Month: June 2015

Alissa Foster, who is currently taking the History and Culture of Food in Italy class, recently visited the covered market of Perugia together with her classmates. The field lecture was led by prof. Elisa Ascione. 

“It was very interesting visiting the covered market of Perugia and getting an opportunity to see the current state, and hear its rich history, evolution, and future. Interacting with some of the owners and hearing snippets of their stories gave me a real insight into how vital this market was, and is, to their livelihoods. An elderly woman shopping at the meat counter told us of a different time in the past when there were many more market stands that had to compete with each other for business. Now there is a stillness to the market. This is a liminal period foreshadowing a large-scale renovation plan that will forever change the way of life surrounding the marketplace. Modernity will replace antiquity. While some may view this as a positive transition, some stand owners and market goers will miss the traditions that exist in such a vital place to the community. The history of the market is so rich, and will hopefully be preserved in the future changes.”

– Alissa Foster 

Umbra’s Fresco Painting class has ventured outside of their studio! For a few weeks now, Perugia’s inhabitants have been admiring a new fresco painting on one of Borgo Bello’s walls in Via Fiorenzuola. 

This fresco project began at the request of a neighborhood organization called “quartiere Borgo Bello” and Umbra’s Urban Spaces professor Ray Lorenzo. The fresco adds to the atmosphere of the Urban Spaces students’ OrtoBello – the first urban garden of Perugia.

Fresco professor and artist William Pettit and five students from the course volunteered their artistic labors for three days to bring a fresco to light which they hope will endure for two thousand more years. They used slaked lime, marble dust, and river sand, and the finished painting depicts the keys of Saint Peter, the neighborhood’s symbol. The Latin text inscribed above the fresco can be translated as: “Communities that plant together, stay together.” 

Pictures: Molly Davis

What is the difference between a caffè macchiato and a latte macchiato, and why do you get funny looks from the waiter when you order a moka at an Italian bar? The Umbra Summer Food Studies students discovered the answers to these questions during the Coffee Workshop, led by Zachary Nowak. Coffee is a big part of Italian culture, and a basic knowledge of the coffee etiquette helps you blend in easily. 

After learning about the history and the different types of Italy’s favorite beverage, the students were offered the chance to expand their palates.  At the end of the workshop, they witnessed a demonstration on how to make a cappuccino. 

Bye bye American drip, hello delicious homemade cappuccino! 

Professor John C. Hartsock’s course, JCFS 380 Wine Journalism: Telling Stories of Wine, explores the history, tasting, production, sustainability and journalism of wine. The visiting SUNY Cortland professor and wine author started the summer session off right by taking students to a wine-tasting at Énonè.

Students were introduced to the basics of wine with the help of the local enoteca’s owner Flaviano and sommelier Silvia Bartolini (as well as Flaviano’s infant son, the “true owner”). The three experts filled the young wine journalists’ minds and palates with the wisdom necessary to have a cultured summer of writing about Italian wine.

The students tasted three carefully selected local wines (a prosecco, a white, and a red) through a process of visual, olfactory and gustatory examinations. These wines were paired expertly with a delicious plate of Italian appetizers. Students also learned the proper glasses for specific types of alcohol, and were educated on local drinking customs and liquors.

 Some lucky students even had the opportunity to try being a sommelier. Though they discovered that it is more difficult than it seems to open a bottle artfully, they are certain to improve.

This past weekend, Umbra welcomed its new Intensive Italian Program and Archaeology Field School students.

After being picked up at the airport in Rome and transferred privately to Perugia, the new students enjoyed a weekend to orient themselves and explore the city.  The Intensive Italian students are now comfortably settled in their Perugia apartments and the archaeology students have moved into their residence in the lakeside town of Castiglione del Lago.

As Academic Director Dr. Francesco Burzacca reminded students at orientation, their top priority for the summer is to study –  or to dig. For the next six weeks, Perugia and Castiglione will be filled to the brim with students eager to be immersed in the Italian language and culture, or in the dirt of ancient ruins.  

Buon inizio!