Livin' la dolce vita

Most of you probably already know that Jen studied abroad in Florence, Italy (that's Firenze for all you hard core Italo-philes out there), and if you've ever talked to her about her experience, you've undoubtedly heard stories about Father Bruno Segatta. Equal parts Bear Grylls, Michaelangelo Buonarroti and Mother Teresa, Father Bruno could be the patron saint of self discovery. Throughout the year Jen spent in Italy, Father Bruno took her and her fellow Florentines on a myriad of excursions throughout Europe, from multi-day hikes through Cinque Terre (ask Jen about sleeping on the helo pad), to a marathon bus trip to Poland (24 hours straight), to wandering through ancient ruins in Turkey (her friend Alissa had a broken leg so they wheeled her around the crumbled pillars and statues). Talk to students that studied with Bruno, and he takes on an almost larger than life persona; in your mind's eye you can imagine him tromping across the hillsides of Tuscany with a walking stick in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other, and a sleeping bag and pack strapped to his back. I first met him at Matt and Cara's wedding a few weeks ago in Spokane. After our introductions, Bruno told us that he would be performing a wedding in LA in a few weeks, and Jen convinced him to come stay with us for a few days prior to heading north for the nuptials. He accepted, and I'll be honest, I was a little apprehensive about the prospect of a 3 day visit from a 67 year old priest I'd met only once. It was amazing. Each morning and afternoon Bruno would take us on a walk to Starbucks for tea and coffee, and on Wednesday Bruno and I went with Dan, Alex, and Jess to Cardiff State Beach for a surf. Bruno didn't surf with a board, but he did bodysurf after an hour long run. The guy's amazing.
Hands down, my favorite part was the cooking. Or maybe the eating. Okay, so it was the eating. Each day Bruno would take us to the store to procure the ingredients for that night's feast. The first night: hand-crafted pizza with toppings chosen by our guests (Patty, Krissy, Jenny, Nate and Laura), home made bread, and our cups ran-eth over with vino rosso. Night two: home made spinach and ricotta ravioli with a delicious meat sauce, more home made bread, and more vino. Night three: sausage with potatoes and tomatoes, repeat on the bread, and repeat on the wine. For three days, we ate like Italian royalty, but the best part was our friends coming over to enjoy it with us. It was great to have an excuse to have everyone over and to break out all the platters and bowls we we received as wedding gifts but have never actually found an occasion to use. The best part of Bruno's visit, though, was that he painted us not two, not three, but four paintings! He's an extremely talented painter, and he sells his paintings to raise money for a number of causes, most often and most notably an orphanage in Uganda. Jen and I couldn't have been more excited to receive the paintings, and we're so happy that we could support his work! Thanks for visiting, Bruno!