My day didn't turn out as expected.....

March 17th, 2011. St. Patrick's Day to most of the world, but here in Italy, a big day as it was the 150th anniversary of the unification of the country of Italy. All schools, even American schools on Italian soil, and workers got the day off. I took the train down to Rome to try and find some festivities. Got into town and it was pouring rain and nothing was happening at the Vittorio Emmanuele II monument. So, it's around 145PM and I'm wandering the streets of Rome when I get a call from my friend Alessandro. In typical fashion he says I need to meet up with him and so he gives me directions to a town called Fiano Romano, which turns out to be where he grew up. A walk up the Corso, the Flaminio commuter train to Saxa Rubra and a 45 minute bus ride later, I'm standing along the main drag of Fiano Romano.

Never one to actually have a plan, Alessandro picks me up (he had driven down from Viterbo) and we then go to his uncle's house. There I meet his uncle, aunt and his parents. It's so Italian, I'm loving it. I participate in conversation to the point that I can and learn that Alessandro is a terrible businessman. I mean, hello, who gives another guy 4,000 Euro in cash to buy a piece of land BEFORE actually signing any papers? Now he has had to hire a lawyer to get the guy to actually come to the notary!

After coffee, we make our next stop, Alessandro's brother's house. They two look totally alike and after another coffee and playing with the nephew, we stop by a big outlet mall on the way back to Viterbo. I manage to snag a great jacket for some 85 Euro marked down from 338 Euro. It's awesome. Pictures to come.

On the way home, Alessandro is making plans for dinner. I think we're just going over to his house to eat. But we get there, he says hi to his wife and then we're off and about again. Twenty minutes later we get picked up by this blonde woman and we're off to a singles party. SERIOUSLY. About 30 people at the party and for the next three hours there is continuous Karaoke, mostly in Italian and I'm up there singing and dancing with these single Italian women. Craziness. Not what I was expecting when I got up in the morning.