Saturday, 3 February, 2018
As has become the custom the last few weeks, after a big day of sightseeing on Friday, today was a slow day comparatively speaking.
The morning was occupied by some light reading (Jo Nesbø's The Thirst), grading of our Thursday night scrimmage on our Skorpion's HUDL app and running a couple of errands in Venegono Superiore.
Amazingly, I also found myself also doing a cleaning of the Villa Skorpion and a load of laundry too.
In the afternoon it was time for some sunny daytime Skorpion practices.
The U13s were on the Skorpion field
As I said, the Sun was out making it . . .
a BEAUTIFUL day for American football!
End of the Senior Practice
The turn out was good and we got a lot accomplished today.
Our defense is learning how to run to the ball more consistently. Our ability to tackle has, so far, looked solid too.
Offensively we are improving as quickly as our young, inexperienced line is allowing us to progress. Still, little by little, we are progressing here too.
I think that the 20 minutes/practice that we are committing daily to the Kicking Game is paying off handsomely as well.
Our first scrimmage will be held on our field on Sunday, 11 February against a solid Verona Mastini club that went 8-2 in 2017 DII play.
It will be a good way to find out where we stand.
In the evening, I was invited to join several of our Skorpion coaches and Board members for dinner with their families.
The Caprioli Family
Stefania, Carlotta and Pietro
If you need anything done for the Skorpions, then Pietro is your man, no task too difficult.
As for the important question, where do the family's calcio (soccer) loyalties lie?
Carlotta doesn't like calcio.
Stefania is a Juventus fan. I like her regardless of this flaw.
Pietro is an AC Milan fan. Another reason to like him!
Tonight Team Caprioli graciously gave me a ride to the sight of our dinner, the Trattoria di Torba in nearby Torba di Gornate Olona.
Two dangerous men with
some money in our pockets
Pietro is also a Philadelphia Eagles fan.
Thus the Super Bowl pitting his Eagles against the New England Patriots, which kicks off at 12:30 a.m. Monday morning local time, will be of special interest to him this year.
"Fly Eagles fly . . ."
Dinner was the usual three+ hour, fully social affair with about 20 people in attendance.
This Trattoria is run by two sisters, Paola and Daniela Zanotto, in an ancient building (is there any other type in Italy?) with some great old furnishings.
As for the food . . .
MAMMA MIA!
I would have been happy with just the starter plates which just kept coming and coming. It was an amazing assortment of aromas, tastes and colors.
But, in the final analysis, as good as they were, they were just the starters after all.
Rich, red Italian wine was indeed flowing at all times.
On to the primo piatti!
This is usually a pasta dish of some sort and I had a choice to make.
I ordered the gnocchi in an incredible gorgonzola cheese sauce that was perfetto!
I had died and gone to Heaven.
I was also full!
Or so I thought.
Then Enzo Petrillo, sitting next to me played the "Mangia, Mangia, Mangia" card.
Against my better judgement, he coerced me into ordering a secondo piatti, a meat or fish dish.
I went with the polenta served with a beef stew. Enzo had me add some gorgonzola cheese to the polenta which gave it a great flavor. It all tasted so good but I was so full.
I tried but I just could not finish it.
I was a broken man in front of my new friends.
I tried to recover by eating a dessert and having a café and a limoncello with the group.
Lessoned re-learned, in Italy the food is rich, order only a primo piatti OR a secondo piatti, but never both.
It was a wonderful night with a fun group of people who are doing all they can to make me welcome in my new home city.
It's GREAT to be a Skorpion!
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