[Just to show it's not all sun and games here in Bogliasco!]
But still, not complaining. We had a rainy if festive weekend, and to answer Stacey's question, our Thanksgiving evening menu:
Primo: saffron risotto
Secondo: tasty tender beef cutlets
Contorni: grilled eggplant; fresh peas
Dolce: pear tart
Vino: cabernet franc
More on food below the fold!
The vegetables here, and in Italy in general, are something to get excited about. I mean, I like my veggies as much as the next reasonably health-conscious gal, but Italian vegetables seem as if they've been injected with extra flavor. This is due to a number of factors: generally more natural farming practices; not being shipped 3,000 miles to the supermarket; the alien practice of actually eating things in season! But it's certainly nice to be so enthusiastic about things that are also good for you.
Now, to answer David's question about this place: if you visit the Liguria Study Center website, you can find more information as well as the application procedure. You don't have to be nominated; you apply. The Directory of Fellows will show you that it's been a haven for a number of Best American Poets and others. And it's really a wonderful gift: the villas in which we're housed are beautiful, the food (as I have mentioned) is excellent, and the staff here are lovely. Next weekend is going to be interesting with the local soccer "derby": Genoa will play Sampdoria, the city's two teams head to head. Yikes. We've been told that there's a tacit agreement not to talk about it among the opposing factions here in the villas.
And in case you're wondering what we're doing here: the primary project is to translate into Italian a number of Anthony Hecht's poems. If you haven't read "The Venetian Vespers" lately, pick it up again; it's really something. Then imagine getting those diction-packed, blank verse lines into Italian.
[Main square in Chiavari through the Libreria Zali Elia window]
Boom! thunder and lightning out there, so I'm going to sign off. More next time on olive oil, sonnets, and buses getting stuck under bridges.
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