Last weekend, the directors at Trinity planned an outing for all the students on the program. The first stop on the itinerary was a tour of a botanical garden and then a barbecue on a farm. It sounded like an ideal vacation in the countryside. I was definitely on board but there was some uncertainty as to whether the trip would happen. There was some difficulty getting the tickets for the garden and the 10 o’clock tour was full. There was an opening for a 9 o’clock slot but that meant an earlier wake up. I didn’t have a problem getting up early. It was my peers who were used to waking up late in the afternoon. We took a vote and it was close but the majority was in favor of the gardens.
That Sunday morning I got an early start on the day and woke up at 5:30 and was the first to meet up at the convent at 6:30. By 7 we were on the road headed for the Ninfa Gardens. The gardens were originally a town that was abandoned in the Middle Ages because of an outbreak of malaria. By the 20th century, descendants of the Caetani family transformed the ruins into a lush garden. The variety of plant life was astounding; roses, banana trees, Cyprus trees, orange trees, lavender, and bamboo to name a few. My favorite was the “daughter of the wind” that looked like a fuzzy scarf around the trees. The water was so clear that I had to resist the urge to dive in. The north side of the gardens is the coldest part because that’s where the most water is and the south is the hottest because there is no water (just thought that was really neat). Walking through the gardens made me feel like I was in a T.A. Barron novel!
I hate that I only got to spend an hour in Ninfa. I’ve never felt closer to nature. Luckily I had a barbecue to look forward to and since I ate virtually nothing for breakfast my stomach was getting cranky. The barbecue was in Velletri at the Vicario Farm. This was by far some of the best food I’ve had in Italy. First I was served artichoke lasagna. If you’ve ever had spinach-artichoke dip that was basically it but in pasta form. I think I cried a little it was that good. Next up was a meat lovers dream. Chicken and potatoes and sausage wrapped in bacon (which was more like a gigantic slab of ham). And everything came right off the grill giving it that savory smokey flavor. Next up was the carciofi alla Matticella otherwise known as the famous Roman artichokes exclusive to the Lazio region. The leaves were good and the heart was even better! I even got to see how they’re prepared! The meal ended with a little bowl of fresh strawberries. Extremely refreshing!
