Favorite Memories and Mini-Update

Fortunately, for my poor mother and father who have been patiently waiting (and gently nagging) for another blog post, I wrote this during the last week of my study abroad. Each of us students were required to write a blog post about anything we wanted, so I chose to talk about three of my favorite experiences during the study abroad program.

One of the aspects of this study abroad in Italy that has surprised me the most is the reality of being able to travel to places I never thought I would. Before I started studying Italian, and even during my studies, Italy had always seemed more like a dream destination that I would maybe see someday or a pricey vacation that I would work my way up to. Even up to the point where I left for this trip, my expectations for what I would see and where I would travel to beyond Siena seemed limited; I did little planning and research for my weekends, assuming I would have little time. Well, my eyes were certainly opened, as well as Italy and my world. There were three specific moments during my short time here, where I stopped and thought, “Wow, I can’t believe I’m really seeing this,” or “Wow, that really happened?” Those three moments all happened in three different amazing cities in Italy, which also shows the span of country that I was extremely fortunate enough to visit. The three places were Firenze, Venezia, and Napoli (or in English: Florence, Venice, and Naples).

Firenze is an extremely special place and luckily, one of my friends was dying to visit the Uffizi Gallery, which houses the Medici collection of art. I am no art student or historian by any means, so I had very little knowledge of the collection and wouldn’t be able to tell a Renaissance from a Baroque work of art to save my life. After a whirlwind afternoon arriving late to our tour, I was just happy to be there and looking at all of the beautiful things in the museum. Our tour guide was interactive, personable, and distractingly knowledgeable with such great background in art history. After about 30 minutes of walking through the museum, our guide took us into a large room and right there, was the Birth of Venus painting by Botticelli. Hanging there in all its glory (amidst other noteworthy works of art that I have no idea about), it hit me like a ton of bricks – what I was looking at and the significance of the history and people that ACTUALLY happened and lived in Italy. I had seen this painting often from when I was in elementary school through European History textbooks in high school, but it obviously had very little impact in my life. Now after seeing it in real life and being so surprised that it was literally feet away from me, the Italian history and culture changed for me. Now they are more tangible and more realizable than anything I have ever experienced before.

The Birth of Venus by Botticelli; terrible picture because there were a lot of people and we were moving fast

The second time I was surprised at my location and my experience was in Venezia. One of my favorite moments from the entire trip happened on Burano, one of the little islands close to Venezia. This particular island is historically known for its Venetian lace, but is also known for its little, bright

The tiny canal and homes in Burano, a small island near Venice

colored homes along a tiny canal. On this trip to Venezia I had been looking around everywhere for the perfect mask to buy. I was on my way to find an ATM in order to go back to a little store and buy one of their masks, when we stumbled in on a little shop that accepted credit cards. The masks there were different from any I had seen in Burano, or even Venezia, so I stopped to take a look. One head form in particular, with a beautiful black tricorn hat with a black lace veil caught my eye and the proprietress was more than happy to place it on my head to see what it looked like. From there, she began to tell me that all of the masks and hats on a certain wall (behind the head form) were her own creations. Now, working in a small dress rental shop back home where creativity is necessary and having a deep, deep appreciation for the creativity and patience that are required for projects like these, I was intrigued. We had a long conversation about her masks and the process she goes through to make them. Unlike a ceramic or plastic-like material, all of her masks are made and formed from papier-mâché and once they are dry, she paints and decorates everything herself. I was just amazed by her artistry and the fact that each masks takes about 24 hours of work to complete. One thing I love about Italy is that you don't have to look very far to find an artisan who

One of the many, many, many mask shops in Venice

loves their trade (an actual trade) and are happy to share their knowledge and passion with anyone who wants to listen. After the conversation about masks, Fabiola, the shopowner, talked to us about the silk content in the types of scarves she had so we could find the best quality. She had been talking to us in English, but once we told her that we were Italian students she switched to Italian and gave us a whole mini-lecture about the history of the types of Carnivale masks that are still popular today. I could have spent the rest of the afternoon talking with her and chatting about her life and her shop. I was more than happy to spend a little bit more on souvenirs in her shop because she was willing to share so much with us. I walked away astonished and with the utmost respect for the tradesmen and women who are actually able to master a craft and hand-produce the items that they sell. Amazing.

"The Napoli Girls"  Belle, Rudy, and me; overlooking Napoli with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

My last “I can’t believe this,” moment was a random, unexpected trip to Napoli, in southern Italy. Fortunately, one of my new study abroad friends has an uncle, who is stationed in a little beachside village outside of Napoli, called Bacoli. A small group of us were able to run down there for the weekend and stay in his home, which is a stone’s throw away from the ocean.  Now, the common activities in Napoli are seeing the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii/Mt. Vesuvius, and we actually didn’t do either of those things. We did get to see some amazing views from lookout points around Napoli and we visited another destroyed city of Pompeii, called Ercalano. The coolest part of that whole weekend was the morning we were going to return to Siena. That morning we decided to take the kayaks of my friend’s uncle out into the bay for a couple hours. He had told us about how Napoli was used as a Roman vacation spot back in the day (and I mean, like, back in the day) with grand villas all along the shore. Well, through environmental shifts in sea levels, etc. over the ages many of those villas were submerged or destroyed, but the stones from the decorative mosaics still wash up on the beaches in some areas. That morning we decided to go hunting for some of those little stones, so we kayaked until we found an alcove off the water to look. We stayed for over an hour searching and came away with a mix of mosaic pieces and sea glass. As we paddled back towards the marina, I was in awe: I was in Napoli, splashing in the Mediterranean waters, in a kayak. Before I left for Italy, I never thought I would make it farther south than Rome. So this experience with the kayaks, mixed with learning about the history of Naples – which I had absolutely no knowledge of prior to my visit – made for such an unexpected and pleasant addition to my study abroad.

Lookout point near the small village Bacoli, in Napoli

These are only three examples of the amazing opportunities I have had in Italy. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have been able to do what I’ve done, and see what I’ve seen. In the short span of six weeks, I literally traveled across the whole country of Italy and met so many interesting people. Now my study abroad program has been finished for over a week now (and I haven’t done the best job at blogging throughout the last month), but I still have another two and a half weeks to travel and do fun stuff. I am currently sitting in my great aunt’s apartment in Zurich, Switzerland right now, wondering where this blog will go and what other adventures are awaiting me. I will be here in Zurich for the rest of the week, then back to Siena for the Palio - a traditional bareback horse race held twice a year in the main piazza - then potentially off to Croatia!

I have thought about how I want to continue this blog and have come up with two different things. I have a journal of all of my experiences with me, so I think when I go back to Utah I will continue to write about what I did abroad, especially if I don't get to them in the next two weeks. The other thing that may get me to blog a little bit more is answering questions that anyone may have about my trip. I know my parents have been circulating this to family and friends, so if there are any questions or curiosities that you would like to pass on through them or ask me directly, I would be happy to write a response! This way I would have something to guide my post, rather than sitting for hours trying to condense what I want to say. If not, you may see another post soon or maybe in another month. We’ll see! :)

Antonio and Italian Apertivo

Ok, so I’m catching up – slowly but surely. Although, as each day passes wifi-less, I'm getting farther and farther behind. Now I will talk a little bit about Thursday from two weeks ago, then the next post should be about the last two weekends. Luckily, the beginning of last week (Mon.-Wed.) was slower than the last week, with more time to sit and actually talk about some of the things I’ve done. My poor parents have been wondering what I have been up to all week because I can hardly talk to them. What’s worse is that the internet at my home here has been having problems for the last week, which makes it so much harder to figure out a way to type this all out. (The last post about the cooking class was first typed on my computer, photographed on my phone, re-typed into my Kindle without Wi-Fi, then formatted on blogspot on my phone with Wi-Fi so I could include some pictures…talk about a nightmare.)

Remember Antonio, the owner of the famous deli? Well Thursday, two days after the tasting with Giuliana, a few of us stopped in front of his shop. One of the girls from our group was already there, where Antonio had brought her out a huge platter of cheeses, meats, bread, wine and glasses. We stopped to chat and join in for some snacks and Antonio kept bringing out more and more for us. Once again, it was beyond what we deserved so we all decided that we would each pitch in at least €10 to show our appreciation (which is EXTREMELY cheap for the kinds of food he was bringing out). A couple of the girls had been in the day before and told us that he wouldn’t take any of the money they offered, so they basically had to throw it across the counter and run away before he could give it back to them. So, when it was our turn to pay we made a plan to run in to thank and pay him. Well, as soon as we came in he came around the counter and started to chat with us. He ended up talking with us for at least an hour probably (during business hours, no less) about the ingredients he uses when he cooks, the importance of using everything when you cook to avoid waste, the seasonality of fruit and other necessities for his food, different wines in France vs. Italy, and all kinds of other things. He talked about buying kilos and kilos of chilies and Sicilian oranges, when they are in season so they can use them throughout the year. This conversation led to him grabbing a brand new jar of a special chili sauce and opening it for us so we could each have a tiny little toothpick-size taste of the sauce. It led to him giving each of us pieces of shortbread-type cookies that use the orange and lemon rinds. One of the sauces he gave us to try when we were outside eating was even made from plums that came out of his own garden at home! A lot of the conversation came about because I told him we had just done the cooking class with the school the night before. From there he talked about the importance of understanding why Italians use what they use or do what they do when they cook. Everything he told us about his ingredients and his processes have a purpose, and he knows exactly what purpose they serve (for my Christian friends: does this sound familiar?)

One of the most profound things Antonio told us was that he doesn’t run this shop or make this food just to make money - although I’m sure he is well off. He does it because he is passionate about his food and the work that goes into producing it, and after speaking with him I believe it 100%. Many times in America, and yes, I am about to make a huge general statement here, people only start companies, businesses, or restaurants to break into the market, make money, and/or make it onto FoodNetwork or whatever foodie-magazine. The culture here is completely different, and I am starting to have the greatest respect for it. Of course, there are those in the U.S. that sincerely care for their food or their business and I realize that, but here in Italy it is not about growth and expansion to gain the greatest market share or make the CEO a billionaire. Here (at least in Siena so far) it is about producing great food and sharing the culture and history of Italy through the culinary world. Antonio also told us he doesn’t mind giving us free food or tastes of expensive goods to our group because it is his way of sharing his culture and knowledge with us. He pointed out too, that our group is attentive and respectful enough to listen and receive the information he is sharing with us, which is an awesome, awesome compliment. He told us he had a group of American students (I think with the same program but for a different year maybe?) in his shop once with their Cokes and attitudes, with no interest in the expensive wines or cheeses he was giving them free-of-charge, which I think is beyond disrespectful and insulting. Overall, I have such a deep respect for him, who works so hard because he loves what he does and is so ready to share that passion with others. In the end, we did throw the money on the register and run, but to me at least, he gave us much more than food that afternoon.

Thursday night was a great time too. Italy is known for its apertivi, appetizers. Basically, from what I understand, you buy something (usually a drink) at a restaurant and then you are free to eat as much of the appetizer-type food that you want. This happens all over Italy, at random restaurants, and daily. One of the teachers from my school, Andrea, took whoever signed up for the event to a little restaurant nearby to try out an aperitivo. I bought a glass of Prosecco (which was THE best I have tried thus far on my trip) for €4 and then enjoyed some classic Italian foods, like salads, breads, and a dish, which I believe is called Papa Pomodoro? It is like a thick tomato sauce, technically a soup that is made with day-old bread. Sounds gross, but tastes really good. After that aperitivo, some of my friends and I went to a try another aperitivo at another restaurant. Once again, we bought drinks and were able to eat what was set out for appetizers. I’ve been to a few different places for aperitivi since then and some are better than others, and they all have different kinds of snacks they offer. This night was fun because some other people from the language school came to hang out with our U of U group. We met a young doctor from Australia, an 18 year-old New Zealander, a couple girls from Spain and I think probably some Swiss people. 

From the aperitivi, our large group went over to Luna Park, a mini-theme park/carnival a short walk away from the city center. A bunch of us went on the swing ride, and this is where one of my other Moments of Contentment happened. If you know me well, you will probably know that I love swings and I love theme parks and carnivals. Put two and two together and I am the happiest little thing. While flying around on the swings, I felt amazing. Another moment where I took a second to remember that I was in Italy, on my own adventure, flying through the air looking stupid on some swings. Perfect. A lot of the boys went on the bumper cars and that was really entertaining to watch. Luna Park also has such a fun ride called “Black Out.” If you have ever been to Lagoon in Utah, there are these two rides: “Samurai” and “Cliffhanger.” The ride at Luna Park was a mix of those two, without the water. Imagine the motion of the Cliffhanger spinning around attached to the motion of the Samurai. Oh, I love it so much. I’ve been on it once after that, and probably will go at least a few more times before I leave. We hung out at Luna Park with the big group for a while, although Alaina and I went home while everyone else went to another pub. This was my whole Thursday, once again, longer than I intended but I’m happy to share.

First Cooking Class

Ciao friends and family! I apologize it has taken me so long to post on my blog, I didn't realize how many people were actually reading this silly thing. Two people is way more than I could ask for. ;) Anyways, I have done a LOT of fun things every single day since I last posted, so it may take me a few posts to catch up and the details may be condensed. With the jam-packed days we've had, I come home exhausted and not wanting to blog. Shame on me for writing so much, I have so much less motivation at midnight to blog about my day.

Where I left off last, we had visited Antonio's deli last Tuesday. Wednesday was one of my absolute favorite days so far. That was the day we had our first of three cooking classes at the school. In the afternoon, a bunch of people from our group (the entire U of U study

abroad group is around 20 people) just bought a simple lunch and sat in the Piazza to get to know each other. This was the first of what I like to call my "Moments of Contentment." Sitting in the Piazza with my new friends and without worrying about seeing everything or the stress of tourism in the beautiful weather just made me feel beyond relaxed - I could have stayed there all day long and then some. I have had a few of those moments since then , which brings me to the next one: Wednesday night's cooking class.

For an extra $200, we students have the opportunity to participate in a cooking class with the school. There are three separate classes over the course of the 5 weeks we are here and in those classes we learn to make a full four-course meal. The courses consist of  l'antipasto (appetizer), il primo piatto (first course, usually a pasta of some kind), il secondo piatto (second course, usually a type of meat or fish dish), then il dolce (dessert...so good). Most of us in the group chose to do the cooking class, so there were a lot of hands - probably too many. For the appetizer, we made two types of crostini one with mushrooms and another with honey, gorgonzola, and pears. The first course was fresh made egg-pasta with tomato sauce and an arugola pesto sauce on the side. The main course was a veal scallopine with sautéed artichokes. Then finally, the dessert was one of my all-time favorites, panna cotta with strawberries.

The kitchen was set up in mini-stations for different types of tasks, so we didn't make our own meal from start to finish. Rather, we all just helped out with a little bit of everything. I started in the pasta station, so I mixed and kneaded second of the fresh dough and I ended up working with the pasta from start to finish. While the pasta was cooling in the fridge, I went to the artichokes. I removed all of the hard leaves from the artichokes to get near the hearts, peeled the stems (thank you, Mom, for teaching me how to peel with a knife, I'm practically a pro from all of those potatoes over the years), and put them in the lemon water. I watched Luisa, the chef, prepare and cook the veal, sauté the artichokes, and make the arugula pesto. My favorite part of the class was rolling and cutting the pasta dough. I had never used a pasta machine before and it was so fun to do it and watch everyone try. After the dough had been rolled into sheets, Luisa showed us how to roll the ends of the pasta sheet up like a scroll and cut them into long noodles. They were not nearly as nicely cut as from the pasta cutter, but honestly, they tasted amazing and the looks didn't matter once they were dressed and ready to eat.

Throughout the class, I kind of followed Luisa around and just had her give me things to do. I was thinking through the class, I didn't want to seem like the over-eager kid that has to be involved with everything, but at the same time I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity

to actually cook and learn from the chefs in these classes. I love to bake at home (though I can really only make a few things), but my cooking skills aren't quite there yet. I was so excited by the idea of making fresh pasta or other dishes for my family when I go home, so I did, and plan to, take full advantage of these classes. Basically, I abandoned what other people thought of me and jumped in where I could; however, I did really try to be conscious of others and step away to let other people have their turn if they wanted it. By the time we had rolled and cut the pasta (which was the last task before we had our dinner), I was just the happiest little thing in the whole world. I had so much fun chatting with my friends, talking with the chef and another teacher, Claudio,  and keeping myself busy preparing and cooking. This was another one of my Moments of Contentment - it just felt so perfect being in there and working hard to produce a meal in Italy. I also had the thought that this class and other activities that happen while we are here in this beautiful place, are going to be what we make them to be. In direct relation to the cooking class, I thought that some kids might think that the class wasn't fun, or that it was boring, or they didn't have enough to do, etc., but I would argue that it is more likely that they didn't put enough effort into it. I mean, one of the biggest aspects of Italy's culture is the food, so why wouldn't you

want to do everything you could to get as much out of these classes as you can? Either way, whether others had a good time or not, I enjoyed myself immensely and I cannot wait for the next class. Up next: focaccia bread appetizers, pizzas, grilled veggies, and tiramisu!

After the cooking was done, the kitchen staff served us the meal we had made all evening. I was so impressed with how everything came together with all of our work and hands (which were probably more in the way than not). Sitting down to eat the meal we had produced after a few hours in the kitchen gave me a feeling of total satisfaction. Of course, I only had a small role in the bigger picture, but the idea that we had all contributed in some way, however small, made it that much more special. The dinner had great conversations, hilarious jokes, new relationships, and some delicious food. All of those things, together with the still-unbelievable fact that I am in Italy of all places, made for one of the most memorable nights for me on the trip so far.

Well, hopefully you made it this far without falling asleep. I had no intention of that being so long...but I'm glad I am able to share some of what I am experiencing here with you. I still have about 6 days to catch up on, but I'm thinking those will be a little bit quicker to explain and summarize. This day was just a special one that I want to be able to look back on and enjoy. Coming up: more Antonio, Italian aperitivi, Luna Park carnival, the Torture Museum (yikes), wine tour around Tuscany and the beach! Stay tuned.