4.2.09

Sweet Street

My living situation in Italy was one which caused me great distress before embarking on this journey. First it was the awkward task of deciding upon roommates. If stuck with individuals who you could not get along, the effect would seem to be disastrous. In hindsight, i probably made the details of this process much more ridiculous than they needed to be, but to my delight i was paired with two guys that i get along great with: Eric + Josh. Another point of contention was the apartment itself: would it be ridiculously disgusting, would there be crazy knife wielding homicidal neighbors, would there be a roof...power...a door? Fortunately things turned out rather serendipitously: our apartment is located right next to the study center and the awe-inspiring doumo and is located on Via del Dulci (the Sweet Street). This quaint little street is mainly residential but across the street from our apartment is a jewelry store. We are on the third floor and have views out the window of a garden, the study center, the doumo's spires, and an aged roof filled with moss and excrement.

 


The apartment has wood floors and 10ft. ceilings throughout. The living room is located on your right as you walk in where there is a large dining table, an orange sofa (sleeper, hells yeah guests!) one window and a tv. The tv gets about 6 channels clearly while the rest of the channels are mainly fuzz. Its all in italian so it stays off most of the time unless we are watching a movie or tv show (most likely arrested development or 30 rock). There is an amazing fabric panel on the wall that i want to steal and have forever. We have a washer, but alas, no dryer which means my jeans are getting really stretched out. You can see in the pictures our relatively slow process of drying clothes, utilizing both sunlight and the radiator, our clothes gently resting on a drying rack.


 


You can see Josh chilling at the dining room table with the tv and cabinet in the background. The cabinet has these little baby polka dots all over the glass and resting above it is this precious red mug which you can somehow light..its use has yet to be determined.




All the rooms in the apartment, minus the bathroom have sliding doors, but the kitchen has these really interesting folding glass doors which have some sexy glass in them. We have a small oven, piccolo refrigerator, a large sink, a washer, no counters and a crap ton of overhead cabinets. This makes preparing food a little bit of a precarious task. I had previously never used a gas stove/oven combo before so it took me a few nights to get the lighting process down. ( a few partially burnt limbs later) There is also a small table in the kitchen which basically has become a make shift pantry as the cabinets are full of bowls and pots. The lack of a dishwasher is something i've had to get used to as i've become adjusted to using one the past two years. So far i have really enjoyed making food here as the products are insanely fresh (from the market which occurs twice a week!) and just seems all the more worthwile due to my present location.






Next on the tour is the bano, a small but well equipped space. It is a sparce white but has red details dotting the space. We have the luxury of being able to utilize a bidet ( i havent yet worked up the courage to, but am determined to use it before we leave) The bathroom seems to have a tropical theme as little red trees dot the walls, with even smaller red dots dotting everything else. The shower is the size of shoebox, with barely enough room to fit in, but i have adapted and now am confident that i could travel in a circus as an acrobat. Its fun.








There are two bedrooms in the apartment, one larger bedroom which houses Josh in a double bed, and a small room which Eric + I occupy in twin beds. Our room overlooks the garden where a dog resides, along with the unmentionables of the elderly couple that live below us. The room also is strangely shaped so at night when my insomnia kicks in, it gets a bit trippy. Josh's room has a giant wall of wardrobes and a huge bed along with a sillily patched lamp.



So there it is, for those of who you have been wondering where the hell i have been resting my head at night. I have many more stories and images to share, hopefully next will be some highlights of Orvieto and eventually my recent trips to Rome. I leave for Florence on Friday and am planning on spending the weekend  there so my brain is about to explode with anticipation. As I sit here in the dimming light, I am just inspired by all that surrounds me. i feel a gravity to my movements and am just immensely grateful for this opportunity.


Ciao for now.


4 comments:

Winifred said...

I love you and your sexy picture taking abilities. UHG.

Staci Kay said...

I felt like I was talking to you when I read this.

Umm and I will be utilizing your sleeper couch, don't you worry!

display name said...

i love alllll the colors.

Allison said...

Ryan, I love your pictures. I'll have to make it to your apartment, and vice versa, some time. My sister also told me that she thought your pictures were really great. Thought you would love that.