Today is a pretty big day for all of us here at the Palace. We are all buzzing around; cleaning, preparing, organizing, giving and taking orders. While everyone is in the early stages of excitement and nervousness, I have slipped away to fill you in on the night which will most likely be one we never forget. As of yesterday afternoon, we have been in preparation for this evening’s big event. We have been dividing up food and drinks and who gets what, etc. People have been running to the grocery store, the bakery, the butcher and the fruit stand (P.S. we are putting all of our Italian lessons to good use!) all in hopes of putting on the best aperitivo this program has ever seen. In American terms means appetizers or simple little snacks to eat before the main course. Now, we aren’t talking chips and salsa with some rolls and butter. No way. The Italians take a lot of things seriously, and food is most definitely one of those. Italians make American appetizers look awful to be quite honest. Now don’t get me wrong. I love Olive Garden breadsticks and a blooming onion from Outback as much as the next girl, but Italians seem to put something special into everything they cook, even if it just a small portion of the meal. So far, being here for a little over three weeks I have experienced an aperitivo twice and both times it was amazing. Now that I think about it, I do not think I have had a bad meal since I have here in Italy. Well, except maybe the ones I cook myself… But; that is a different story altogether. Hopefully this night will be filled with good people, good memories, and really good food. I hope we dig into our inner Italian and present our Italian guests with not only some finger foods but the genuine gratitude that we have for their culture and lifestyle. But sadly, this blog post must end because I cannot be slacking on my end of the cleaning! Ciao and chi chi!
-Ellis Baxter

Getting the wine and fruit ready for aperitivo!