"Where do gladiators go for lunch?"

We all just got back from a really really amazing dinner. The five of us (Me, Kim, Caroline, Sarah, and Sonia) met up with IESer Katie (who graduated Emory last year) and went to this tiny restaurant called "Da Enzo" in Trastevere, right near la Isola Tiberina. It was a tiny place packed full with tables and the walls were a very unappetizing shade of yellow. We had to wait 40 min even though we had called ahead. A group of three people stole our table. One of the three looked just like Van Gogh (Fan Hawch in Dutch; Van Gawg in Italian). He had a red beard and a sort of straw hat. Sonia kept complaining about them stealing our table saying that he looked like a ridiculous "contadino" eating with his hat on. Once we got seated though it was all worth it. We had fried stuffed zucchini flowers (I think stuffed with cheese, zucchini, and some sort of fish, maybe sardines or anchovies -- I know you are curious, Mama). Also fried artichokes (a Roman favorite). Then we all got different pastas. I got my first Roman amatriciana. It was so delizioso! For dessert we got marscapone cream with fragolini di boschi (?). They were teeny tiny strawberries.

I finally had my academic advising meeting and now know my classes. I am taking Photographing Art and Monuments, Issues in the Roman Catholic Church, Archeology of Ancient Rome (in Italian), and Contemporary Italian Politics (in Italian). I will hopefully end up dropping one course in exchange for an internship. I'll find out more about that tomorrow when I have my other advising meeting. I also have to do the second part of the residency permit tomorrow. I hope that things don't get too complicated but in all likelihood, they will. 

My advising meeting was earlish this morning so I had about 5 hours to kill between then and my Italian class. I went to Cafe Nero with Matt and Annie. After, I went with Kim and got some lunch and went to Campo dei Fiori for the first time. We got there just when most of the food stalls were closing up for the day but I did buy some really good strawberries (especially considering it is February). We then went to Piazza Navona and Kim took a picture with a guy dressed like Captain Jack Sparrow. I really want to get a picture with the guys who dress up like gladiators. Everyday so far there have been two across the bridge in front of Castello Sant'Angelo, so we walked there and of course, they weren't around. We thought maybe they were on a lunch break. I want to know if they keep their costume on when they go eat or what. Also, do they commute and then change, or can you see them riding the bus or Vespa dressed like that? We're going to go back tomorrow and try to get a picture.