Four Days....

Today is Tuesday which means I only have four more days in Sansepolcro. Yes I am traveling for two weeks but the thought of not coming home to Sansepolcro in the happiest way I can word it is heart wrenching! How can I say goodbye to a place that feels like my home, people who have welcomed me into their lives, and is absolutely beautiful. Last night was my last dinner with my host family. After being fed entirely too much food (four types of pizza, and tiramisu) Molly and I sat and just talked to my family in the best Italian I could muster, which wasn’t too bad! Just sitting around the kitchen table with three year old Francesco running and climbing all around, Riccardo attempting to put together the toy we had bought for him, and Margarita (my adorable fifth grader) happily talking was really special. Between three papers, and two Italian tests I haven’t had a lot of time to think about leaving but when I take a breath the first thing I think of is how I cannot image what it is going to be like not living in Sansepolcro. How do you say goodbye to people who you might never see again, but have yet impacted your life in so many ways? In order to contradict these feelings I have recently begun to stay up late partly because of all the work, but also because I am honestly afraid of missing anything in my last few days. I absolute love it here and don’t want to leave. Too many goodbyes and not enough time.

Perugia, Pisa, and Pancakes

This was my final long travel break in Italy and last weekend I sat, and thought where I wanted to go in Italy and honestly came up blank. The only thing I could think of was how much I am going to miss Sansepolcro. The conclusion I came to was that the only thing I really wanted to do was to stay and enjoy this little city I have grown to love so much! Sansepolcro has really become my second home, and I cannot imagine being anywhere else than right here! This weekend I was able to see Perugia, Pisa, and spend the time I needed in Sansepolcro.

On Friday I decided to revisit Perugia, since the last time I was there the city had been overtaken with chocolate. A ride on the smallest two car train had us there in a little over an hour. Since I had already visited Perugia I had a vague idea of where I was going (which is always nice). I was able to do enjoy the historic architecture and actually see all the shops. After what seems like a week of rain I finally saw a hint of sun on the way, and also in Perugia! We met up with three of our friends from Citta’ di Castello for lunch at a small but very nice restaurant. The restaurant was down off a side street, and not someplace I would have been able to find on my own (the street was a little dark), but it had a cozy atmosphere and delicious food. Having lunch with three Italians is to say the least an experience. It was helpful to have suggestions on what to order, and added another dimension to the conversation. At times I felt as if I was in a tennis match; I would try to understand the fast flowing Italian but by the time it took me to catch a few words and piece them together and attempt to decipher the meaning I was too far behind. I have come to the realization that to understand Italian I need to be spoken to very slowly, loudly, and in simple sentences. We all walked around Perugia and found a Grom, which now in my opinion the best gelato I have had so far in Italy. The ride back to Sansepolcro was significantly quicker because we were in a car (thanks Nico!) and also gave a stunning view of all the city’s lights in the distance. The day was rounded out perfectly with a movie and all of us curled up on the sofa!

On Saturday I took a trip to Pisa. Even though I was told that the only thing to do in Pisa was to take a picture with the leaning tower, that was exactly why I wanted to go. I couldn’t even fathom leaving Italy without the stereotypical picture holding up the tower. We traveled three hours to reach Pisa and the saving grace was that grey skies managed not to soak us. We took our pictures with the tower (we got a lot of laughs over the whole thing) because we looked a little ridiculous. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is more commonly known in Italy as La Torre di Pisa and is a freestanding bell tower. The tower is leaning because of a weak foundation and unstable soil. It was completed in three stages over a period of 177 years. I know it might sound funny but, trust me, the tower is really leaning, and quite odd looking. Restoration on the tower (cleaning of the stone) began in the 1990’s and is due to be finished at the end of this year. One of my favorite parts of the trip was watching a tourist group being unloaded and immediately begin to walk on the grass. This was funny because there were clear signs that forbade anyone to walk on the grass. As we started back towards the train station we wondered (with a smile) where the l’erba polizia (the grass police) were!

On Sunday we made pancakes for our Italian friends. We had lost a bet, so we had to make pancakes (we didn’t mind though!). Italian card games are much more challenging when you play with Italians who have a whole system of signals. Another reason why I think they won (I am a very competitive card player) is they would tell each other what cards they had in Italian; this completely unfair because we had no language that we could speak in that wouldn’t be understood ( if only I knew pig Latin). Getting everything together to make the pancakes was an adventure. Since our bus from Arezzo to Sansepolcro would have us getting in after the grocery stores closed ,and they are not open on Sunday, we decided to do our grocery shopping in the time we had (it wasn’t very long) in Arezzo. We ran into the store and began to grab eggs, milk, flour, chocolate, butter, orange juice, and a few other necessities. It was a miracle that we made it onto the bus with all of our bags and back to Sansepolcro without one egg breaking. About twenty minutes before our friends arrived the next morning I had a slight moment of panic when I realized that I needed baking powder for the pancakes to be fluffy. Luckily Dr. Webb helped me find some in the palazzo and graciously let us use her kitchen to do the cooking. Thankfully everything went off without a hitch! It only took us about an hour after the guests arrived to have the food ready but I think the pancakes were worth the wait. I spent the afternoon working on a puzzle (it is 1500 pieces, and we hope to finish it before we leave) and since the constant downpour of the day had yet to stop we all decided to put on our raincoats, hats, and umbrellas and take a walk in the rain. Even though it was cold, and we ended up completely soaked, the walk was relaxing and had us in the café enjoying a coffee when it was finished. Wow, another spectacular weekend!

"Gubbio, Family Dinners, and Friends"

I have less than a month left in Italy, and it seems that every day I fall more in love with this wonderful country. I feel like a plant that has finally put roots down in my new home and in a short time I will be uprooted! It seems that as soon as though I have a grasp on the language, culture, and feel part of the community (no longer like a tourist!!) my time here starts to wind down. My saving grace is that every day seems to bring new adventures and new experiences, and great memories. My first Italian family dinner, new acquaintances, and another beautiful Italian town were just a few things packed into another spectacular weekend in Italia.

I have learned that in Italy family is the foundation of life. On Friday I had my first dinner with my host family, which was even more exciting because I teach two of the three children! Molly and I had dinner with Sara, Giorgio and their three children Margarita, Riccardo, and Francesco. Margarita is in my fifth grade class and Riccardo is in my first grade class. The youngest son, Francesco is three and the most adorable little Italian boy ever! Molly and I were warmly welcomed into their home that was filled with the aroma of tomato sauce. Little Francesco (or Franci as he was fondly referred to by his parents) peaked from behind his mother’s legs and Riccardo smiled shyly. Dinner was very cozy with all seven of us seated around a table eating pasta with tomato pancetta sauce, roast pork, bread, and to my surprise French fries (I found out later that three other families also served French fries). I first thought that my family served us French fries because we are American, but after I asked the children if they liked them I realized that they are a stereotypical American food that has been incorporated into Italian culture. Between Molly and me, we were able to keep a steady flow of conversation in Italian. I loved my family, and they made me feel instantly at home.

This weekend I was also able to hang out with my new Italian friends whom I made on Halloween night. Italians around my age are very fun to converse with, but much to my dismay still correct my Italian when I speak (I guess it can be a plus for improving my conversational skills). I have learned new card games, or learned the correct way to play the Italian card game Scopa (I was told on multiple occasions that I was not playing correctly). I also taught them some American card games which I think they enjoyed. Most surprising is how we communicate. It is a mixture of Italian and English with the Americans explaining a concept in Italian and then the Italians translating to his friends who didn’t understand, and the Italians trying to explain something to us in English when I could better understand in Italian. It’s all very confusing with two languages flying around, but at the same time fun!

On Saturday morning (quite early in the morning) we all took a bus to Gubbio, a town about an hour’s bus ride away in the region of Umbria, and a town that dates back to the Bronze Age. Gubbio is also known for the discovery of the Eugubine Tables, or a set of bronze tablets that are the largest surviving text in ancient Umbrian. Before I traveled to Gubbio the only knowledge I had of the town was it is the arch rival of Sansepolcro (Sansepolcro plays Gubbio in the Balestra or cross bow tournament), and according to all of the local Italians I asked there is nothing to do in Gubbio; it is only una bella citta or a beautiful town. Similar to Sansepolcro Gubbio is also a walled town, but the buildings are almost entirely built of stone whereas Sansepolcro contains primarily plaster covered buildings. I was thrilled to find out that we would take a chair lift to the top of a hill to see the Basilica of Sant’Ubaldo (the night before I had been told that the chair lift might not be open at this time of year). The chair lift consisted of small bird cage shaped ‘chairs’ that held two standing people. The difficulty was that they never stopped. Two of us would stand on large red dots and as the chair rounded the corner we would jump in with the assistance of a worker who would then latch the gate. Getting off was a similar process that involved using the arm of a cute young Italian to hop down. The lift carried me up to the top of the large hill that provided the backdrop on the beautiful city of Gubbio. About 20 feet below my feet was a rocky and tree covered terrain that was dotted with the last of the fall colors.

The Basilica of Sant’Ubaldo is named for its bishop Saint Ubaldo Baldassini who helped Gubbio win a battle in 1151. The church held the large wooden prisms that are used to hold small statues of Saints in the Corsa Dei Ceri, or a run, on May fifteenth that carries the statues from Gubbio up to the top of the mountain. The wooden prisms are each four meters tall and weigh about two hundred and eighty kilograms. In person they are very impressive! The area near the Basilica was surrounded in trees draped with moss and lichen, giving it a distinctive and regal feeling. After visiting Gubbio I was able to see a section of rock just outside of the main city that was once part of the sea bed but had been uplifted. This portion of rock had a section with a high level of Iridium, which is an element not commonly found on earth but mainly in meteorites. This section of rock represents the K-T geologic boundary. The K-T boundary is a geological formation that has a band that separates rock from the Cretaceous and Tertiary period. This rock has been tested to see if it can provide evidence for a meteorite being the cause for the death of the dinosaurs. Being able to actually touch a rock that is about a million years old and significant to the science community was exhilarating!

I have visited so many neat and wonderful places in Italy and it is heart wrenching that my time here is winding down. I love trying to use my Italian as much as I can but I have also found that Italians love to practice their English with us (making it difficult to choose). Gubbio was another charming and fascinating city I have visited and like Sansepolcro has rich history and traditions. A movie night, a Sansepolcro soccer game, cooking class, studying, multiple trips to the café for coffee, and lot and lots of homework rounded out the weekend.

"When in Rome....."

Rome in my opinion is the city of life (it is known as the Eternal City). Paris might be the city of lights, but Rome is full of rich and ancient history. The Coliseum, Roman Forum, and Pantheon are a few of the ancient ruins and monuments that are intertwined with the new buildings of Rome. The contrast between the skyscrapers in cities such as New York City and the mixture of old and new in Rome was clearly visible. The Coliseum and Roman Forum were two of my favorite sites in Rome. I was able to enjoy them in the beautiful sunny and seventy degree weather with only a few interruptions of large tourist groups (I am excluded from the stereotypical tourist group because I have been in Italy for over two months). Rome was not only beautiful but the four days I spent there were magical.

Rome, or Roma as the Italians refer to it, is the capital city of the Italian Republic. Rome is the largest city in Italy and is also an ancient city. Rome is believed to be founded in 753 BC by the native Roman population (the date is based on a mythological account), but historians think it was in 625 BC. Rome was ruled by the Roman Senate which is commonly referred to as the Roman Republic, and is named for its first ruler Romulus. Romulus and Remus were twins who were said to have been raised by a she-wolf. Together they decided to build a city. Romulus killed Remus after an argument and named the city after himself. Not only is the image of the twin boys and the wolf displayed in metal and stone sculptures all over Rome but is also on tourist t-shirts, hats, trinkets, and bags.

On my first day in Rome I was able to see the Pantheon and various ancient buildings around it. There were water fountains everywhere which was a nice alternative to buying bottled water. After the Pantheon we took the bus through Rome and over the river to Vatican City. A nice older man on the bus directed us to the right bus stop and we were in one of the two independent city states in Italy. Vatican City was beautiful and the museum was full of everything imaginable. My favorite part was the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica. I was able to attend mass in Saint Peter’s which was unbelievable.
The oldest part of Rome is the Palatine hill and the surrounding areas. Rome’s geographical location allowed it to in the crossroads of traffic. The Roman Forum is directly below the Palatine Hill, and was my favorite part of Rome. Emerging from the metro station the first thing I saw was the Coliseum and the Forum. It was breathtaking against the bright blue sky, and the sun beating down. The Forum began as an open air market, but as the political arena grew the space shifted uses. I was able to walk on the ancient Roman roads around the ruins which included the arch of Septimius Severus, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, the Atrium Vestae, and too many others to recount. Walking through the Forum felt as if I had been transported back in time. I could almost see ancient Romans going about their daily life in the majestic buildings. The Roman Forum is truly a feat of enormous proportions



 On Saturday after the Roman Forum and Coliseum I went to the Spanish Step and walked down the main street of shopping (all very expensive!) but luckily I was able to find a H&M. After the quick fix of shopping it was on to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain at night was spectacular! I threw in a few coins and made a wish, hopefully it will come true! On Sunday the plan was to go to the Catacombs, after getting lost because it wasn’t on the map I was finally on the correct bus. Unfortunately the Catacombs were closed when we reach them so instead we walked around some ancient roman ruins in the beautiful sun.

Even though a majority of my time was spent marveling at the wonders of the ancient world (and a good deal of pensive thought about how they were built) I was also able to enjoy the culture of Rome. I had dinner one night in a Chinese restaurant that was a splendid change in cuisine but also extremely inexpensive. I saw diverse cultures everywhere. From the food to the people, many different cultures were represented. I saw a film crew outside a hotel, rode the metro like a pro, and practiced the art of asking for directions. All I can say to sum up the weekend in a fascinating city is… When in Rome!

An Italian Halloween

Halloween in Italy, it sounds funny because Halloween is such an American holiday but amazingly Sansepolcro delivered a very memorable Halloween. I have been volunteering in the elementary schools helping the children learn English. Three of the girls here, including myself, have elementary children so all of the girls here decided to throw a Halloween party in the palazzo. After spending the entire evening Saturday and Sunday afternoon decorating, the palazzo was ready for the two hundred children we invited. There were paper bats hanging in the hallways, tombstones, pumpkins, and all sorts of festive orange and black decorations. We all tried to have some sort of costume; I ended up being a cat, including a nose, whiskers, and ears.

Even though the party was not supposed to start until six, the children started to pour in at 5:45. From that point on it was crazy. Children were running around in costumes and the parents sat and watched the madness unfold. Luckily we had planned multiple activities including our personal favorites from past Halloweens and fall festivals, these including pasta necklaces, leaf rubbings, coloring, cookie decorating, and of course trick-or-treating. Once the children were under some kind of control (children having fun are never truly under control). I had several parents come up to me and say how nice it was to invite all the children. Hopefully the children of Sansepolcro were able to have a small taste of Halloween and enjoy the night.

After the party finished at a little after eight (it was supposed to end at seven thirty, but Italians have a different view of time than Americans). I went with three other girls to Citta di Castello a neighboring town in Umbria about thirty minutes away from Sansepolcro to go to the discotecca, or the Italian club. Once we got off the bus we realized we had no idea where we were in Citta di Castello or where we were supposed to go. To make matters worse teenagers where throwing firecrackers into the street, and several came very close to our feet. We asked for direction and were told we were going the wrong direction and were extremely far away. After walking the right direction I asked a nice looking couple to make sure we were headed in the right direction. They looked at us in our dresses and heels and told us they would take us. We were at first hesitant but the man was a member of the Carabinieri, or Italian police force so we decided if we could trust anyone it would be this couple.

It turned out the couple had a son about our age, also in the carabinieri, who was going to the discotecca. They dropped us off at a pub to meet their son and his friends. They all turned out to be extremely nice and welcoming to us lost American girls. After two hours with our new friends we finally made it to the discotecca. In all, it was my best Halloween so far. I was able to teach the children about Halloween, meet new Italians, and dance into the wee hours of the morning; the perfect combination!

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one hasn't eaten well.”- Virginia Wolf

Countries are characterized by their individual and unique cultures. A main component of culture (to me) is food. When I think of food in Italy pizza and pasta immediately come to mind. Italy seems to have a plethora of pasta including all shapes and fillings (all are delicious). Food has always interested me, and I cannot remember a time where I was not in the kitchen helping my mother. You could say food is one of my passions. On Thursday I was able to take part in the ancient tradition of making homemade fresh pasta. Patrizio, the husband of the associate director of the program, came to the palazzo to instruct the group on the art of pasta. In the United States pasta comes dried in a box or plastic wrapping. The concept of fresh handmade pasta is known but never seen. Making pasta seems extremely tedious when it would be much easier to simply dump dried pasta into water. I will now stand on my soapbox and say that pasta fresca is not too difficult to prepare. It does take longer than the dried variety, but the results are well worth the time and effort!

Pasta is organized into two categories, pasta lungo and pasta corto which translates into short and long pasta. Pasta is made by mixing flour with eggs. This is similar to the ingredients for pizza which is flour, water, and yeast. It’s hard to believe that such simple ingredients can produce a versatile and tasty meal. Pasta is documented from the 5th century but the knowledge of mixing flour and water dates to ancient Greece and earlier. The shape not only provides an interesting element to the dinner plate, but also surface area for sauce to adhere to, a way to layer (lasagna), and fill (ravioli and tortellini).

To make pasta is incredibly simple, but yields amazing and quite tasty results. First on a large flat surface (we used a wooden cutting board) one kilo of flour was poured, and a well was made in the center. In the well twelve eggs are cracked but left unbeaten. The eggs were then lightly salted with about a teaspoon of salt. Patrizio then took a fork and beat the eggs, slowly folding in the flour as he did so. The way his hands skillfully moved was incredible. They were quick and precise. He was able to mix in the flour without forming any lumps. The pasta was kneaded and rolled out into a large thin circle. From the circle the thin pasta was folded into fifths and sliced. This dough could be formed into most forms of fresh pasta depending on how thin or thick the noodles were sliced. We cut the noodles about one forth of an inch thick to make tagliatelle and tagliolini (I am still not sure of the difference besides the width of the noodle).



After the tagliatelle we made another type of pasta that involved cooked potato and flour called gnocchi (personally one of my favorite types of pasta). The potatoes were boiled and put through a food mill which gave the gnocchi the correct consistency. The dough was again kneaded but this time was sliced into small rectangles instead of rolling it out flat. After all of the work it was finally time to cook the pasta! Another surprise was the time it took to cook. After adding the pasta to boiling salted water (I was told the salt is very important to add flavor) it only took about a minute for the gnocchi and tagliatelle to rise to the surface. Fresh pasta is marvelous! I know that people always say fresh tastes better, but the truth is it does!

I am excited to try making my own pasta for my friends and family (it might take some practice to get it right). Coming home with a few cooking skills from a country known and renowned for its cuisine would be the cherry on the cake of a semester of a lifetime!!