Month: September 2014

Umbra Academic Assistant and Writing Center Coordinator Dr. Camilla Caporicci has published her first book, The Dark Lady, based on her doctoral thesis of the same name.

Published (perhaps without the author’s permission) in 1609 by Thomas Thorpe, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, some of the most intriguing poems ever written, have always proved complex to investigate, and continue indeed to be highly problematic. In this work, through a rich and varied exploration of the Italian, French and English love sonnet tradition, Dr. Caporicci traced both the evolution of the genre and the close interaction between lyric poetry and philosophy. She arrived at a proposed review of the Shakespearean sonnet sequence, in terms of an abandonment of the sixteenth-century lyric tradition, and the overcoming of both the rhetorical character of Petrarchan poetry and its philosophical foundation.

Dr. Caporicci’s ground-breaking reading of the text highlights what she believes to be the most innovative element of this work: the figure of the Dark Lady. This mysterious and unconventional figure, to which critics have usually not paid due attention, is indeed proven to be the heart of a deep reflection on the philosophical and ontological truth of human nature, and consequently on the art that is called to express this truth.

An Italian-language copy of The Dark Lady is available in the Umbra library. Auguri dottoressa!

Last Tuesday, fifteen students gathered at Pizza e Musica, a local pizzeria, for Umbra’s famous “How to Make a Pizza” workshop. Julie Falk, Umbra’s Community Engagement Coordinator, began the workshop with this question: “How many of you think that the ingredients in pizza have Italian origins?” Students then listened to some pizza lore and tales before donning aprons to try their hands at pizza-making with Pizza e Musica’s pizzaiolo.

 
It’s harder than it looks. One must knead the dough carefully (without putting a hole in the middle) and then choose appropriate toppings (zucchini, eggplant, multiple cheeses, and peppers to name a few.) Our pizzaiolo helped the students put the pizza in the wood-fired oven with a special pala (shovel) – a difficult feat. The students were quite talented for their first attempts!

Pizza tastes better when you make it, and the students were rewarded for their efforts with a delicious meal (and tiramisu for dessert.) Buon appetito!

Last Friday, 43 students and 3 staff members boarded a coach bus and headed to the South of Italy for a weekend on the coast.

First stop? Pompeii, where students listened to expert tour guides tell stories about a thriving city forever frozen in time as a result of Mount Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 A.D. After lunch, it was back on the bus to Naples, where students experienced a bumpy ferry ride to the island of Ischia, the base for the weekend’s travels. The long journey was well worth it – after a delicious dinner at a local restaurant (with swordfish on the menu), students rested up for the next day’s adventures.

On Saturday, students caught another ferry to Capri; many sat on the top deck to soak up the glorious sunshine. Students had the day to themselves on the island. Some took boat tours of Capri’s spectacular scenery, others did some shopping, and still others sipped on the island’s famous “Limoncello.” After a windier boat ride back to Ishcia, students indulged in a second delicious restaurant dinner with a delectable tiramisu finale.

The last morning was devoted to a combination bus/walking tour of Ischia. This dramatic island boasts a variety of stunning landscapes, from rolling hills to turquoise waters. Our wonderful Australian tour guide stopped at three separate villages throughout the island, where students were given the opportunity to walk around, take pictures, and get a feel for the local culture. Ischia is famous for its thermal springs that many say have healing powers. While there wasn’t time for them on this trip, many students declared that they will be returning someday for the experience.

By 3:00, the students were on a bus back to Perugia. A spontaneous sing-along kept spirits high as the students finally returned to their “home away from home.”

One of Umbra’s history teachers, Simon Young, will speak this weekend at the Ninth Legendary Weekend of The Folklore Society on ‘The Phantom Armies of Castle-an-Dinas’ in Chatham (UK). Dr. Young has published extensively on folklore in the last years.  To learn more about the Folklore Society, visit their website here: http://www.folklore-society.com/.  In bocca al lupo Dr. Young!