loooooooooong weekend

yesterday was the first weekday I've had in a while. Tuesday was All Saints', so everything was closed, and most took Monday off for good measure. highlights of a long weekend:

• Sunday night dinner on Via Broccaindosso: At Stefano and Marco's apartment across town, I find myself sitting across from a couple with matching tattoos, a man with the bridge of his nose pierced, a girl tying back handfuls of dredlocks to my right and two pitbulls under the table. primo piatto, tagliatelle with fresh truffles. only in Bologna do pitbulls beg for tagliatelle with truffles. we had a great meal, a great time.
• roasted chestnuts: it isn't true that they smell better than they taste; I think they belong to the same acquired taste category as sweet potato pie. starchy sweets.
  
• Romans in Bologna: I had an unexpected visit from Roman friends on Monday, so got to play host, tourguide, gastronomic consultant. We took a long walk through the center of town in the evening, stopping to take pictures in front of prosciutto hanging in shop windows, mortadella, ourselves in front of landmarks, ourselves in front of mortadella. I was amazed at how out of place Francesco and Daniele were here. It was difficult to find the right places to take these friends from my enoteca in Monti - Bolognese don't drink wine the way Romans do over the course of hours before a late late dinner. It really struck home how much this is a northern city.

and the low point, the departure of Marta. I keep exporting roommates! my New Yorkers must take good care of Marta.

so it's me and the fisarmonica.