Amici (a – me- key) – Friends

            Today ended up being quite the day of friends, but also a quite a lot of learning (as any good day should be)….I started out the day on an adventure to find Piazza della Republica, home of the largest open air market in Europe…I say adventure because that’s exactly what it turned into and you will soon see why…

this specific piazza is quite a ways away from my apartment in Lingotto and still a good walk from the nearest metro stop…so I did my own looking at the map in the morning and asked my host parents for directions just to make sure I had some idea of where we were going J so I met my friends at their metro stop (just 3 down from me so 5 minutes away) and we headed off…to start the adventure, in true northern italy fashion 5 minutes or so off the metro and walking, it started to rain (which eventually turned into pouring rain within about 10-15 minutes)….it took us probably a good 20-30 minutes of walking in the rain, and a great church that we found a looked around in, to even get to the market….but holy cow this market is literally ENOURMOUS…there is SOO MUCH PRODUCE!, but also anything else you could need, clothes, wallets, scarves, shoes, kitchen items, shampoo, dish soap, cleaning supplies, jewelry….literally so. Much. Stuff….we walked and walked and walked….and it was sooo cool….

     But also at this market was the first of, what I am sure is to be many, lessons from this trip of studying abroad…I got pickpocketed…thankfully I noticed and got it back so everything is fine but oh my goodness, the stories they tell and the amount they harp on us to watch out is well worth it….I have traveled and like to think that I am kinda good at it so I know to keep my bag in front of me, keep my hands in my pockets holding my wallet or phone, or to keep those pockets zipped shut….but it only took one second of me taking my hand out of my pocket to look at something, for someone to lift my wallet out of that pocket….i felt my pocket get light and knew what had happened I spun around to see a man hand my wallet to the woman standing next to me, so I smacked her hand a few times and yelled, “No! No! No! No!” over and over until they both got frazzled I think and dropped it…to which I channel my best basketball block out and stepped in front of the woman pushing her back, grabbed my wallet and quickly walked away! I am thankful that I at least felt it and knew what was happening before it was too late but boy was it a horrible feeling while it happened and I will definiently be overtly aware of my wallet from now on (which is the growing point in this lesson for sure) it happened early on and now I know to be much more careful J and thankfully pickpocketing is truly the worst crime that actually happens multiple times in Torino (and not something worse) we just have to be cautious….

….so needless to say it was quite the morning at the market….I ended up with a wonderful scarf for only 2 euro and believe it or not an umbrella J….when we had finally made it all the way through we started our trek back….only stopping for some great lunch at an adorable little hole in the wall café and another GORGEOUS church J

…we finally made it home to warm up with, my friends to their home and I to mine…I spent most of the rest of the day just hanging out here with my host family…watching some tv, and looking and trying to plan some travels for the coming months….

…for dinner tonight, however, I was invited to go with my family to dinner at a friends house and I am soooo glad that I did!! So we went to a couple’s house, Francesca and Gianpierre (oh just wait for all of these names, they are so freaking good!) and then another couple, Carlo and Elizabetta came over with their daughter Emma and son Gregorio! (isn’t that they best name?)….gianpierra and francesca live in a beautiful and amazingly decorated apartment (so good I took pictures and got design names for my mom because she would love it!) and they made us pizza….it was soo good….in true Italy fashion I walked in, was introduced and handed a glass of vino and a piece of an antipasti (appetizer in Italy) proscutto (thin, salty, and slightly fattier ham) pizza….we talked and drank and then when the pizzas were ready we sat down to eat…they made the pizza crusts for about 8 pizzas but cooked two all the way and served themJ It was delicious….it was such a great evening…best part about all these people I have been meeting is, when you leave you get a “ciao, ciao” and the kiss on either cheek! Man I love this place…

…while the first two were cooking they topped the next two but first we ate the two then they cooked more and so on until everyone was full….then for dessert, Francesca made a pear and chocolate cake with homemade whipped cream and Prosecco

…I have been introduced to many people of family or friends of the Olivati’s and it is so much fun…it seems as though that all the people that I have met so far, are the parts of the group that meets up at the mountain to ski every weekend J my host parents have invited me to go any weekend I would like to so I will be able to see them more as well which is so nice J

In case you haven’t noticed, I am totally loving this life being here….i definiently miss the people of home and parts of home itself, but this is an amazing adventure so far and it has only been 6 days….those to come can only get better I believe….until next time, buona notte e tutti J