Another Blog

I have been working on another blog. I have not done much with this one.
Come visit me at my PCS Italy blog. Some of it focused on the resources in the Vicenza area for military families, but there are some great pictures as well!

Cool Pictures of Vicenza

I rarely get the chance to venture to downtown Vicenza. I love it there, but riding the bus with a 2-year-old is not fun and hubby usually has the car. We took a trip downtown the other day and I took a few pictures.

Downtown Vicenza, Photo by Peggy Crippen

Of course, I played with them and did some editing.

La Rotanda, Vicenza, Italy. Photo by Peggy Crippen

Photo by Peggy Crippen

Photo by Peggy Crppen

Six on Saturday Welcome

I am making a pledge to post a list of six interesting things each Saturday. This way I have accountability to keep posting!

Six Things I Love About Italy

(In no particular Order)

• Gnocchi, a delicious pasta made from potatoes. YUMMY!
• The weather is much less extreme than Kansas. No worries about the 2010 Blizzard!
• The historic buildings that are everywhere. 
• The fact that I can take a walk and see things I would never see in the United States
• Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine
• Shutters. I like the way the old wooden ones look on houses, but I like how my shutters keep it nice and dark for riposo time.

Cittadella, Italy Photos

Cittadella is an ancient town less than an hours drive from our house. We visited it last fall. It is a beautiful place and a great place to wander around. Everyone enjoyed the park alongside the canal. This visit was in October, so it was much warmer then!

Relaxing by the canal!

A section of the wall in the bright sun.

Stairs leading up to a missing section of the wall from the canal below.

Enjoying the sunshine.

Poor Blog, I have abandoned you!

Sorry I have ignored this blog for so long. I really did not intend to stop posting. I will start catching everyone up on my Italian Journey!

Some things are just, well, different here.

Can you guess what this is?

UGGHHHH.....




Still not sure...




Keep thinking...



Yep, that's right. It is a lovely squat toilet.

Gotta love public restrooms in Italy!

A Restaurant By Any Other Name...

In Italy, good food is everywhere (so I hear.) As of yet, I am still trying to decode the names of establishments that serve food. The types of businesses that serve food are many and confuse the heck out of me. After a month, I am starting to sort out what each name means. Some places are actually just food vendors, like butchers others are restaurants or more casual "grab and go" type places.

Ristorantes are the nicest places to eat. Usually people dress up and plan on having a nice meal for a celebration  at a place like this. They are also the easiest to identify, because of the obvious similarity between restaurant and ristorante.

Trattoria, Ostaria, Pizzeria, Paninoteca, Enoteca, and Pasticceria are all other versions of food places.

• An authentic Trattoria serves local food specialties, but the term is sometimes used in larger areas to sound more "folksy." Usually you can view the menu outside these places and will be able to know if they serve something you are interested in eating without going inside. 
• An Osteria is a more casual place, more like an American "bar and grill." Often an Osteria is a family run establishment that serves local wine and food. An Italian told me, it is "where the truck drivers eat" so that means it serves good food and is affordable.
• The Pizzeria is just what it sounds like. It is a place that prepares authentic Italian pizzas, usually over a wood fired grill.
• A Paninoteca sells bread. Sometimes it also sells sandwiches to take with you.
• An Enoteca is a wine bar, which can serve appetizer-type foods, such as cheese and salami.
• A Pasticceria is one of my personal favorites. These businesses sell pastries, cakes and sweets. Occasionally they will sell some pizzas or other foods you can take with you.

Of course, I have forgotten to mention a familiar term to Americans, the "bar." A bar in Italy is primarily a coffee shop, but it serves  pastries or sandwiches. However, there is usually wine and types of liquor available as well.

Who knew it would be so complicated to figure out where to grab something to eat? I have left out a good deal of other types of shops, because I am still learning what some of these shops are!

Thanks to Cristiana, the teacher and guide to my "Benvenuti" class for helping me learn this stuff!