Blogs from Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Europe - page 32

Laura the Liar Italy is turning me into a liar. When I meet people I tell them that I am here to “study”. This is clearly not true as I attend uni for two hours on Mondays and Tuesdays, do not understand a word, frequently leave early, and even more frequently don’t even show up due to “commitments” in Milan, Florence, the Alps, or my local café. But there are also plenty of other lies, particularly to my roommates. This is not because I am a bad person, it is more a case of an inability to communicate properly in Italian, and also sometimes laziness, when saying “I understand” or “si” is so much easier than saying “no, because…” and then explaining something really complicated. For this reason one of my housemates thinks I have a ... read more

Ferrara, Day 1 The bus ride took about 5 hrs, and when we finally got here, we went straight to touring. This lasted until around 4pm, so we wre all crabby and tired since we didn't get lunch. In Ferrara, we visited the city walls, which were necessary for protection in the middle ages since Ferrara is located in a flat, lowland area much like nothern Indiana; the Palazzo Schifanoia, the d'Este playhouse; the Cimitero Israelitico, or Jewish Cemetery, where Gorgio Bassani's tomb is located; and briefly visited the d'Este Castle and Duomo in the city's historical center. Ferrara is a much smaller city than Rome or Firenze, and this difference is very noticeable in all aspects of city life. For example, during the day the city seems like a ghost town, probably because everyone is ... read more

Ah so cooking lessons on Monday nights... we basically get together, are taught by a cook that looks like a surfer boy straight out of California, then we enjoy lots of aperitivo, and then we eat whatever we just made. It has been a lot of fun. The first night we made Cappalacci which is the Ferrarese specialty, which is acorn squash/pumpkin pseudo-raviolis. Other lessons have included gnocci, cotoletta (a breaded veal filet), and melanzane alla parmigiana (eggplant parmigiana). Always a fun night which it randomly spotted with Fabio accompanying me, Riccardo (one of our student directors) and his jokes, and random host-family members (especially the adorable lil' brother of David, one of the students in my program). Don't worry, when I get back I'll make sure to make some of these for you! ... read more

Just a quick bit about my Valentine's Day... so Fabio cooked for me an EXCELLENT pasta dish with clams... the recipe: in a pot, add some olive oil, chopped garlic, peperoncini (hot pepper flakes). After some bit, add the clams. Add some white wine and cover to let them steam. After they are opened up... they are cooked and ready for some freshly cooked and drained angel hair pasta. Mix all together and serve --- absolutely scrumptious! We also dined on prosciutto crudo with bread and cheese. We were going to eat salad, but we decided to skip it and go straight to the dessert: pineapples, toast with nutella, spumante, espresso, and baci perugina. Che bella giornata di San Valentino!!! ... read more

This is the first of many assignments my program has given us, I think I did a damn good job Dear Friends and Family, Having never been to Italy before, my preconception of the Italian landscape and architecture of Parma were based off images made familiar by classic Italian artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Before coming to Parma, my only first hand encounter with true Italian culture was at the Giovanni’s Pizza place I frequent back at home. That being said, actually arriving here to see the multicolored stacked houses and winding cobblestone streets for myself was a sight both surreal and extraordinary. While Parma is a relatively quiet city in comparison to Italian metropolises like Rome or Florence, it is by no means lackluster in beauty and culture. The town is split ... read more