News and Blog

What do you get the woman who has everything? A truffle hunt in Umbria!

This past weekend, Oprah Winfrey visited the Relais Todini winery in Perugia for a truffle hunt with best friend Gayle King and King’s daughter Kirby Bumpus. Oprah acknowledged that although she didn’t have a “bucket list,” it had been her dream for years to scout out truffles in the gorgeous Umbrian countryside. Truffles are a mainstay of her “O” magazine’s recipes and even featured on her “Favorite Things” episode in December 2012!

We’re happy to report that Oprah finally got to conquer one of the few areas in which she has not already succeeded: her group found a mix of both black and white truffles with help from a team of four farmers and five trained dogs. See you next time you’re in Perugia, O!

More info here.

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Not-so-bright and very early Saturday morning a group of intrepid Umbra students set out on the hunt for “Umbrian gold” – truffles! Participants in Umbra’s Food Studies Program joined Program Coordinator Elisa Ascione on a trip to Citta’ di Castello, to the Agriturismo Ca’ Solare.

Upon arrival in Citta’ di Castello, the group was greeted by Matteo Bartolini, President of the European Council of Young Farmers. The day began with a presentation on the variety of truffles that grow on Matteo’s land. Most people are familiar with black and white, but there is variation within each group as well depending on what season of the year the truffles can be found.

After some background information, it was time for the hunt! With the help of Matteo and two of his highly-trained truffle hunting dogs, Sole and Zoe, the students followed the scent of truffles through the countryside, ultimately coming up with two different types of black truffles and a very rare white truffle!

Matteo then advised the group on how to properly store several different types of truffles before everyone retired inside to enjoy the day’s discoveries. The group sat down for a long and leisurely meal of truffle crostini, pasta with shaved truffles, chicken and potatoes, and homemade biscotti with coffee.

The day concluded with “Truffle School Graduation,” as Matteo calls it, with each student receiving a Truffle School diploma signed by the master himself.

Learn more about Ca’ Solare here: http://www.agriturismo-casolare.it/.

On Tuesday afternoon, study abroad students in PSEU 340: Politics and Economics of the European Union participated in a workshop at Ubuntu Centro Immigrazione, a local center for immigrants in Perugia. Directors at the center led a discussion with both the students as well as recent immigrants about cultural adjustment. Students had the unique opportunity to hear personal stories from those present (in over three different languages).

This workshop served as an introduction to a more extensive service learning project that the students, under the direction of professor Giordana Pulcini, will be undertaking throughout the semester. This project aims to explore the ways in which EU fundamental human rights impact the lives of those who move to the region. Students will be “rewriting” the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union for the center as a way to reflect the cultural experiences of immigrants in Perugia.

Jessica Paholsky, an Umbra alumna from the Spring 2012 semester, has just released “What’s In Your Bottle?” an examination of artisanal food production, the power of marketing, and the true joy of a great bottle of olive oil!

Check out “What’s In Your Bottle?“, which Jessica submitted as part of her Honors Thesis at Penn State, and then read our interview with her for more information about her inspiration, studying abroad, and why the subject matter is so important to her.

Why did you decide to make a film about olive oil?
My goal for my thesis project was to not only apply my studies in photojournalism, photography and Italian, but also to produce a work that I could use in my post-college job search. When it came down to picking the topic for the short documentary video I wanted to create, I was in search of a subject that would take me back to the region of Italy where I spent my spring semester of sophomore year: Umbria. I also wanted to show the relationship between Italy and America. After some research, I found an olive oil producer (Fontanaro) in Paciano, Umbria, (just a short distance from Perugia) that sells their product to a vendor (Cleo’s) in Annapolis, Maryland (just a short drive from my hometown in south-central Pennsylvania). Also, I’ll add that I have strong interests in cooking and food, getting to know the true facts behind foods, and learning how food products are made. So uncovering the truth behind extra virgin olive oil regulation and production was the perfect solution to tie all of my goals and interests together.

How has study abroad influenced you these past few years?
Studying abroad at Umbra Institute 100% influenced my decision to make my thesis video. If I had never experienced that part of the world, and Italy in particular, I would have never developed the ambition to return for another purpose. In general, study abroad played a role throughout my college career. After my freshman year, I spent 6 weeks in Puebla, Mexico, through a faculty-led home stay program. Then my sophomore year, I studied in Perugia for a semester. And my senior year, I took an international reporting course in which I traveled to Havana, Cuba, during spring break to produce another video documentary. All in all, these learning experiences abroad enriched my education as well as my personal knowledge of culture and the world. There is nothing better, in my opinion, than an international education because major personality traits, such as independence, confidence and responsibility, are nurtured by international travel. All that is learned through travel applies to life in the real world and especially prepares college students for what is to come after graduation.

Any advice for finding a good olive oil? What should we be looking for on the labels?
The best advice I can give for finding a good olive oil, besides visiting the olive grove yourself, is to find a specialty olive oil store near you. In this setting, you get to sample the products and you can talk to a specialist who is familiar with the products, rather than guess as to which olive oil fits your taste buds and criteria at a grocery store. In general, though, a good olive oil can be found in a bottle with a label that specifies the date the olives were harvested and an expiration date about 2 years from the harvest date. Marketing unfortunately ruins the trust we can develop on labels. That is why it is best to have the opportunity to sample the olive oil. Until grocery stores start offering free olive oil samples, I would go to a specialty store if you are searching for a quality product.

What are you up to now? Planning on coming back to Italy? Looking to make another film? A little update on your life at the moment would be great!
Three days after graduating from Penn State, I began working full-time with Travel for Teens. Over the summer, I spent about 2 months traveling through 8 European countries, including Italy, to gather video footage of the company’s trips. So my wish to return to Italy a third time was granted! I have since been editing together promotional videos for 30 trips for the agency’s website. Until leading trips abroad with TFT next summer, I am responsible to coordinating flights and handling registrations.

Thanks Jess for answering our questions and for making Umbra proud!

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.”