Recipes, The David, Trufflez, and Opera

Everything in Florence is a celebration. With so much history in one city, how can there not be tradition? And every tradition sparks new, modern ones.
I'm currently uploading pictures I have taken over the last week.
Yes, that is grass around the Duomo to commemorate the miracle of San Zanobi.
Oh, and correct, that was the David Statue on the roof of the Cathedral that I saw on my way to see the real one at L'Accademia.
Parade off winged-creatures on stilts in the middle of the "Biennale Enogastronomica" market in Piazza della Repubblica? Why not?
I love the U.S., but I wish it wasn't discovered so late. Why can't we have saints' days? And ancient art?
These are the things I'll miss when I come back home.
Daddy wrote me an email today...it ended saying he was already sad I was going to miss Thanksgiving. Well, same here. My grandmother, Mama, makes her special dressing, and I could eat it plain year-round. That recipe's going in my new beautiful recipe journal.
I've been cooking up a STORM! Last week in class, it was foccacia. (Kiss-your-fingertips-and-say-Bellisime!-good.) Then, it was Olivia's birthday carrot cake. The next night, I made my own gnocchi-for-one from scratch (yes, from potatoes!). I had to play with the recipe a good bit to cut down portion size, but it came out excellently!
This weekend I stayed in Florence, but the timing couldn't have been better. I went to the culture and immigration conference at our school, which I loved because I'm a nerd like that and I like to learn. And then it was full of roaming around Florence's huge markets; the art market behind Palazzo Strozzi, the huge traditional Tuscan food market in Piazza della Repubblica, this season's new olive oil market in Piazza Santa Croce, and the huuuuuuuge antiques market in Piazza Santo Spirito across the river on the Oltrarno.
I could help myself. I bought a small bottle of freshly-pressed, extra-green, extra-virgin olive oil, some roasted nuts, some castarone cheese, a bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano that I've been wanting to try for FOREVER, and a jar of white truffles. Yay! I made a pasta sauce with it last night. Sooooooo gooooood. There's a truffle fair in San Miniato this weekend, and I MAY just have to go.
I went to the English speaking church with Jess on Saturday night, and we saw the opera "Carmen." I loved it. I want to opera all the time. It was a small venue, so it was very intimate. Their voices were incredible. I used to want to be an opera singer as a child, and the dream came back when I was there. My friend works at a theater, so I'm getting her to tell me the dress rehearsal times so I can watch fo' free.
Around this time of year, the city of Florence plays a game with a fake David statue. It was found on top of the Cathedral, where it was actually first intended to be displayed, but they thought it would not be appreciated from afar. Then, it was brought down in front of the Cathedral.
Last night, I was walking around the city when I heard drums coming from Piazza Signoria. I followed a huge crowd and found my way to the middle. An enormous procession of trumpeters, flag-throwers, torch holders, and drummers ushered the statue on a platform into the middle of the piazza. Every member of the crowd clapped and cheered. We watched with anticipation as the platform rotated and David's face stared into the eyes of the audience. The Florentines were so proud. And so was I. Even the mayor came down from his balcony, wearing his sash across his chest. He shook hands with the flag-throwers, and they did another number as the people roared. It was one of the coolest things I've experienced.
And today, I had a short presentation in class, ate an egg-roll for lunch (I miss Chinese food. badly.), went to cooking class, and made stuffed peppers. I've got a KILLER recipe. And I feel like I own this one. I'll make it for you, Mom and Dad, when I get home over break.
Since then, I've come home, done my homework, skyped with my sissy, listened to some good music (Sufjan's new album, some Phoenix, some Broken Social Scene), and watched an episode of Glee, my new guilty pleasure.
Ahh, now I'm off to read a bit before going to bed.
Oh! Ian McEwan is coming to Florence on Weds. night. Almost makes me want to miss aperitivo. What do you do when you want two things so badly?
I guess I'll sleep on it. Arrivederci!