Fanano

We left yesterday around 4:00 P.M. for a small town in the mountains called Fanano. The Ferraris have a house there and it's only an hour drive from Modena so it was a great place to spend the weekend. Only Valentina, Matteo, Simona, and I drove up together in the afternoon because Fillippo was at work. The car ride went by very quickly and the scenery was beautiful! Matteo and Vale slept most of the way and Simona and I talked for practically the whole ride. We stopped on the way at a stand selling ciliegie (cherries) that had just been picked; they were delicious! After our stop Vale and Matteo woke up and made us listen to the same two songs for the next 45 minutes: The Climb by Miley Cyrus and another song by an Italian singer named Jovanotti. Needless to say I was pretty happy when we finally arrived in Fanano-- listening to the same songs over and over got old quick!

Their mountain house was really nice and Fanano was beautiful. The landscape oddly reminded me of Idaho and Montana... it was definitely nice that we were able to drive such a short distance and be in pretty mountains! After showing me the house Simona started to clean (because they hadn't been up there since Christmas) and Matteo, Vale, and I went to play soccer and volleyball outside. It was pretty cold, being in the mountains and all, so we went inside after a bit to warm up and play card games.

Once Simona was done cleaning we went to visit downtown Fanano. The center of the city is tiny compared to Modena, so we didn't stay for long, but I'm glad they took me to see it nonetheless. It looked exactly like a stereotypical mountain town that could be in Italy, Austria, or Switzerland. Simona said that all mountain towns are essentially the same in Europe and she has traveled all over, so she agreed that the town could have been picked up and placed in a number of countries.

Unfortunately it started to rain while we were downtown so we got some hot tea and then headed back towards the house. Once Fillippo arrived around 8:30 we went to eat at a restaurant that was conveniently located next door to their mountain house. We all ate pizzas and had gelato and fresh strawberries for dessert... delicious! After dinner we headed home (with a new member of the family, a small cat that decided to follow us back) and Simona and Fillippo headed to bed. Matteo, Vale, and I weren't ready to go to bed, so we ended up spending 3 hours talking about Disney movies and figuring out the meaning of words in Italian and English. It was so much fun and I'm really glad I got to spend time getting to know them more. We haven't really had many opportunities to get to know each other since I've been living with them (probably because I'm gone all the time doing stuff for classes and when I get home all I want to do is eat and go to bed), but it was a great bonding experience for us.

When I woke up this morning we had breakfast and Matteo, Valentina, and I continued to play card games until Valentina's friend, Liza, and Liza's mother came to visit. Once our guests had arrived we talked for a bit and then had an amazing lunch. The restaurant next door catered the meal and it was delicious... pasta with porchini mushrooms, porkchops, french fries (random, but sooo good), and fresh bread. We also had chocolate cake and the cherries we bought the day before for dessert. I still don't understand how Italians can only eat bread and cake every day and not gain a pound...

After lunch Simona, Liza's mother, Liza, Vale, Matteo, Chloe (a neighbor's dog) and I walked up the mountain. The view was amazing, even though it was cold and raining. It so was nice to be outside walking through the trees... there are almost no trees in Modena and I've missed being around greenery! At this point it was about 5:00, so we headed back towards the house so we could finish packing and head back towards Modena.

On the way home we got a phonecall from Fillippo on his motorcycle, who said his parents desperately wanted to meet me before I left. Today was essentially the only day I could meet them because Monday and Tuesday I'll be in Venice and I leave for Rome on Wednesday after school. We decided last minute to make a stop by Fillippo's parents' house, which is only about 10 minutes away from the Ferrari's flat in Modena.

When we arrived at their apartment I was immediately bombarded with a million hugs and kisses on the cheeks from Nonno (grandpa) and Nonna (grandma) Ferrari. Nonno was ecstatic to meet me because he said he loved America and he hadn't met an American since 1945. They talked so fast it was hard to understand what they were saying, but thankfully Valentina and Simona were there to help me. Nonno said that he was 12 during WWII and remembers having to hide from the Nazis with his sister and brother. He said that several American soldiers helped to protect them, hence why he was so happy to meet an American. When I told them (via Simona) that Pawpaw was stationed in Italy during WWII Nonna literally screamed with delight. I wish I had been able to spend more time with them, but it was already late and we still hadn't started to cook dinner for tonight so we left and headed home.

We just finished eating, finally, and now I'm off to pack for Venice. We're meeting at the train station at 7:30 in the morning, so it's going to be an early night for me, especially since tomorrow is going to be a very long day of sightseeing!! I'm excited for Venice and will update everyone on how the trip went when I get back... Buonanotte :)