Brad -- Gomorrah
Jaime's best friend from Chapman, Elyse, arrived on Tuesday just in time to join us for a screening of Gomorrah at Lorenzo de' Medici.  The film is based on a novel written by Roberto Saviano, who was an Italian journalist that infiltrated the Naples mafia and published a novel revealing the evil inner workings of one of Italy's most powerful, secret organizations -- The Camorra.

The book was a direct accusation of specific members of the Camorra, so the U.S. government is keeping him safe and hidden under a witness protection program.  The film was shot with a gritty realism that emphasized the veracity of his findings.  The movie was amazing, but as things usually go, Jaime has informed me that the book is still better. 

Jaime -- Showing Elyse Around, Villa Borghese, Trastevere

Elyse securing another trip to Rome at the Trevi Fountain

Villa Borghese

Elyse Relaxing

Brad Reading

Elyse and Jaime at Il Boschetto

Elyse and Jaime sitting on the Spanish steps

After three months of separation my heart beat with excitement as I waited for my best friend, Elyse, at the train station. Elyse is studying in London this semester and was on her spring break with four other girls from her school.  It was a very exciting reunion and it had seemed like way too long for us to be apart.  We pointed her friends in the right direction of a cab to take to their hotel and Elyse and I took the overly-crowded metro back to my apartment only to get up 15 minutes later to see the movie that Brad already mentioned.

Afterwards we made a nice dinner of gnocchi, a bottle of Brunello and got to catch up.  Elyse toured around with her friends the next day and got to go to the Vatican while I was in class all day, but after we met up and got dinner at Il Boschetto, (the restaurant we like a lot near our apartment). 

Thursday I took Elyse to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Coliseum, and the Roman Forum.  It was a busy day of walking, but the weather was nice and it was fun showing her around the city that I'm living in.  Friday Brad, Elyse and I slept in a little bit then made some sandwiches (with pesto, peperencino paste, provolone cheese and tomatoes) and packed a picnic!

We ventured toward the Spanish steps and then went on to Villa Borghese.  The cherry blossom trees were gorgeous, so we set up our blanket in between a few trees and enjoyed our lunch while watching a group of mothers and their children play tag and with balloons all afternoon. Brad read a book while Elyse and I made some hemp bracelets, took pictures, and relaxed.  It was a very pleasant afternoon listening to all the laughing, playful children and a saxophone player in the distance. 

The sunshine was nice while it lasted but then the clouds rolled in and it got a little bit chilly so we decided to pack up and go back home.  That evening Brad, Elyse and I walked to Trastevere to an aperitif/wine bar right near the river called Freni e Frizione, which Brad and I had been to earlier in the semester on a school field trip. 

It was very crowded since it was a Friday night, but the food, drinks and music were still fantastic. We learned that Freni e Frizione translates to ‘brakes and friction' and is named that because the bar used to be an old mechanic garage. After a drink there we walked through the old streets of Trastevere and found a restaurant called Otello. It was big and crowded so we thought it was a good choice, and we were right!

We were sat at a table one inch away from a table of two French women. We felt like we were sitting at the same table so we spoke in pig Latin when we didn't want them to understand us.  The waiters all wore a typical black and white uniform with little black bow ties, scurrying around the whole night.  A man was cooking over hot coals in a brick oven and there were very random decorations on all the walls. 

Brad ordered a typical dish of Rome, the Carbonara, which consists of red sauce, ham and scrambled eggs over pasta.  We were all very pleased with our meals but pretty exhausted from all the walking around in the last few days.  Elyse and I retired to the apartment since she had an early flight to catch and Brad went to meet up with his friend.

Brad -- Ciao!
I recently found out that another one of my friends and fellow USC Trojan, Andrew, is living in Rome and attending John Cabot University -- although we have been accused of not being very good friends because we have both lived here for a month and a half without having a clue that one another was here.  In any case, we finally met up this weekend for some drinks at a bar in Piazza Navona where I was able to meet all of his friends and visiting family, and then partied late into the night in the club area of Rome, Testaccio. 

This coming week we have been blessed with midterms, including on Saint Patrick's Day.  So instead of blowing a large chunk of change in Dublin, Ireland, we will be studying all day with a potential Surge Irish Pub Guinness break if we are productive enough.  But the good news is that after midterm madness ends on Thursday, our Spring break begins!  Jaime will be visiting Elyse in London, England while I am visiting my friend Bryan Susman in Edinburgh, Scotland.  We will rendezvous in Berlin to get in touch with our roots, and at the same time meet up with my USC friend Andrew who will also be in Berlin. 

Then for the weekend we will be revisiting John and Laurie in Naples and joined by our family where we will all remain for a few more days. But I sign off now with a heavy heart, that we will not have the resources, time, or clear-mindedness to blog next week while we are travelling -- but what would we write about anyways, studying and midterms? Until March 30th, a presto!

Brad and Jaime in Roaming in Trastevere	Dinner with our French friends
Brad and Elyse 'picnicing' in Villa Borgese	Brad dancing