Bella Bologna

2009-07-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a post here, because it is more fitting than my other blog: www.bolognastyle.wordpress.com because that one is more directed to things about italy and less about my personal life. I wanted to give an update incase anyone is still following me here...

I am currently in Padova for the summer-I was given 3 choices for how to spend my summer
1. Work at an art gallery in Positano 6 days a week and try to sell high end art work
2. Work on a boat in ponza
3. Work at a Famous Calzatura near Padova in the Information Systems Dept. (my degree is in this field)

I choose Padova, all though it was the least beatiful location ( I prefer the sea).

I love being in Italy and I try not to take one moment for granted because I know I will have to return home at the end of August. I never was able to obtain Italian Citizenship and seeing how the Italian companies pay, it just doesnt seem feasible at the moment. :(

This makes me very sad, but I know that I will be able to make the move one day,..

I have a lot of funny stories coming about things that happen in the office here and Yes italians do work ! Contrary to what I believed previously! Maybe there are alot of scioperi, but at the office they work long hours...! I am reading all your blogs ...so thank you for continuing to post!!

Baci!
Lisa

I've moved!

2009-02-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys! I started a new website which is more tailored to my general interests of travel, Italy, Photography, Style and Cuisine. All related to Bologna, or Italy.
Check it out:

http://bolognastyle.wordpress.com/

Baci&Abbracci
-L.

......boh!

2008-09-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been blogging much...And I really promised myself I would after I got back from Bologna, but I just can't seem to do it! uffa.... I read all of your blogs though! and I live vicariously through all of you in italy!

Updates--well So i'm back from my semester abroad.....looking for my next trip to Italy.. I'm thinking January since I plan on doing a master's program next year in Italy where they offer you a stage so you can go ahead and work with an italian company! I graduate in may so I can work here for a few months before then!

2. I am working on my Italian Citzenship......Uhm ...well you know how that goes a slow and long process even though I have every document but 1 (my great grandfather's birth cert. from italy) I paid a company--My italian Citzenship.com It's about month 3 and still nothing! So i called the COMUNE DI NERETO....... well they just dont work at 12.20 on a friday they are closed for the day much like everyday.

3. I met over 30 italians in philadelphia! So exciting! Really it's changed my life..I feel very much like I live in Italy but in Philadelphia, i've learned so much from all of them ! And I love them dearly!

4. Boy in bologna? I don't even know what to say about this one....I have this confusing friendship/like with this guy in Bologna...we do these "video chats" who knows whats going to happen there... :D

always exciting!

well love you all! keep on bloggin'

baci & abbracci
lisuccia <3

Ristorante Revista Lunedi (Restaurant Review Monday)

2008-07-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Scaccomatto Trattoria

(Trattoria in Broccaindosso)

Via Broccaindosso 63/B Bologna

Telefono 051.26.34.04

This is one of my favorite trattoria's in Bologna and also one of the most famous amongest Italians and Bolognesi. I went to this trattoria 3 times during my stay in Bologna and everytime was delicious...The head chef is famous for his creativity in the kitchen and his boldness in trying new combinations that ordinary italians would never try!

Examples of some of his dishes include:

the Fettucini made with coffee beans in delicate sauce with venison-This was very interesting...as a dish the flavors weren't something i had ever previously encountered.

Tortellini in brodo- This was a tortellini filled with a shredded meat I believe it was either chicken or beef, in broth, with a cheese foam (like a froth of cheese). I really enjoyed this dish the flavors were pretty standard but it was the texture's that I really enjoyed.

Semifreddo di Pistacchio-This dessert was really good but it wasn't very sweet I did however like the creamy texture.

Handmade pasta filled with vegtables in a green sauce- This was my favorite dish hands down....It was just the most fresh tasting dish like biting into a garden. I really don't know how to describe it. But I have included a photo.

Chocolate carmel and granita-this was my favorite dessert, a chocolate mousse with a layer of carmel and a scoop of caffe flavored granita on top. You are supposed to take the spoon and get a layer of each. Was an incredible mix of textures, flavors and temperatures. Really fabulous.

He changes his menu every 2 -4 weeks so there is never the same thing on the menu. The chef does come out and meet the guests, hes very nice. He was also featured in a book about chefs which you can buy at his trattoria. The decour inside is checkards and has all antique cards on the wall.

Ristorante Revista Lunedi (Restaurant Review Monday)

2008-06-30T14:18:00.001-07:00

Cibo.....il Cuore di Bologna

To be honest, I was unsure of how to begin blogging my experiences in Bologna...Since everyone asks me about the famous Bolognese cooking--I thought the best way to begin is through the stomach! A culinary tour of my favorite restaurants!

When I first arrived in Bologna on a cold Sunday night, this was my first stop--

Il Tari (Trattoria-Pizzeria)

Bologna Via collegio di Spagna n13

Tel 051226046

I ate at this trattoria many times during my stay in Bologna, and never once was I let down by the fabulous Traditional Bolognese Style cooking. They offer the traditional items such as

Tagliatelle al Ragu--Thick fresh pasta made with a base of eggs, and the traditional meat sauce. The meat sauce is made from a variety of meats from Prosciutto, veal and ground beef.

Tortelloni in una salsa Rossa--Many people don't know that in Italy Tortellini is filled with meat, while Tortelloni is made with fresh ricotta cheese and spinach. This was accompanied by a fresh tomato sauce with cream.

Tortelloni Burro e Salvia--A butter and sage sauce which is so fresh tasting!

Spaghetti con Pomadorini--I know what your thinking! Plain tomato sauce? No! This is a fabulous dish with fresh baby tomatos and basil...I really can't describe how tasty it is!

They also make tasty pizza's to go... with a delicately sweet tomato sauce!

Not only is the food delicious at Il Tari but the owners (husband and wife team from a small town near Amalfi) make your experience unforgetable ...Always offering complimentry limoncello at the end of your meal. They go out of their way to make you happy --if you get lucky they may even make a homemade dessert sampler!

one of the many dinner parties at Tari

My friend with the beloved owners!

Siete abbandonati! Ma no per sempre!!! :D

2008-06-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sono tornata ..sfortunatmente! I'm sorry I abbandoned you all, but I figured that I would blog this experience backwardly! I'm so excited to talk about a hidden gem in Italy..It is one of the least touristy cities in all of italy and for that reason it is so beautiful! It's a rarity to hear english and there is the best food in all of Italy...not to mention all of the fabulous gelateria's. Also it is a vibrant city due to the young student population...I will be posting my favorite resturants and experiences from my journey all around italy. I have 1 more year left at the university and then I plan on continuing my dream..... Baci & Abbracci!
Lisa

Da quanto tempo!

2008-03-18T03:12:00.000-07:00

I feel so terrible that I neglected my blog halfway through this experience! It was full of a lot ups and downs the first few months but now that spring is coming and I have gotten more adjusted to Bologna, I really love it here! :) I do have to say it is hard living with italian roomates--they are nice, but not warm...... anyway! I am leaving for the states on saturday to head home for easter un bacione a tutti!!!!!!!!!!!

uffaaaaa

2008-01-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Che devo dire?!

The first week here in Bologna was very difficult......to say the least.\

No internet connection-sorry I'm attached to my pc!
No sole....uffa One of the things I didn't realize was that bologna is an incredibly cloudy and rainy town! Luckly it isn't too cold though.
The people here in Bologna are quite different--different than the rest of italy i'd say. There is alot of punk kids and like alternative --not the fashionable men that your used to seeing in Rome.
The difficulty of living with Italian roomates --even though I'm fluent in italy it's still diffcult because italian girls keep to themselves alot more than American girls--at least till they get to know you!

HoWEver!
The food here in bologna is amazing.................... :) and..... well...there are some beautiful historic buildings.

I hope this adjustment period will quickly pass.......... ciao a tutti grazie!!!

Un amore perso......

2008-01-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I feel like I have lost a love since I haven't been keeping up with my blog! I just spent an hour reading everyone's holiday stories and seeing all the wonderful things going on in all of your lives! It's great when you can find people who share the same interests and can laugh at the same things :). Well I leave Monday for Bologna and my bags are nearly packed to capacity. (mostly composed of the traditional italian garb however--black, black, an occasional brown and oh once again black!)

Allora ci vediamo in Italia !
Baci & Abbracci

Lisa

Home Food--a Fabulous Idea

2007-11-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Have you guys read about this?

I thought this was an excellent idea for italians and tourists alike who want to know what the true italian at home dinning experience is. With this program tourists or italians can sign up to have a meal at an italian's home. Supposely Samantha Brown did this in Bologna, and there are quite a few in bologna also some in Rome who host this lovely program!
cHECK IT out:

http://www.homefood.it/index.php?object_name=ChiSiamo&object_type=Standard&Standard=ChiSiamo

da fare......

2007-11-12T15:41:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited to begin my adventures in Bologna, but boy--ho da fare! I have to go get my student visa this friday--of course the consulate has typical italian hours:
M/w/f 9:00-12:00. Where do they think they are? Italy? This is philadelphia! Oh well....
Aside from that i'm feeling a bit overwhelmed about all the things I have to do, and what I have to pack etc. considering it's only 55 days away! :D

One of the things I'm excited about is the fact that I'll be one of the only blogs from bologna! So i have to give you all the inside scoop on whats going on in this cittadina.

I have downloaded some new italian music and I love this song from one of my favorite artists!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exX1anWjI_0

A sad note...

2007-11-07T12:04:00.001-08:00

For all of those who have done ERASMUS or will be doing erasmus ..this is a really terrible thing to happen especially in Italy. Especially because one of the people involved was supposed to be the girls friend, an American Student...This just reminds me that it's very important to be "attenta" della gente che nn conosci! Here is the link to the story as our thoughts are prayers are with the family:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1291809,00.html

Lavorare in italia :)

2007-10-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever applied for a job in italy? I just translated my CV into italian and I'm wondering what the process is for being hired in italy? I want to work in a small boutique as a "commessa". Im interested to know what that process might be like (interview, how you get paid--check or what not) etc. So if you have any thoughts or experience let me know! thanks :)

baci & abbracci

lisa

So....I couldn't Resist....

2007-09-24T20:12:00.001-07:00

I had to watch the movie tonight! And I liked it...it was cute....don't get me wrong....but It had the same recurring theme that every italian movie has....
1. young love..boy meets girl or vice versa always in high school or liceo

2. The story of "provando tutto per qualcuno" doing whatever it takes to get the girl or to be together

and lastly..

3. Husband cheats on wife....or wife cheats on husband...
IS THIS NORMAL? i mean.....yes i know it happens everywhere and certainly I have seen america's divorce rate. But...every Italian movie I watch has this thing where the husband is cheating on his wife and lies to her and basically doesn't care. I think maybe I should expect this if I marry an italian man just because it happens every italian movie......

such as.....
1. L'ultimo bacio
2. Ricordati di me
3. Notte prima degli esami
4. 3 metri sopra il cielo (altho this case was the wife cheated on the husband)
5. Caterina va in citta--(again the wife cheating more or less)

Basically every major italian film.....

thoughts?

2007-09-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to watch this movie for along time, but since I live in America it's hard to find Italian movies. I finally downloaded it..(yes i know, illegally!) But i'm really excited to watch it within the next two days...so i was wondering has anyone watched it??? If you'd like to check out the trailer here:

http://www.notteprimadegliesamioggi.it/

It is in italian!

Baci ***
Lisa

Inspirazione

2007-09-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry my blog has been lacking lately! Sometimes I just feel as if I run out of things to say, since I'm not currently in Italy--so I can really only relate through past experience and experiencing italy currently from across the pond :) So i've been completing all my applications for study abroad and my first choice is BOLOGNA! :) yes i've finally reached this decision. Although there is the possiblity I won't get in because it's a very selective program but hopefully I will. One of my backups is Urbino.

Has anyone ever been there?

This is a marvelous town atop the hills of the Marche region. Dating back to the 1500's with the Duke Federico--

I spent a fantastic summer there and absolutely loved it! Especially because we got to see all the recent graduates get dunked in the fountain! Did anyone else ever witness this? when they sing the song
Dottore....dottore...dottore nel buca del culo va fanculo!
It's funny !

Well if you get the chance visit!! you will fall in love....

Baci & Abbracci

Lisa

So Italian TV?

2007-09-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how many of you in Italy (or in america that get satallite) watch italian Tv shows, especially the reality tv shows. I happen to enjoy these italian shows like

Isola dei famosi (like survior for famous people)

Vero Amore (like temptation island)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsStDqM3I1k

questo comico perche conosco lui il ragazzo che vede sua fidanzata :D

C'e posta per te (like forgive or forget)

Pupa e il secchione (like beauty and the geek)

It's great cause once again you can watch them on youtube!

I miei preferiti!

2007-08-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

I love youtube because there are so many interesting videos from italy! So i'm posting a couple of my favorites!

Professor that smokes in class:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PchZjkosAaI

argument between professor and student at La Sapienza :):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY67-fvVE9M

you tube is currently down so I will be adding others ! but check those in the meantime

expats!!

2007-08-28T08:36:00.001-07:00

Ok so I'm really excited that in my International Comparative management class we are talking about you guys! (Expats!!) So i was wondering which of the 4 types of expats are you guys??

a.native--you completely adapted to the culture of the country you now live in (for most of you italy) and no longer consider yourselfs even americans

b. Free lancer-- you don't really belong to either country but rather follow your own dreams and desires.

c. Heart at home- you live abroad but your true alligence is to your home country.

d. Dual Citizens--you feel like you are a citzen of both countries...

So let me know what kind of expat you have become! :)

Ritornata!

2007-08-25T06:39:00.001-07:00

OK so adesso sono ritornata dalle vacanze e pronto di ricominciare con il mio blog!

So I was wondering what you all think about online dating at least in italy....I recently saw a Yahoo article that said "it's easier for italians to meet people online than it is on the beach..." I guess that since being online is so accessible and more italians are getting computers...dating has changed a bit. There are so many sites like badoo, bellisinasce, and meetic that I feel italians are looking online ..... if you ask many italians if they have met in person someone they met online...many say yes!

I've personally met 2 italians in person that I first met online...one happened to live in nyc....and i was up there for a concert. and another was in Rome with someone from caserta who I had known for almost a year....

The one from Caserta I no longer talk to ..but I do talk to the one i met in the nyc.

so do italians really meet more people online than the beach?

On a Different Note.......

2007-08-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

Colored Denim

Recently in the states, a trend that is becoming very popular is Colored denim and I'm curious as to whether it is also fairly popular in Italy? What do you guys think of these new colored denim jeans!

Baci e Abbracci :)

Last Week At the Office......

2007-08-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is my last week interning, it is a bittersweet ending! It is the end of what seems like eternal boredom surfing the internet all day.... but it Is also sad as i love the people I work with and if it weren't for this job, I would have never discovered all of you guys!

I've made some progress or at least I think, with my school decision....

It's down to either Bologna or Rome--though Bologna has some obsticles at the moment! The program deadline was March 2007-which to me is rather ridiculous! I've been planning this since the beginning of college and then to think that I was late is crazy... So i'm working on that..

Otherwise I'll be in Aruba next week for a little relaxation before I return to the Uni.

Grazie a tutti per tutti i commenti e consiglii e cosi via.. veramente mi avete aiutato tanto anche se nn hai fatto commenti xche leggo tutti di vostri blogs ogni giorni e mi danno speranza e idea per la mia vita e cose che mi piacerebbe fare quando torno in italia...e soppratutto..come transformare miei sogni in realita!

Baci E Abbracci
Lisa

ConsigLio!!!!!!!

2007-08-03T06:37:00.001-07:00

Ho bisogna di consiglio.....

Ok so my Internship is ending next week and So I emailed the offices in Italy about continuing my Internship there, now that I found out with the student visa you can study and work for 20 hours in Italy! So I got a lot of out of office replies from the HR people...basically saying they won't be back til end of August but today I got a reply saying to call The main HR guy after the 26th of August ! Hurray! :) But there are a few things i don't like about talking on the phone in italian..... a) i can never hear clearly and always end up saying "cosa" like 4000x times...... and secondly... I realized that the offices in milan are far from bocconi....like really far....and the offices in roma..are outside the city so thats really far from sapienza....offices in BOlogna are like only sales offices. So who knows.. What do you think they would say if I told them I could do it June, July and August? that way if i'm in bologna I can move to rome/milan and find a close apt . What do you guys think? help!! :)

baci & abbracci
lisa

Non PoSso Decidere!!!!!!

2007-07-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

OK so I had an appointment this week with my friends mom who happens to be a study abroad advisor who was born in italy! So we somewhat narrowed the list or so I believe to
Roma-Sapienza/roma 3
Bologna
Urbino
Universita di Bocconi

But I still cant decide....so she gave me a few tips.... 1) weight the positives and negatives of each university! 2) Each day pretend like you are going to that university (take milano for example) and all Day I pretend I am going to Milan and record my feelings. To me this is a really important decision because this is my small step leading me to the big step of living in italy! I really want to intern while i'm there as well so hopefully I can work for an italian company. SHe told me that often with a visa you can't get a "permisso di sorgerno( i know i spelled that wrong!) Is this true? How did you all decide what city you were going to move to? Next week I will be chosing a city everday and I want you to let me know what you guys think ok??
Baci & Abbracci
Lisa

Upon the Miles of Silence...

2007-07-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

*pierangelo and I in Roma a year ago.....

Ok so I know that long distance relationships don't work, well especially those involving an ocean. My ex boyfriend (Pierangelo) was from lecce and even though we talked everyday on the phone--it just didn't work. I just don't like the fact that he never wanted to talk or still be friends afterward but maybe it was better that way. Then I met a gorgeous bo my Francesco who was really sweet and one of the nicest most sensitive guys I ever met. But one day when he told me "credo che io e te nn saremmo mai insieme" That basically we would never really be together--i decided it was over and that I didn't want him to come see me this summer. Well then I met Federico--he was completely different than any of the other guys I'd ever met...he was studying in England and spoke perfect english. He had lived in California for a few years and now lived in Siena. When he went back to Siena we couldn't talk as much because he didn't have a computer at home. So we we would write text messages and send messages online but little by litte we got more and more distant. ... so with all that I Truely learned that long distance relationships on the computer don't work. BUT i do believe you can be interested in someone you me on the computer but it wont work if you only talk on the computer going months without seeing them. Somehow i feel ok about all this....

Amici

2007-07-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

As you know by now, I'm interning this summer, which helped me realize that it's not what I want to do with my life. But I was very fortunate to find a few tesori (treasures) along the way. I work with 3 other interns and I can honestly say that if it wasn't for them I would have quit. I don't think I've ever met 4 people who get along so well! Good friends like them are hard to come by... especially since they put up with me talking about Italy all the time!! I am going to miss them in a few weeks when my internship ends but I know that we will always stay in touch.

Jobs In Italy....

2007-07-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Since I spend most of my day infront of the computer screen at a fairly boring internship aside from the fact that this is a European Company and they do have offices in Italy! :) I often look for what sort of jobs are in demand in Italy--

For any of you guys who are in the IT world, there are lots of jobs listed on

http://www.monster.it/

There are job listings for all over italy and for different sectors as well.

A few terms to help the job search:

stage-internship
CV-your resume
madre lingua inglese- Your native language is english
Sede di lavoro-The city where the jobs office is

Buona fortuna!

Baci&Abbracci,
Lisa

Ma Cosa e?!

2007-07-17T05:34:00.000-07:00

Last Summer When I was in Firenze, I decided to buy a painting. I love street paintings and I have several from Paris. I love many of the statues that are in firenze, so when I saw a very unique painter who painted pictures of the statues--i thought it would be great to buy one of those! This artist does a very unique style too where he writes backwards on the painting in italian. I was having a hard time decididing between the 2 of them. I loved the medusa but I thought it was a bit much so I opted to buy a painting of this statue:

I wasn't really sure what it was but I thought it looked nice. Later on I turned over the painting and it said Rape of the Serpetines in Italian. Great! I bought a fabulous painting of a rape for my bedroom! I will post a finished product of the framed painting as I am getting it framed this week... I just hope no one asks what it is ! ciAO

baci & abbracci,

Lisa

The things I miss most.........

2007-07-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

"I can honestly say that if I was told at this moment that I was dying, not my first, not my second, but certainly my third thought would be that I should never see Italy again"--Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett

There are certain things that I always miss when I'm not in Italy.....

1. the people....just the friendliness and the energy
2. The sound of vespa's ah.....
3. Casino--it makes life more interesting- yes in america everything is fast and efficent, but does it really always make life better? I like to take my time, have funny stories and meet people along the way in life.
4.Pizza from Pizzeria da Michele in Napoli (best pizza ever only 5 euros!)
5. Capiroska alle fragole--they just don't make this drink here!!
6.Lido--the italian beaches are fantastic--much better than the jersey shore where you have to pay 15 dollars to sit on a dirty beach.....in italy i don't mind paying 10 euros for a chair in sorrento....
7. Being able to buy La Perla swimwear--they don't ship to america!! And its much more expensive here.
8. Architecture--In italy even the smallest street can be magnificent because of the old architecture. You can stumble upon hidden treasures!!
9. Italian Music on the radio.....sure i download it...but it's not the same thing as listening to Radio Kiss Kiss.
10. BEING ABLE TO WALK TO THE PIAZZA ! (Sorry this should be number one! I loveeee going to the piazza --sitting down and having gelato, espresso, un panini, granita......)
11. FARE UN GIRO--when there is nothing to do.....you fare un giro! its simply not the same thing in america--everyone always has somewhere to go.
12. Pasta with pepe e pecorino cheese- As served at Boccadivino ristorante in Roma
13. People on the street painting pictures.....

Basically everything execpt for not so nice italians and Venezia . (not so friendly the venetians!)

Alla prossima

Baci & Abbracci,
Lisa

ma parlate italiano?

2007-07-12T05:35:00.001-07:00

One of the most difficult things about learning Italian, is that they don't speak it! I'm sure everyone has had that experience where you are sitting at a cafe and the people next to you are italian but they aren't speaking italian! They are speaking "dialetto". I find myself wondering why even bother learning italian if I can't understand what people are saying!

Since I have a lot of free time at boring office internship, I started learning dialetto. Here's a view from my cubicle which probably looks like the view from all of your windows!!!!

Wikapedia has a great Napoletano dictonary--http://it.wikibooks.org/wiki/Corso_di_napoletano/Verbi It has great phrases like :

Sì brutt’ comm’ 'o ddébbit’/comm’ 'a famma 'e notte! =Sei brutto come un debito o sei brutto come la fame a notte!

Although other phrases are more practical like "statte bbuono" which means arrivederci!

Sicliano I think is the most interesting however--since even they themselves say it sounds like chinese. "ku' fu' ka ma'mutto" this means "Chi e che mi ha spinto? "

Leccese--as seen in the songs of the famous music group "Sud Sound System" has a song called "lu sole lu gente lu mare" lu= 'il' and they say things like "non mi lassa" for 'no mi lasciare.'

Dialect is such an interesting thing ,because obviously each regione has it's own. It also has alot of the surrounding influence of the city. For example when I went to napoli I realized how much spanish influence was there and my friend who speaks no Italian understood napolitano because it has spanish influence.

Statte bbuone !!

Baci & Abbracci,

Lisa

l'inizio...

2007-07-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hi ! Welcome to my page, I saw so many inspiring blogs of other people who moved to Italy, that I decided to create my own! I first went to Italy when I was 13, after that I decided to learn Italian online in chat rooms. Now I am fluent as I know the basics as well as dialect. I'm in college right now, and will be studying abroad next spring in Italy after that I hope to move there. I know it will be a difficult process--but I know that I should follow my dreams!

So my first question for all of you is where should I study!? I want to do direct enrollement into an italian university...My options are:

La Sapienza-in Rome
Roma 3
Universita Di Bologna
Univerista di Urbino (Marche)
Bocconi in milano

Maybe someone has some insight to help me out, but based on cities what do you think?

Everyone tells me Milano fa schifo! Roma obviously is beautiful but I don't want something too turisty. Urbino is lovely but a very small town--hard to access trasnportation. Bologna is a beautiful city but it's been a few years since i've been there so I don't rememeber too well.

My italian dilect/slang word of the day= "casino". Vai alla piazza, c'e un casino. It means that there is alot of people or it could mean confusion. I tuoi cappelli sono un casino! your hair is a mess!

Let me know any ideas!

Baci & Abbracci

Lisa