I can't say I felt too much better when I woke up this morning. but I was determined not to spend the entire day at home. We've been lucky in that it has rained each of the past two nights, but once the sun has risen in the morning, we've had a beautiful weekend.
Charlotte was invited to a classmate's birthday party in the country today - so we would make our outing around the location of the "festa." The destination was a rented villa and its grounds less than 15 km away, however it was actually a world - and, due to traffic, a 45 minutes drive - away. The family had not only invited all the children in Grade 8 at RIS, but also children from other grades as well as family friends. And, unbeknownst to us, the parents were invited also. It was a large and grand affair.
Although the boy was only turning 12, I felt like we were at the Italian version of a Bar Mitzvah. There was a separate lawn area for the kids, with their own appetizers and drinks. There were also "party makers" (although I don't know what they're called in Italy) who were responsible for keeping the kids entertained and the activities flowing. The party was called for noon (although it was past 12:30 by the time we arrived) and we were told to expect festivities to continue until 5pm. Aside from the area where food and drink were being served for the kids, there was another lawn area where they took pictures and played volleyball and other games. Inside the villa, the sofas were pushed to one side of a grand room, and a DJ was playing dance music.
On the adult lawn, more refined hors d'oeuvres were served along with champagne and cocktails. We met some very interesting people including an Italian central banker and his wife and son who recently returned to Rome after several years in NYC. While originally from Rome, it was a complete shock for them to readjust to life here after living in New York and Paris. Italy, particularly the south - which includes Rome - is just less "civilized**" than the rest of the developed world. The crowd, while all Italian with the exception of ourselves, seemed very international. The host and hostess just closed on the purchase of a Co-op in New York City on 5th Avenue, next to the Frick. They were very excited about their new apartment but had been shocked at the process of purchasing it: the in-person interview, the necessary disclosures, etc.
Lunch was called just before 3pm. Now, since we had only planned to drop Charlotte at the party and return for her at 5pm, we had promised Olivia and Avery a trip to Lake Bracciano and a visit to the castle there. With all the antipasto, Josh thought he had already eaten lunch and was surprised to see that there would be a seated meal inside. This was the time to make good on our promise to the younger kids. The younger kids who had been eating focaccia sandwiches, popcorn and chips, and suplii (fried rice balls very popular in Rome) for the past 2 hours.
We headed out for the lake which was another 15km away - but now, out of Rome, only a 15 minute drive. It was stunningly beautiful! The lake, the rolling hills, the views of vineyards across the water, the sunlight. I thought it was nicer than Lake Trasimeno in Umbria. The first lakeside town we drove through was charming Anguillera. They were having a festival of funghi (mushrooms). It is Porcini season after all. But, we had stopped roadside on the way to the party to buy a kilo of Porcini so we were all set! We thought about stopping for a bite (despite the heavy hors d'oeuvres) but all the restaurants lining the lake were full.
We continued to the town of Bracciano with its medieval castle. Unfortunately, Josh forgot to bring his camera along today; a real shame as I'm sure there would have been dozens of photographs to choose from for the blog. Still, it was a truly memorable afternoon. The kids ran around town. We chose not to go inside the castle. It is private and you must go with a tour. The tour lasts an hour and a quarter and is in Italian. For us, it was a little too late in the day for that. The castle is also known as the setting for Tom Cruise's marriage to Katie Holmes. It was originally constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries but was then redone in 1470. We walked to a piazza with a gorgeous view of the Lake. The kids had frozen yogurt (the first non-gelato frozen treat we'd found).
We drove back to the birthday party villa to pick up Charlotte. She recounted that the birthday cake was the biggest she had ever seen. It was piled high with profiteroles in the shape of the number 12. We all enjoyed a profiterole before heading back to Rome.
We had thought about going back to Lago di Bracciano for dinner since the restaurants lining the lake seemed so appealing. But, dinner would not commence before 7:30pm and that was too late for us. Note, that all those restaurants that were full when we first drove by at 3pm were still full on our way back at 5pm. Who would be hungry for dinner before 7:30?
Once home, I made my first attempt at cooking Pasta with Porcini. Of course the pasta part is easy but I'd never made a Porcini sauce. The process of cleaning the mushrooms, separating the good part from the inedible part (and I was just guessing here) is quite time consuming. There may be an easier way, and I imagine that's why people take cooking classes in Italy. In the end, once the mushrooms were sliced and ready, I cut up some fresh garlic, blanched it in olive oil and added the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Our kilo of mushrooms, once the unusable parts were discarded, cooked down to make barely enough sauce for three people.
Much to my surprise, we all of a sudden had five Porcini mushroom fans. Olivia and Avery clamored for mushroom sauce. Who knew? Italy really brings out the adventurous eater in everyone - even our kids!
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** Did you know that in Italy you have to go to the post office, take a number, and then wait to pay your electric, gas and water bills IN CASH. Just one example to justify the "uncivilized" comment above.
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