing counter rather than the machine cos maybe a man would be more helpful than a machine (ironic huh?). We ended up boarding a train that arrived before the one we wanted to board. Our train would arrive 20 minutes later than the other train as it made more stops. The advantage? Tickets for this train were cheaper. 

I sat next to a black guy while Simone sat diagonally opposite me next to a Jew. We were both anxious to get to Milan as early as we could, cos we’d have to race to get our football tickets, check into our hotel, and figure out how to get to the stadium. And even though the match starts at 8.30pm, Simone likes getting in early to watch the players do their warm-up routine. By the time we got to Milan Centrale, it was close to 4pm. I remembered seeing lovely pictures of the train station on the internet, but the high walls were covered in cloth and scaffolding so I guess they must be restoring it. We took the Metro to Missori station to Jolly Hotel Milano President to pick up our tickets from the concierge. I’m quite impressed with Simone this trip… He’d made sure we had both addresses and directions for both hotels before we set out.

I saw what Delcie meant by Milan being a dead town when we exited from the metro. Cars were few, pedestrians were few, and shops were closed. This was Milan, the fast-moving fashion capital! I know it’s summer when most Italians go on holiday and escape to the beach like in Santo Stefano, but I was still surprised by the lack of life. But looking back, it was Sunday and that could have been the financial district. After all, Raffles Place is as dead a town as this on Sundays. We got directions – first from a policewoman then from a pair of old ladies – and found the hotel pretty easily. Its decor is done in a modern minimalist style, and I distinctly remember the hotel costing more than I was willing to spend.

We picked up an envelope with Simone’s name on it, then exited the lobby and found a few taxis waiting. I’m very, very cautious about taxis in Italy cos Simone’s told me horror stories about how taxi drivers in Argentario charge exorbitant amounts, such as 100 euros from Santo Stefano to the train station in Orbetello, or 150 euros from Bar Il Buco to Panoramica. And trust me, these are like 10-15 minute distances by car. Simone and I really wanted time to be on our side though, and I’d read on the internet that a taxi costs between 6-10 euros going from the central train station to our hotel. We hopped into one of the taxis with some trepidation. I was quite intrigued by the meter, its digits were shining red from the rearview mirror. It started at 5 euros, and increased at intervals by 20 cents. I crossed my fingers, but then we reached the hotel in no time at all, and it cost a little under 10 euros. Hooray for affordable taxis!

We checked into Hotel Baviera Mokinba at about 5.20pm and were given Room 310. Simone gave the porter 5 euros and the porter grinned from ear to ear after receiving the tip. That’s Simone… he would dish out tips to waiters and hotel porters, and give some money to beggars on the streets to make the world happier. Sometimes I feel that he makes up for the part of me that doesn’t.

The room is a small one, but very clean and cosy! Simone said I was very clever to have found this hotel and I started feeling proud of myself before I remembered that he was the one who found it while I’d found a crappier hotel near the train station. 2 nights in this hotel cost us only 115 euros, and the listed rate for the room was about 350 euros. I was totally in love with the room and now I regret not taking any pictures. 

Simone showered while I tried to take a 10-minute power nap. The plan was to leave the hotel at 6pm to make our way to San Siro. While Simone was in the shower stall (so small that I banged my elbows countless times when I showered), Patrizia called and i broke a toe nail rather severely trying to get out of bed to answer it. 

Simone asked a guy (dressed in an Inter tee) earlier on the metro if he was going to San Siro and how we could get there. He said he was alighting at Duomo to take a bus to the stadium, which was the easiest way to go. At the hotel, we asked again for directions to San Siro and were advised to walk to Porta Venezia station which was a few minutes away, then take the metro to Lotto where we could walk to the stadium. We boarded the train and spotted more Inter fans, so I supposed we would do right just to follow these guys. I supposed wrong, and hopped out of the train in a panic when they alighted at Duomo. Then Simone and I figured they must be taking the bus to San Siro but by the time we figured we could follow them to catch the bus, they were out of sight. So we hopped onto the next train for Lotto. This time, lots of Inter fans got off the train with us.

As we exited the subway, these guys started singing pro-Inter chants. It was good, and I started getting the football match vibe. There were 2 policemen standing right outside the subway exit however, and the group quietened a little before picking up the chants again a small way further up. I then understood why some people chose to take the bus to the stadium… It was quite a long walk from the metro. Along the way, I heard a helicopter and assumed it’s part of the press, perhaps a TV crew doing aerial shots. Simone said it’s a police helicopter patrolling the area, so they would be able to spot any misdemeanor or even riots. He was right – I saw the word ‘Polizia’ on the belly of the helicopter when it passed right over our heads. A short distance further, we heard police sirens and then saw a few police cars and motorbikes coming up the street, followed by a huge bus decorated in Inter colours with their logo. I thought to myself “Wow, these fans must be fanatics to paint a whole bus to travel in to the stadium” when Simone suddenly yelled “The Inter players!” What an idiot I was… The police was escorting the Inter team to the stadium.

Simone tried to get me to walk faster so he wouldn’t miss the team practice before the match. Hell, I wished I’d managed to leave the hotel earlier. It’s really rare that we managed to get into the VIP area, and I could have snapped pictures of the team arriving! But it’s too late, anyway. We passed by some panini trucks and finally reached the stadium, but had to walk around it to find the right entrance. There were many makeshift stalls outside selling Inter merchandise, and none of Roma’s. It was San Siro after all, Inter’s home ground. I bought a cap, and Simone bought a scarf. 

Security at the stadium was tight. We had to show our tickets as well as documents of identification before we could get in. We walked into a huge reception room where they served refreshments, so we grabbed quick bites before going out to check out the action. While hanging around munching sandwiches, we spotted Materazzi ducking into a room off bounds. Simone said he’s injured and wouldn’t be playing. 

We walked out to see a sort of opening ceremony for the Supercoppa, then went to take our seats. I was slightly disappointed that the atmosphere in our area was kind of sedate. The Inter fans were on our left insulting Roma, and Roma fans were on our right insulting Inter back. Our seats were a little closer to the section where the Roma fans were, so we could hear them loud and clear. I’m not sure if it was our position that we could hear them far louder, I felt that we should hear the Inter fans more since more than 70% of the audience were Inter fans. At half-time, Inter had scored 1 goal and Roma, 0. I had the feeling that Inter would win the match, but it was going to be a close one. Perhaps it would even go into a penalty shootout. We decided to go for more refreshments. Simone went to the gents’, and as I was waiting for him, I spotted some people posing with one of the Roma players, Vincenzo Montella, for pictures. I didn’t recognise him, but Simone said he’s very famous and scored 155 goals in Serie A. 

In the 2nd half, Roma scored a goal, followed by Inter, followed by Roma again. Simone was like “Okay, we’re gonna have to stay for extra time.” I didn’t mind, I hadn’t had enough of the excitement and was happy to watch another half hour though I was a little concerned about getting public transport to get home. 2-2 into extra time, where no goals were scored. I was right, they went into penalties. We rooted for Inter, and both teams scored 4 of the first 5 penalties. Inter missed a ball first, and I was very relieved when Totti missed his ball. When Roma missed another and Inter shot hers in, it seemed as though the entire stadium cheered for Inter. 

We stayed to watch Inter receive the cup and the crew set up the stage and everything in no time. Roma fans started leaving the stadium… I guess they must have felt rather disappointed. I’ve always felt that a penalty shootout was a way of determining the winner by luck and chance. But a win is a win and Inter won! So the Cup was presented to Inter and there were small fireworks and bits of blue and black paper were blasted from machines to rain on the stadium. It was a very pretty sight, and I was very glad that Simone got us tickets to this match. The Inter players paraded the Cup as they walked the perimeter of the field.

When everything was over, Simone and I drank a little before making our way out. I spotted some fans waiting outside a glass door which we passed by on our way out and Simone said they were waiting to catch sight of the players. Simone and I decided to do some “stalking” as well so we hung around a little more. Cruz came out shortly after, and several people asked for pictures. I wanted one too, but Simone and I were both shy about it. We procrastinated, and he was gone before we knew it. I then decided I was gonna take a picture with the next player that comes out. XXX came out next, and I got my picture! Simone was still too shy to ask for one. Jeez… After that, the bouncer decided that he’d had enough of groupies and herded everyone out.

By then, it was about midnight and I had the feeling we had to walk fast if we were gonna catch the last train back. We didn’t make it, of course. By 12.30am, we were still walking the perimeter of the stadium. I thought of flagging a cab, but Simone was right that we were just gonna get stuck in the traffic jam if we hopped into one and we should walk clear of the congested area first. We spotted a bar and decided to stop there… there was no way we were gonna catch the train anyway. An old man at the bar said we could call a taxi, but the calling charge was 15 euros. Ugh… He then advised us to walk to Piazza Lotto where the subway was as it would be easier catching a taxi there. When we got there, I realised that it would have been a better idea to reserve a hotel room in Piazza Lotto for that night rather than in the centre, for there was at least a dozen other people waiting around for taxis too. I was glad when we finally got into one, and relieved when we reached the hotel and the fare was only 12 euros. I guess the taxis didn’t impose a midnight charge like we did back home. Phew!

Nothing much happened yesterday. I was hooked on ‘Lost’ and spent the rest of my time wondering what to wear to the stadium. Patrizia made a very good spaghetti yesterday night with 2 bottles of paste that Simone said was fish eggs from Orbetello. She heaped a lot of it on my plate and I ended up eating too much. We also had a sort of ham that were made from fish – swordfish and tuna.

Today I spent most of my time packing for our week-long trip to Milan and Venice. We decided on a trip to Vicenza in between, which is an hour’s train ride from Venice. Hostels seem pretty rare in north Italy, and most of them cost about 20 euros per person so we decided to just pay a little more for hotels. Tomorrow, the Italiana Supercoppa!

Simone decided it was a day for staying in and not for the beach, cos he’d already arranged with Jaba to come fix the desktop, which was ridden with viruses. I spent the day hooked on ‘Lost’ while the guys tinkled with the CPU, and Jaba eventually carted the entire CPU home to analyse it. 

Simone told me that the tickets we were getting for the Supercoppa Italiana at San Siro were VIP ones, worth 560 euros each. And the guy who got us the tickets were giving them to us gratis. Oh. My. God. I want to sell my ticket! Simone said we can’t go too casually dressed, and I’m quite concerned about being overdressed cos it’s a football match after all. Oh boy oh boy, what on earth should I wear! And Simone says there may be an after-match dinner to attend with the team. Argh! Is he bullshitting me or is this really gonna happen? If it does, I’m so gonna get a picture taken with Materazzi.

Patrizia wasn’t feeling very well so I suggested doing takeaway pizzas for dinner. Poor woman, I think she works too hard. She was having stomach pains and wasn’t very receptive to the idea of doing takeaways cos she thought I wanted the pasta with broccoli she’d said she’d make. I really think she is the most bravissima woman I know. I told her not to worry about it, and she consented to the pizza. Yay! Jaba came to pick Simone up for aperitivi, and Simone took our orders before leaving with Jaba. Franco wanted a Romana (whatever that is), Francesco a Wurstel (that’s what they call hotdogs), and I asked for a gamberetti (small prawns) with extra tomato base. Patrizia said she didn’t want anything at all, but Simone said he’d get her something anyway. He came back about 9 with the pizzas. Franco’s had capers on it, Simone got me a Diavola (salami with mozzarella and chili on a tomato base) cos they didn’t do gamberetti, himself an anchovies and onions calzone (sort of like a foldover) and Patrizia a Margherita. 25 euros for 5 full-sized pizzas is pretty inexpensive, and the pizzas were good too. I managed to finish most of mine, and Patrizia finished half of hers. Franco stuck her remaining pizza into the oven when he cleared the pizza boxes after dinner. I noticed it missing the next morning when I went for my usual Mueller yogurt. Hmm.

Jaba drove over with Ricardo and Danielle to take us to Giannella. Jaba had brought a beach brolly and a radio, and I was glad for the music. They played ball and crossword puzzles again, while I fell asleep for the longest time. Simone has turned a lovely shade of brown by now and as for me, I’m quite likely to be mistaken for a malay when I get back. Speaking of malay… how about some mee soto and Changi nasi lemak and beef rendang… Ha, I’m so gonna pig out when I get back.

The sun wasn’t very strong, but the breeze was. I ended up not staying in the shade of Jaba’s brolly most of the time. Simone played more ball with Ricardo and Danielle. A little black girl ran back to the beach for a towel and I smiled at her, cos it was a bit strange to see her amidst a group of Italians and it’s kinda like we had something in common – our skin colour set us apart as foreigners. Maybe, young as she was, she felt the same way for she smiled back at me and tried to make conversation. But she didn’t speak English, so I shook my head and turned back to watch the boys play ball. 

I started feeling hungry at the usual time… Jaba, Simone and I then walked to the bar while Ricardo and Danielle stayed in the water. I got a bag of cipster and esta the, while Simone had (no prizes for correct guesses) a beer. Jaba bought a mini tub of bite size crunch ice-cream. We sat down for a bit to eat and drink, then walked back to the beach to pack up our stuff and started walking back to the car. When we reached the deserted house, someone realised that the ball had been forgotten and Danielle doubled back to get it. Poor Danielle, he seems to be bullied all the time, maybe cos he’s a good sport and never gets mad from all the teasing.

Jaba dropped Danielle and Ricardo off so Danielle could take his motorbike. The 3 of us went to the pub in Fortezza again, but it was very very difficult to find a parking space and we parked somewhere above the pub. We walked a little to find a way down, then found a staircase that looked pretty promising. Simone and I walked down about 2 flights, then Jaba went ahead of us to check it out cos Simone was sure that the staircase wouldn’t lead us to the right road. Jaba must have gone one round cos he ended up at the entrance of the staircase again without passing us.

We changed directions and passed by the car again. Along the way, we paused twice to take in the view and I wished I had the camera with me. It’s a very different angle from what we normally see of Santo Stefano. We found a flight of steps that led into what looked like a jungle to me. Funny, cos that was a residential area. The steps led to a winding path and then to more steps. Jaba walked ahead of us at a much faster pace while Simone waited for me as I negotiated the steps… I’ve a bit of a vertigo problem. I lost count of how many dogs barked at us along the way. Simone spotted Jaba darting into a small path off the main path to hide himself, and told me to call him an imbecile when he sprang out to scare us. I made a show of not being impressed by his little trick and called him an imbecile as Simone has suggested. Sometimes it’s a bit tough to believe he’s my age. But Simone can be way younger than his years too. Maybe I should be a child once in a while too and there’ll be more fun in my life.

After the mini jungle trek, we ended up at the pub and I got a glass of water… I was determined not to get high from aperitivi like the day before. Simone says aperitifs are supposed to work up your appetite for dinner and they do that for him. For me, they seem to function quite the opposite way. Oh well, maybe I’m just not an alcohol person. I made Danielle’s bag fall down around his legs, then Jaba grabbed one of my slippers and threatened to throw it into the balcony upstairs in revenge for Danielle. I’ve the feeling that Maurizia is just like these boys in joking and playing pranks, cos I remember how she filched Danielle’s wallet. All in all, they’re pretty fun to hang out with.

It started getting dark and I told Simone we’d better get going home. As we started following Danielle to his bike, Franco came by to take us home. Dinner that night was oh-so-yummy… Patrizia made a very delicious risotto with escargots… The escargots tasted just like ‘gong-gong’ and I could eat it though I’m not crazy about it, but the risotto was so good that I had another scoop when I’d finished my plate. After that we had a aragostini (mini lobsters) soup with potatoes, but it’s really more like a stew to me. I really should pick up more of Patrizia’s recipes while I’m here.

Simone and I walked to Cantoniera beach after lunch. Simone had arranged to meet Jaba there, and we ran into Gabrielle at the bar too. Simone and I went swimming, and Jaba came to join us on the beach after. Danielle came to join us too, and we played briscola. I’ve played briscola before and it’s actually a simple game, but I couldn’t remember for the life of me how to play the game so I just flipped out my cards on Simone’s cue. 

We went to Il Buco for aperitivi after, and I chose to ride on Jaba’s bike instead of Danielle’s cos I felt that Simone’s ass was bigger so he deserved to ride on Danielle’s bigger scooter. I kinda regretted being nice, cos I bounced up and down on Jaba’s bike all the way to Buco… Lucky the distance’s short. The guy at the bar got my order wrong and gave me a frizzantino with campari. Ugh, I dislike campari. So Simone ended up with 2 drinks for himself and ordered another frizzantino for me. I’ve always liked the food that Buco displays on their bar counter. This day, they had a plate of very yummy beef carpaccio. 

Upon leaving Buco, I chose to ride on Danielle’s bike this time. Hee… I thought we were going home, then we ended up at the new pub in Fortezza for another drink. I got another frizzantino this time. The glass is a bit smaller, but they filled it to the brim. I took to a bowl with little cubes of foccacia bread this time. The thing I’ve discovered about foccacia., it’s good on its own. Combined with a spread or with prosciutto, it loses its own flavour.

Danielle and Jaba took us home after the pub, and we ran into Franco and Francesco just outside the house. The guys started a big discussion about the palio again, while I took a shower. Patrizia had prepared pan-baked vegetables consisting of potatoes, zucchini and bell peppers. She’d also bought an assortment of frozen prawn balls, octopus balls and so on which she popped into the deep-fryer. Not exactly a big show of her fabulous culinary skills, but it was still a good dinner.

Simone made fried rice for me using the leftover rice from yesterday night with hotdogs and eggs that he got from a neighbour. It wasn’t too bad, it was just Italian fried rice. It didn’t have the same taste as all the fried rice I’ve ever had back home, but who was I kidding… There was no way he could have produced the same fried rice without soya sauce. But it really wasn’t bad, just a bit bland. 

Franco and Patrizia came home after we’d eaten, then Simone told me that we are going to Milan on the 24th to watch the Italian Super Cup… Sounds weird to me, I’ve never heard of an Italian Super Cup – Simone says it’s the match between the team who won Serie A, and the team who won the Italian Cup. It’s to be Inter vs. Roma… Definitely an exciting one! Simone said not to tell Francesco that we were going cos he’d be very disappointed that he can’t go. Apparently, tickets were really difficult to get. According to Simone, tickets would first be released to fans who hold season passes (which Franco and Francesco own but he said there was some problem with their passes), and then to VIPs. Next, there would be a batch of tickets released for sale daily in Milan. At the pre-palio party in Claudio’s house on the 15th, we’d met a guy who has ‘connections’ and can get tickets to the match except he isn’t free to go. Simone had asked him if he could get us more tickets so the whole family could go, but he said he could only get 2. Simone had given him Franco’s number to contact him, because he couldn’t remember his own. 

We got dressed for the beach and Franco took us to Cantoniera on his motorbike. Danielle came to meet us, and we swam a little before returning to the beach to dry off. I sat with my back to the sun to play PSP. The sun was scorching hot so I draped a towel over my head and my entire back. Simone and Daniellle played crossword puzzles together. We went to the bar about 6pm to get refreshments… I thought the pricing was a bit funny. The snacks were 1 euro each (Cipster for Simone and I to share, and potato chips for Danielle), and the drinks (I got a bottle of apricot juice and the guys got a bottle of beer each) were 2 euro each. Hmm. Usually beer would cost a little more than juice. Give me apricot juice any day though… 

We sat down to drink and the guys continued their struggle at the crossword while I played my leftover missions on Final Fantasy. Simone suddenly smacked his head and said he’d forgotten to call the guy for the Inter tickets as he’d promised to call at 4pm to give him our details. It is mandatory for match-goers to give names and birth dates for the tickets to claim them later at the stadium (so troublemakers with a history can’t get in). Simone got antsy when he found out that the guy had called Franco earlier and Franco didn’t think of informing him, and he couldn’t get the guy despite making multiple calls. At the thought of missing the match, Simone was edgy all the time from leaving Cantoniera to Lina’s house to home, until I came out of the shower and he said the guy had called and we were all set to go. Phew.

Patrizia was making pappardelle with ragu for dinner. Just as she was about to boil the pappardelle, the gas ran out. She had to go over to the neighbour’s to cook, and was very unhappy when she came back because she hadn’t cooked the ragu enough and it was not as thick a sauce as she’d wanted. The pasta turned out more like hor-fun, but it was still edible. I totally understood her frustration though.

Simone went out after dinner to meet his friends, while I stayed home to play PSP. He said he’d met Maurizia and Jaba, and Maurizia had told him that she wanted to visit Singapore. I hope she comes over too! It’ll be fun to take her shopping. Hee…

Yet another lazy day… Simone wanted to go to the beach but I found the wind pretty cold and didn’t want to go. We lazed around till evening, when I decided to go with Franco and Patrizia to visit Manuela in the hospital and see her new little girl. Simone stayed home to make dinner. He just refused to go with us to the hospital no matter how I persuaded him. I think he just feels it’s not his thing. On the drive to Grosseto, I thought it’d be nice to visit the hospital on good tidings for once instead of associating it with sickness and death. When we reached the main entrance, we ran into Franco’s cousin whose mother had a heart attack. I couldn’t help wondering which type of patients the other visitors were there to see. 

4.32kg! That’s how heavy Baby Ilaria weighed. She was sleeping peacefully when we went to see her, and was very big compared to the other babies in the nursery. Manuela looked very tired… Patrizia said she had spent more than a day in labour before the doctor would make an incision in her tummy to take out the baby. 

Simone had cooked chicken with rosemary, potatoes with beans, and rice for me. There was also roast pork ribs and cutlets in the oven, and Patrizia set to deep-frying some french fries. After dinner, Simone, Francesco and I played poker. Simone won the first round, then Francesco and I battled it out in the second round for the longest time. We were both very defensive, though he had a lot more chips that I did. Funnily, the Italians refer to the chips as ‘fish’. Simone was playing croupier for us and got tired of it and wanted to play on my behalf. I knew he would lose it in a matter of minutes cos Francesco wasn’t about to risk anything and Simone has the rash ‘all-in’ attitude. So I made him buy my chips from me… and indeed, he managed to lose them in about 10 minutes.

When the game was over, I went out to the balcony to see if there might be any more falling stars. But they seemed tired of diving from the sky. I must come next year to make my wishes again.