Buonasera (good afternoon) from Ariccia, Italy!
The Chigi Babies are officially halfway through our second week here at the Chigi Palace in Ariccia, and we are finally settling into a semi-normal routine, or as normal of a routine that we can get into, being in a foreign country and all. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how breathtakingly beautiful the town of Ariccia is. On our first evening here we took a walking tour of the town, and as Maurizio, our Ariccia-born Resident Director, guided us around, it was very clear his love and passion lies in this historic city. As the tour ended so did our first day here, and we all watched our new town turn a soft pink, as the sun began to set over Ariccia.
One of my favorite parts about Ariccia is how fresh all the produce is here. Being a vegan, I was nervous to venture into a country famous for it’s meats and cheeses, but thankfully it has been incredibly easy and cheap to find the freshest veggies and fruits I have ever eaten. Every Monday there is a market, with booths set up, where locals sell fruits and vegetables straight from the valley in Ariccia, including mangos, giant sweet peppers, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, apples, and more! There are also booths that sell clothes and other reasonably priced goods.
Albano, the town adjacent to Ariccia, has a restaurant named Fustock Birreria, and it has quickly become one of our favorite go-to pizza spots. The menu even has pizza marinara, so the vegano (vegan) can eat too! I am excited to continue exploring all of the various restaurants and shops that Ariccia and Albano have to offer over the upcoming weeks.
Last night a couple of us were looking at what the next ten and a half weeks are going to bring, and we realized just how fast this all is going to fly by, so to my fellow Chigi Babies, as we explore and uncover all the wonders of Italy and its neighboring countries, lets make these next few months absolutely unforgettable, and to the readers at home, I hope you all enjoy experiencing Europe through our words and pictures!
Arrivederci (goodbye) for now!
Rebecca Price

Our First Sunset in Ariccia!