5/27/2024 Carrara Mable, Home-hosted Lunch

Carrara, a town originally built by the ancient Romans to house workers in the nearby quarries, is situated along the Carrione River.

To get there, you must navigate the winding slopes of the Apuan Alps Mountains, which increases the danger for truck drivers who extract about 15,000 tons of marble daily. 

This is where Michelangelo's block of white marble to sculpt his David came from.

Carrara marble is considered the gold standard in luxury, but its extraction is taxing on the body and the mind.

Romy and Susan are exhausted 

from just watching the process.

The boss notices they both 

are shirking their duties.

For our home-hosted lunch in Marina di Carrara, we were sorted into 3 different groups. Our hosts were Christina and Marco. After introductions, we shared a strong alcoholic aperitif concocted by Marco while Christina prepared an antipasto of bruschetta, pasta with red sauce, and cheeses and dolci (dessert). 

Before the pasta was about to be served, I asked the wife and her husband if they tested the doneness of their pasta by throwing it on the wall (if it sticks, it's ready). Neither of them hesitated to answer that yes, they both do it. (So it was true after all.)

Toward the end of dinner, a cell phone started ringing and ringing. We all checked our phones, but none of them was suspect. Then, we tried to pinpoint its location (which seemed to be behind Jerry, where there was a small stereo setup). When the ringing stopped, we all checked our phones once again. Somehow, Jerry pulled two phones from his pocket with no idea how the ringing one ended up there. At that point, our hosts answered it. Good thing since Julia, our trip leader, was calling to let us know she was on her way to pick us up.