Catch Up Part Two

The movie was very enjoyable and not nearly as long as I'd feared.  Following it we had a short crash course in Italian and then a very enjoyable dinner.  Pasta carbonara, which was delicious and tasted like pasta covered with cheese but was actually egg yolks and had small pieces of pancetta.  The meat course was beautifully roasted chicken in a lemony olive oil sauce with olives and (I think) anchovy paste which was served with buttered peas and carrots.  All were well received by everyone at the table.

I know I just posted an image of the view down the hill but I thought I'd include one that was actually out my window, shot this afternoon with some malevolent clouds hanging in the distance.  You can see the small plaza where we meet, with the dining hall through the door on the left and the art studios through the one on the right.  The plaza is home to four small tortoises who are native to the area, apparently and quite free to wander around as they like.  I'll try to include an image of them when I get one.  They're oddly elusive considering their limited realm.  The climbing vines covering the stairwells at the end of the plaza are the jasmine I mentioned in an earlier post.  Many of the lighter colored trees closer in are olive trees, as it seems they make olive oil locally.

Today's flavors are green apple and grapefruit.  The former had a nice strong bite and the later a smoothness with a bit of tang.  Very refreshing.  I'm afraid I'm starting to run out of the lighter fruit flavors, so I may have to resort to some of the creamier ones if I wish to avoid repeating. 
Darn.

Tomorrow is the nearby city of Arezzo.  Much larger than our town of 12 K but not quite on the level of Florence.  We'll be taking a bus at 9 AM and touring throughout the day.  Apparently Fridays are also market day here in Castiglion and the food on offer there is delicious.  I'm sure breakfast will be wonderful.

A domani.