Tosta, eh?

I should be doing my assignment right now, but my brain just doesn’t want to think in Italian at the moment. I am supposed to make up a short fable about a character in Rome, and all I have so far is that there is going to be an owl flying around the city at night, doing what…I haven’t quite figured that out yet.
This week has been very laid back and uneventful overall. I have eaten way too much gelato and have decided to start working out. My roommate and I discovered a little running park south of the Coliseum that has a dirt path and simple wood and metal workout/stretching equipment. I’ve already been twice this weekend. Today I was walking after I had been jogging for a while, and a guy in his mid twenties passed me, smiled, and said “Tosta, eh?” Now, ‘tosta’ can mean tough, difficult, or determined. It is in the feminine form, but the word ‘run’ can be feminine, as well as ‘path’, or myself (since I’m a girl). This means that he could either have been referring to the run being difficult, in which case he would be making fun of me because he was having an easy time of it and not walking like I was; or he was saying that I was determined or tough, which could also be sarcastic since my face was pretty red. So I have come to the conclusion that he was either being nice, mean, or teasing. The Italian language makes me crazy! Although this line of thinking did provide me with some distraction for the next bit of jogging I had to do.
The other exciting thing we did was on Friday with my Italian group. We went on a tour of some of the cities’ Baroque and Gothic churches. Caravaggio has now become one of my favorite painters. I don’t have a list of the churches with me right now, but I will put of some of Caravaggio’s paintings that I got to see.
Last night my roommates and I walked around the city a bit. We decided to go the the “best gelatteria in Rome.” The closer we got to it, the more crowded the streets became. Even at 11pm the place was packed with people! It took us a while to realize that you have to prepay for the size you want and then take your ticket up to the counter. Once we did this and managed to shove our way into the crowd to see the flavors, I decided on Biscotto and Frutti di Bosco. I had no idea what Biscotto was, but the other is essentially mixed berry. But, silly me, when I told the guy what I wanted the Italian language failed me yet again. Instead of saying “frutti di bosco” I came out with “frutti di mare.” I asked for shellfish gelato. The guy behind the counter instantly started laughing at me and told all of his coworkers in the back. I don’t blame him, I was laughing pretty hard myself. After scooping everything on my cone he then asked if I wanted ‘panna,’ whipped cream. I said no, which prompted him to ask if I would rather have fish on top. I felt pretty silly, but I think I made his night a little bit funnier, so I’m ok with it. Once I got outside out of the crowd and told my friends my funny anecdote, I took a lick of my gelato. Wow. I can’t even describe how wonderfully, amazing, delicious, fresh, mouthwatering, awesome, absolutely perfect it was! Seriously good gelato. So, if you ever find yourself here, not only do you need to watch out for illegal taxis and see the Coliseum, you have to go to Giolotti near the Pantheon. I would suggest going late at night. They’re open until 1:30 am every day, and I can’t image how bad the crowd is when tourists are mobbing the Pantheon in the early afternoon.
Tomorrow we go to Umbria. We’re staying in a little town called Corciano, but exploring Perugia and Assisi. Assisi is apparently where the Franciscan Monks began and where St. Francis is buried. It should be a fun place!

Rome, Italy