February 2015 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

food-studies-program-15-class — Fresh and simple ingredients await the class.

This week, Professor Elisa Ascione led her Food Studies Program students to the Università dei Sapori for a delicious cooking class. With the help of Italian professional chef Francesco Lattarulo, students prepared gnocchi alla sorrentina, tagliatelle all’arrabiata, and lasagna al ragù, all from scratch!

food-studies-program-15-gnocchi — Student Roxana Carcama (right) shares the chef’s wisdom: “The emotions you feel in the kitchen will reflect upon the taste of the food.”

The students experienced what it is truly like to work in the kitchen of a restaurant and learned some secrets of Italian cuisine during the process. Chef Lattarulo expressed the significance of being passionate about the profession when are working long hours as a professional chef.

The importance of using simple and fresh ingredients was stressed, as well as the differences between the three sauces; canned and fresh tomatoes are basic ingredients which can dramatically change the flavor of the sauce.

Student Michael Madigan reflects that this class provided the basis to be able to create his own Italian dishes, and that food always tastes better when it is homemade!

As part of an ongoing project, students in PSEU 340: Politics and Economics of the European Union participated in a workshop at Ramus Oleae Centro Immigrazione last Wednesday afternoon. As a local center for immigrants in Perugia, this organization aims to give this population the tools necessary to navigate Italian culture and to understand their rights. Through small group discussions, Umbra students had the unique opportunity to hear and share personal stories.

This project extends throughout the semester, and its goal is to explore the ways in which EU fundamental human rights impact the lives of those who move to the region. Umbra is also developing other collaborations with the center. This semester, several Umbra students are organizing English language classes with the immigrants, creating further bonds and opportunities for mutual understanding.

This week, BSEU 390: Business in Europe: Environment & Practices students took a trip to the local Cantina Goretti to meet their client for this semester’s marketing project. Sara and Giulia Goretti, fourth generation sisters of the Goretti family, gave the students a tour of the cantina and provided them with a tasting of excellent wines from their local vineyards.

However, the highlight of the excursion was when the students sat down in an exquisitely decorated room in the old stone tower to discuss the marketing of the Goretti’s most recent venture: their Winetherapy line. What started as a family hobby of using natural ingredients filled with the antioxidants found in the grapes of their vineyards has taken off as a line that is now sold in the U.S. The Goretti sisters and the Umbra students will collaborate this semester to improve marketing strategies of the body and shower products to the U.S. market.

goretti_blogpost — The class divided into teams and started brainstorming for Winetherapy.

Student Ryan Messinger commented on how the visit to the winery encompassed both “old traditions and new prospects” revealed in the juxtaposition of the examples of “the old tower and the modern wine silos.”

He finds the Winetherapy line an “interesting and exciting idea that has a lot of potential in today’s organic-conscious society.” The class will continue to work with the Goretti family throughout the semester on this project.

001 — Umbra students and the Maestro at the first Choral Workshop of the semester!

On Tuesday night, Umbra held its first choral workshop of the semester! Students were led through the Italian national anthem, “Fratelli d’Italia” (“Brothers of Italy”) by choral instructor, Maestro Sergio Briziarelli.

Maestro Brinziarelli is a professional singer as well as a choral and orchestra conductor. He graduated from the Perugian music school, Conservatorio Morlacchi, and studied post-graduation at the Giuseppe Verdi Music School in both Milan and Viena. He is a music instructor at several schools throughout Umbria, in addition to leading Umbra’s choral workshop.

Students will explore a variety of genres throughout the semester, including pop, opera, renaissance, and rap. To cover such an array of music, each workshop will focus on a different song and time period.

The choral workshops are a great opportunity to have fun, practice Italian pronunciation, and learn a little something about the history of music. Each workshop stands alone so students can come to one or as many as they want.