Via Privata Piaggio XIV

Our villa is the pistachio colored one...malto bella

The academic floor: off to the right is one studio and the general classroom, to the left is my studio. The walk-way directly across connects the two studios.

Italians put marble on EVERYTHING

The main "classroom"

The Gardens...and the grotto (like Hugh's except we have goldfish, not bunnies)

My room has the balcony above the classroom...there are 6 other girls sharing the same room...

The orange grove, there's also a banana and lemon tree...I saw some calla lillies and camellias in the garden as well.

I was actually surprised when I got to the villa and realized we were pretty much still in the city...I'd always thought a villa was more of a country home. But its really a pretty nice set up (except for the whole sharing of the room thing...my room looks like one of those orphanages that you see in the movies because of all the beds). We all have to share bathrooms but there plenty so that's not a problem...the problem is hot water which we are all being deprived of (the whole stinky European thing might be explained by this hot water shortage because I cannot STAND cold showers). Hair driers and curling irons (that work) are also a hot commodity around here...we had a communal hair drier but one day it just disappeared (like magic!) and is yet to be found. Thankfully we rounded up another one, which I keep in my personal drawer, and all is well (currently).

We have a cook who prepares 2.1 meals (breakfast is only fruit, bread and coffee so I don't think she gets credit for preparing that one). But the meals are set up so that there is always a pasta or soup of some sort, then usually a meat or fish of some sort, usually a salad (made of very bitter lettuce), and occasionally a vegetable like zucchini or broccoli. My favorite food is currently rolls with honey.

While all the food is great, I am very disappointed with the desserts...because there are none. I think the cook is holding out on us because I know those Italians can whip out those pastries...nobody's fooling me. And I'm sure we would all agree that fresh fruit is NOT a proper dessert (there's not even any cool whip or anything to go on top...definitely NOT a dessert).