My blog is beginning to feel somewhat like my journal… but
maybe a little less to the extreme.
Sometimes in my journal I begin the entry saying that I felt bad for not
writing in so long, but I look to my last entry and I realized I only missed a
day. But that’s a good thing I
suppose!
Anyhow, my last couple days have been full of new and
exciting adventures. From a day long cooking class at a professional cooking
school only a short bus ride away in the hill town of Tuscania to a trip to the
tallest man made waterfall in the world, Cascate di Marmore, my recent experiences have definitely been outside
the norm for me. Friday evening I
was dining at a restaurant in San Martino until 11:30 pm at night with 4
Italian families and yesterday I was invited to lunch at one of the families’
houses that I tutor for. It’s
definitely been a busy yet exciting week!
I can also say I feel quite privileged that a few of the
families I tutor for have been taking me under their wing and inviting me over
to eat on a regular basis- it’s definitely been a highlight of my time here in
Viterbo. They really give me a true sense of how life is lived here in this
small town. Even though most of
the families don’t speak an ounce of English, their sense of humor and bright
personalities bring warmth and ease to our often choppy and fragmented
conversations.
Since so much has been going on, and I have so much I’d like
to share, I just decided to split it up day by day.
So, here are my last few days of
adventures:
Friday 9/28
 |
| A main kitchen/ dining area in Bscolo Etiole Acadamy, Tuscania |
At 8:45 in the morning my classmates all met up at a bus
stop outside the walls for the Italian Cuisine and Mediterranean Diet. We were headed off to Boscolo Etoile
Acadamy, a culinary art school rested between the small town of Tuscania and a
plethora of quiet rolling green hills.
As soon as I arrived the aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the air
and it excited me with the wonders of all the great cooking adventures that
were to come. The class has 5 days
throughout the rest of the semester to be spent here at the cooking school, so
I was excited to find out what this would all be about.
After filing out some paperwork we were ushered into a room
with a cooking area and staggered seating set up so everyone could have a great
view of the front of the room. We
were all set with packets of recipes… the day was dedicated to dulci, dulci
dulci! The recipes included: Tortino
Al Cioccolato (Chocolate Lava Cake), Crema
Inglese (English Custard), Tentatori
(meringue), and Pasta Frolla
Montata (similar to Madeleine
Cookies). We were only given the
Italian names, so I was a bit nervous that they would be similar to desserts
that I’ve already tried here in Viterbo so far. None have been my favorite, (from the textures to the
dryness) and if you know me, I usually like to stick to the basics. There is almost never a Friday
afternoon at home that you will not find me baking chocolate chip cookies or
something similar of the sort. But
life’s all about trying new things… and come to think of it… I don’t even know
if before that day I’ve ever tasted meringue. So I studied each recipe, and when I noticed that several
recipes included fresh Lindt chocolate, I knew that things couldn’t be all that
bad.
 |
| Helping the Instructor make Crema Inglese... multo buona! |
The class is fairly big so it was set up so that for each recipe
four students would be able to come up to the front and help. So on each turn four students would
come up, put on an apron and a fancy little cap, and help the instructor make
the dessert. On my turn, I helped
make the chocolate custard and poured a serving into each glass. After I emptied the melted chocolate
into the mixing bowl I was just imagining how good it would have tasted… until
the instructor tossed it in the sink.
If I was at home, my sisters and I could have liked that spatula
clean!!! Dang.
 |
| Tortino al Cioccolato |
After a day long of baking and sampling our creations the group
went over to a local park to cool off and relax until the public bus would
arrive to take us home. I was
definitely exhausted… and my day wasn’t even half way over.
 |
| Crema Inglese topped with Tentatori |
After washing up and taking a much-needed nap, I walked over
to a bus stop at 8pm to be picked up for dinner with the families that I tutor
for. I think I’m finally
understanding that time runs a little differently here. If they say 8, it means after 8, while
at home, I would always try and make an effort to be a little early. But when you’re
20 minutes early, and they’re 20 minutes “late”, that ends up being 40 minutes
waiting at a bus stop without somewhere to sit. But it wasn’t that bad because the whole time I watched a
four way intersection operate without stop signs or traffic lights. Somehow, probably by magic, nobody ever
had to stop, and the traffic just kept on flowing. It was quite amazing.
 |
| Pasta Frolla Montato and Tentatori |
The lady that hired me, Giusy, picked me up with her
husband, two kids, and their two friends.
I don’t know how we all squished into the small 4-passenger car, but we
managed …driving is definitely a different activity than it is in the US. We arrived at the restaurant in San
Martino at about 8:30 where all the families met us at the entrance. I gave the usual Italian greeting to
the women I knew already, a kiss on each cheek, and made all the conversation I
could in the small amount of Italian I knew. After maybe about 15 minutes greeting and chatting we made
it into the restaurant. On the way
in, I noticed the entire pathway to the entrance lined with about 9 foot tall
Hydrangea plants with bunches of flowers larger than the width of my hand. I wanted to bad to take a photo but it
was already dark.
After making it in, we were lead to a very long table
towards the back of the restaurant.
It was beautifully decorated, very simple yet elegant. From soft tones of creamy yellow to
splashes of tomato red, it was an authentic and felt quite homey and
natural. People swarmed at the
tables, sharing glasses of wine and small conversations. Everyone was smiling and relaxed and
all that filled the air was the musical sounds of Italian and the smell of
fresh baked herbs and breads. I couldn’t wait for the delicious meal to come.
At the table, all the men sat at the head, the women in the
center, and the children at the end.
Everyone seemed quite happy to see eachother and catch up on everything
from politics to family life. I
mostly listened when the conversation went to Italian and as some of the women
spoke English, I was able to participate a bit more. Another difference between Italian and American dining is
the involvement of the waiter/ waitress.
You don’t make much conversation with them, and they are friendly but
they almost seem to vanish before you even notice they were there. But somehow, they get you what you need
when you need it, so the service was very good. Also, you don’t tip at restaurants in Italy, rather, they
add on a coperto, or service charge,
which includes covering the costs of dining in, bread, and service. It seemed a bit odd to me when I first
heard about it, but the waiters and waitresses I’ve had have always been just
as friendly.
Throughout the dinner, several different pizzas were brought
out. From funghi to sausigge, to
margherita and melanzana. And were
they delicious?! They use
mozzarella cheese as well but it’s a world of different between the cheese used
here compared to the cheese used at home.
It tastes so much fresher, and the fact that their sauce is a lot more
simple and tastes a lot more like tomatoes, it seems to make the flavor of the
cheese shine. They ended up
bringing several kinds of pizzas over the course about an hour and a half, so I
got to taste several.
After dinner was finished the waiter took our order of
gelato. I got my favorite, fior
di latte (similar to vanilla in the states,
but so much better), and decided I felt a little in the mood too for ciocolato
too. Here, they always ask if you
want it with whip cream, or panna. Of course I said yes. Even though I don’t like whipping cream
at home, I love it here because it tastes a lot more fresh and it’s a lot more
thick and creamier. Though we
finished eating, and everyone was done with dessert, everyone stayed a lot
longer and chatted for quite awhile after. Even after we all left the restaurant, everyone chatted for
another ½ hour outside before everyone got in their cars. So by the time we left, it was about
11:30. So, added, up, we were
there for 3 whole hours!
It was definitely a new experience dining with the 4 Italian
families for the first time. Time
just flows so entirely differently at meals. The dining experience is more based on social interaction
than the food. Where at home, I
seem to go in, order, wait for the food, eat it, and leave. But here, it’s a different story. You arrive, you chat, seemingly without
food even on your mind. Everyone
is just so happy to see eachother and spend time in another’s company. And when the food arrives, you are
almost surprised, because you almost forgot you were expecting it. The fact that the dinner lasted 3 hours
pretty much sums up the differences in an of itself, but even though it was a
long time, nobody seemed impatient or rushed. Of course they have things to do, but people here really
seem know how to appreciate the time they have, especially when it comes to
spending time with family and friends.
The idea is a pretty straightforward one but it didn’t
really sink in until a conversation at the dinner table with Giusy. She asked if I ate dinner with my
family because someone told her that people in America don’t really eat
together. She continued saying
that she heard that people are so busy that they just kind of come home and eat
when they are done with work or activities, so usually its not really with the
whole family. At first I almost
combated the suggestion, saying that of course we eat together in America. We aren’t anti social and we love our
families and friends too. But
then, when I got to really thinking about it, I realized that there was a lot of
truth to her point. My family does
eat together a lot, but oftentimes everyone is so busy that it’s not really put
at the top priority that we share it together. My mom and dad work, my sisters have more activities then my
fingers can count, and so much of the time people are warming up food 2 hours
after it was actually made. Of
course my family eats together a lot, and my mom enjoys cooking a good meal for
a family to share; but it’s definitely of a different priority in the here in
Italy.
 |
| <3 La mia bella famiglia <3 |
I guess the whole thing just made me really appreciate my
family and realize that of all things spent, time is the most important thing
when it comes to family and friends.
Of course we all “know this”, but do we really? There is a huge difference between what
we say we know and what we actually do.
When is the last time you sat down with all of your family, with not a
rush in the world, and just spent time? I guess I’m really realizing how rushed
things really are back home. Yes,
my classes here are not at all difficult and I don’t have a part time job to
keep me busy either, but it’s just the whole sense of time and lack of rush or
urgency. Of the several things I
plan on bringing home with me, on top of a few gifts and odds and ends
souvenirs, I’m brining home lots and lots of time. Time to waste and time to spend. Time to just not look at the watch and just live and
experience with those I love and those I care about. And if you want, I can bring home some time home for each
and every one of you. ;-)
Saturday 9/29
Saturday was a brilliant day as well. It was a sunny day
with beautiful scenery guiding us to our destinations of Marmore and
Spoleto. I wished there wasn’t a
window between the camera lens and the painted green hills dotted with pastel
colors of the Italian hillsides.
From passing lush forests to dense hillsides with green and splotches of
golden yellow to long garden plots, it was a little easier to not fall asleep
against the lull of the buss engine and long windy roads.
 |
| The Roman Theater of Spoleto |
It was a class trip for Italian Hill Towns, History through
Urban Form, so it was a chance to study the architecture of the area,
oftentimes trying to guess the history of each building and the year each brick
was made. Yes, I’m not kidding
when I say each brick. As
interesting as it is, I often get caught up in other things such as
observations of the hillsides, the local people of the area, and of course the
beautiful flower pots that often adorn the areas outside of shops and
buildings. A side point here, but
in my free time, the romantic that I am, I love to write about fictional
places, not really concrete places I’ve actually seen in real life or in
magazines. But the funny thing is,
some of these places looked oddly familiar. Form the lush color of the green grass to the way the hills
carry themselves on into the sunset to the way ancient arches would almost
perfectly break up the colors of things.
Yet how it seemed so meant to be.
I almost just wanted to place myself there in a summer dress with a
brown dappled color horse and a picnic basket packed for two. That’s often where my mind goes on the
field trips… as badly as I wanted to know whether or not the specific brick,
two spots down from the left was created in the 11th century or 12th
century. I guess I am an English
major for a reason...
We started out by visiting the Hill town of Spoleto in
Umbria region. The city is settled
against a backdrop of mountains and has, like most every Italian city, a long
and rich history. The town was
first founded by the Umbris and the Etruscans and later fell under Roman
rule. But in the 12th
century it was governed by the church so it was during this period that many of
the towns several artistic triumphs and fine monuments were created.
 |
| The stunning Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, Spoleto |
The tour began with the sight of the Roman Theater that
dates back to the first century AD.
When it was in use it could host as many as three thousand spectators to
watch anything from acrobatic shows and boxing to juggling and plays. From there we walked down through the
streets to see the famous Duomo
(cathedral) also known as Cattedrale
di Santa Maria Assunta. It actually came by surprise for me because the group was just
meandering down through the streets of the city when we turned a corner and all
of a sudden down a plethora of steps, was sitting a beautiful church that
seemed to just bolt itself into the sky above. It seemed almost magical that amongst these quiet shops and
cobblestone streets stood such a magnicificent building. It was definitely a special treat to go
in and tour the church and admire all the beautiful frescos painted almost on
every wall and ceiling.
 |
| Bellissimo Arcobaleno! (Marmore) |
After a half the
day spent in Spoleto, we packed our things and headed to Marmore to enjoy the
rest of the day admiring the tallest man made waterfall in the entire
world, Cascate delle Marmore. The project was started by the Romans
because the nearby river, Velino, would flood and create wetlands. The stagnant water was thought to have
brought Malaria to the people, so canals were created to make the water
flow. This created other problems though, so several projects underwent
until the waterfall was finally completed in 1598. The waterfall is 541
feet tall, which makes it one of the tallest in Europe, and the tallest man
made waterfall in the entire world.
It was a sunny day, warm, but not too hot, so it was a
perfect day walk up and down the stairs that followed the waterfall from the
mouth to the base. The group raced
up and down, getting snapshots of everything from the musky green algae that
grew along the rocks to the creeks and small waterfalls that hid alongside most
every corner. It was amazing to me
thinking how much we as a human race were able to such drastically change the
entire ecology of the area. The
fauna native to here though was thriving too. There was wild cyclamen covering the hillsides, which thrive
here because of the warm and moist Mediterranean climate. The fragile violet blooms with their thin
lanky necks moved in unison with the thick humid air that pushed out from the
waterfall. I had fun examining
each one, and feeling their thick velvety petals on each of my fingers. I was
definitely excited to finally find some wildflowers growing and spend time
amongst the more natural creations as opposed to man made (though I do
recognize the waterfall is not exactly natural). Most of our trips thus far have mainly consisted of more
developed areas so I was taking in every bit of the outdoors that I possibly
could.
 |
| Soaking wet! With my friends Jessica & Heather. |
When we reached the top, there was a little cave to walk
through with a little balcony like outlet at the end where you could stand
close enough to the waterfall that there was literally no choice but to get
soaking wet. I love waterfalls, so
I definitely wasn’t going to miss out on this opportunity. So I ran out and let the water soak me
from head to toe. The water was so
thick and cool and it felt so good against the humidity and warmth of the day.
The busy weekend definitely added some spunk to the few
quiet days I had in the last week. It made me realize too just how much I need
to appreciate and relax when I have days without trips or things planned rather
than feel like I should have something to do. It isn’t difficult though as Sundays here are very quiet as
most every shop and store around town is closed. There are only a few grocery stores and cafes open here and
there and the streets are so quiet.
Mondays are similar as many restaurants and stores treat it as an
additional day of R & R.
 |
| A beautiful view of Cascate delle Marmore |
But before I can look forward to too many days of R& R,
I have a busy month ahead of me.
This Friday (yesterday, 10/5)
will be spent in Rome just touring around with friends and next week will be
the Field Study touring, ……… and
the weekend after we will be visiting Perugia, the home of the famous Peruguina
chocolate company. The city will
be hosting a large chocolate festival, which you can probably assume from
reading this post that I’m super excited for. That same day we will be taking a train in the evening to
stay the night in Assisi where we will spend the rest of the following
day. It’s a lot of traveling, so
I’m a little stressed about it but overall pretty excited.
I also just booked my tickets for Austria for November 1st
through the 6th last night!
I’m so excited to visit my Uncle and the town my mom grew up in that is
so much a part of my family’s heritage.
I look forward to sharing my journey with you all! Alrighty, well… hope you enjoyed this
painfully long post. My next post
won’t probably be for at least a week, as I probably won’t be bringing my
laptop with me. All for now!
Ciao. A
presto!
(To see more photos of Spoleto & Marmore you can see them on snapfish. Creating an account only involves creating a username and password. To see, click this link.
(To see more photos of Spoleto & Marmore you can see them on snapfish. Creating an account only involves creating a username and password. To see, click this link.
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