Makeup, Sunset and Shopping in Artena, Italy

I decided to put a few days together in this post. Monday to Thursday in Artena including makeup, a sunset walk and shopping. And of course… more food!

Monday

You may have read in the previous post that this was the day my cousin Aurora and I had planned to go to Rome. So, that didn’t happen! Unfortunately, this travelling makeup artist got a bit of a cold so I decided to kill it by drugging myself senseless and passed out for the whole day!

Tuesday

Tuesday I was actually better but decided to take it easy. I stayed indoors with my host cousin for most of the day. Later in the afternoon I went to the local shopping mall in a little town close to Artena called the Valmontone Outlet. I thought to have a look for a handbag. (My handbag, which was a last minute and rushed decision ended up falling to pieces as I arrived in Abu Dhabi on my way to Italy!) I found a few good options but decided to wait for the local market in Artena which happened on Wednesday…

Wednesday Morning

Wednesday morning my cousin Aurora came through to meet me to go to the market – she hadn’t even known it existed… And she lives here! We looked around at the various fruit, veggies and seafood then started looking for a bag. OH MY WORD, the fashion at the market was unbelievable! Such a variety of clothing, shoes and handbags… Shopping heaven! But knowing that my luggage was already reaching tipping point, I decided to restrain myself. )I really must make a plan to get rid of some of the stuff I brought with to make space for new goodies!) Actually in the back of my mind I also have this urge to keep the little money I have available for as long as possible. So the less I spend, the happier I am and the more I can travel!

Aurora and I then decided to go for a walk for an espresso and then a granita (Italian sorbet). We both had the Amareno flavour (black cherry) and I added a swirl of Limone (lemon) to it… My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Then we walked back to my host cousin’s house and Aurora left only to collect me for dinner and a makeup lesson for her later.

Wednesday Afternoon

I walked into the house to a mussel lunch! Please note – shellfish is a huge weakness of mine! My CHEF cousin made poached mussels and clams in a tomato, white wine and garlic sauce. The mussels were from the market earlier and were SUPER fresh! I should have taken a photo of the full and delicious mussel shells but I really couldn’t wait to dig in! I even scooped up the sauce to shove straight into my mouth with no shame!

Wednesday Dinner and Makeup

Wednesday evening came and Aurora came to fetch me for dinner with her parents. We went for a sunset walk, took many photos and even met a friendly stray cat. The cats and dogs in Italy, even if stray, are cared for by the people in the neighbourhood. They feed them and give them water. There is a definite love for animals.

Then back to Aurora’s parents’ house for a dinner of:

  • Pasta Amatricana- sauce of fresh tomatoes, chopped bacon, onion and garlic, served with grated Pecorino Romano cheese,
  • Cooked Italian Salsiccia (pork sausage seasoned with fennel and aniseed) served with roast veggies and salad,
  • Then mozzarella di bufala for my taste bud’s happiness

After dinner, we cleared the table. Getting my travelling makeup kit out, I gave Aurora a quick tutorial based on things she was interested in knowing. I’m proud to say that she was very happy with the results and took many selfies!

Then we made a plan to go to Rome on Thursday…

Thursday

We still didn’t make it to Rome! Shame, this time my poor cousin Aurora, feeling too sick to make the trip, needed time to rest. I stayed home most of Thursday but was back at the Valmontone Outlet to get a handbag seeing as the market didn’t have the size I wanted. The pricing of these bags was very impressive and they were not at all cheaply made. I managed to find a big enough bag to fit my laptop and my LIFE! How much did it cost… Only 17 euros which is about R255 (South African Rand). I was highly impressed. A very good buy!

I sure had a good night’s sleep to ready myself for our trip to Rome in the morning… Finally!!!

 

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