News and Blog – Page 67 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

The last week has seen a slow creep towards Autumn in Umbria. Heavier blankets have come down out of the attics, and on the Steps of the cathedral (ever the focal point of Perugia’s social life) t-shirts and shorts have been replaced by long sleeves and jeans. It’s hardly dramatic, as Umbria’s sun never goes behind clouds for too long, even in the depths of winter, and to boot Fall in Umbria means gastronomic treats.

Fairly soon farmers will head out with their green nylon nets to harvest olives: the first press in Umbria is almost always extra-virgin level, attacks your palate and makes the olive oil of last year seem drab. Then, in early November, central Italians celebrate San Martino, Saint Martin’s feast day: vino novello and roasted chestnuts are the main event. No more ice cream, but there are some consolation prizes. Buon autunno!

Umbra’s Italian-American language exchange meetings, known around town as Tandem, kicked off last week with an aperitivo at the Birraio on Wednesday evening. Faculty and staff, as well as visitors from the Penn State University, joined students from Umbra and the local Italian universities for a casual hour of language exchange. Tandem is one of the best ways for Umbra students to integrate into the local student community, and it’s an opportunity to both practice Italian and help others learn English. See you next week for the secondo incontro of Tandem!

This Tuesday evening, Peruginiand Umbra students alike were treated to a breathtaking performance of the classic French opera Carmen. The performance was staged at the historic Pavone Theater on Corso Vannucci in the center of Perugia, and was put on by the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale “A. Belli” from Spoleto. Bravi!

Umbra students will have another opportunity to see a classical production in a historic Perugian venue in November, when A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be performed at the Morlacchi Theater.

Alessandro Celani Presents at Oxford September 21-23Umbra Professor Alessandro Celani will be presenting at an international conference to be held at the University of Oxford, September 21-23, 2010.

The focus of the conference, entitled “Rethinking the Gods: Post-Classical Approaches” is on how and why sacred space has changed. Celani will present his work “Sculptural Styles, Myths and Narrations” on a male head from Terracina found in the 19^th century.

Last Thursday, Umbra students attended a wine tasting at a local enoteca in Perugia. The art of wine production came alive as the expert explained how to pair foods with the wine’s acidity, how to read the labels, and how to use one’s sense of smell, taste, and sight to examine its quality and age. Students sampled three types of wine to judge for themselves whether they found hints of green apple and almond here or honey and blackberry there.

The expert and Umbra students also discussed how weather, use of machinery, and location, location, location impact what goes into the bottles we buy at the store. Now, the next time students share in the bottled traditions of Italy at a dinner party, they can show friends and family how to be knowledgeable wine connoisseurs

This past weekend Umbra students were put to the test: does Perugia have more nooks, or more crannies? Staff member and Urban Engagement Seminar prof Zachary Nowak took a group of thirty students on a ramble around the city’s historic center, using anecdotes and what Italians call storielle (literally “little stories”) to recount the history of Perugia.

Given Nowak’s well-known allergy to “Great Men Building Great Buildings” history, the tour focused instead on social history. Students heard about the orphanage in Via Alunni, all of whose orphans were given the last name “Alunni”…meaning that Perugia’s phonebook is full of this last name. They also visited Perugia’s marketplace and learned about “the Little Sirs of the Ranieri family”, two piglets who provided street-sweeping for the city of Perugia in the Middle Ages. Last stop on the tour? Piazza Felice Cavallotti, named after an Italian politician who died after his thirty-third (and final) duel.

The tour was the first in a series of extra-curriculars, the next of which is wine-tasting next week on Thursday.

Side-by-side, Arcadia students and volunteers of the Orsini family’s eco-friendly farm became a pasta making factory. The tradition of pasta making came alive as students kneaded, rolled, and cut the dough made of eggs and flour. However, the day was much more than feasting on tasty, farm fresh Italian cuisine; students toured the self-sustaining farm where facilities were constructed of materials from the earth- hay and dirt. Recycled plastic and glass bottles in the walls cleverly transformed the sunlight into a stream of color. Arches of growing vines formed a picturesque terrace.

The location of the farm in Passignano also provided a postcard worthy backdrop as students and Arcadia staff discussed orientation information to ensure a safe and exciting semester. At the end of the day, students were rewarded with the pasta they had made to bring home to Perugia and share in the fruits of their labor.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Umbra students’ first week in Perugia is the intensive “survival” Italian course. Working with Umbra’s Italian faculty members, they start first in the classroom learning basic vocabulary like cucchiaio,forchetta, and coltello (spoon, fork, knife). They then proceed into the community, interacting with workers at the grocery store or macelleria (butcher shop) as professors walk them through the important aspects of adapting to Italian life.

Although living in a different culture with a different language can be challenging, preparation and a learned familiarity with the situation can help enormously. The best part? Since the students will be using their newly-learned Italian nearly every day, the retention is incredible. A tip would be to listen to those around you to figure out different ways to ask questions and throw a little variety into your daily interactions. To ask how much a purchase is, for example, one can say, “a quanto viene,” “quanto è,” “quanto costa,” or “quanto ti devo.”

>If flying into Rome’s hectic Fiumicino airport and the move into Perugia are the first hurdles students have to jump, Orientation would be the second. The past two days have been an alternation of Orientation meetings on various themes (housing, the permit to reside, and academic matters) and open houses at the main Umbra building in Via Bartolo. Students attending the last of these meetings today–held in Perugia’s fifteenth century “Hall of Notaries”, no less–featured Officer Michele Canneschi, an inspector with the Italian police in Florence.

Canneschi’s forty-five minute long speech made clear, in a serious-yet-animated way, that the same rules for safety and security apply in Italy as those in the United States. Canneschi’s part in Umbra’s orientation schedule has always been important in student feedback.

Welcome to Perugia, Class of Fall 2010!

With a breathtaking summer sun setting over the green hills of the Umbria region, Umbra Institute staff member Zach wrapped up his “Nooks and Crannies” tour of Perugia for the newly arrived Full Immersion students. The walking tour provided students the opportunity to explore the city’s centuries with a modern day twist, dispelling age-old rumors while creating a mental map of the narrow and winding streets. Students laughed along as Zach cracked a few of his infamous jokes and snapped some photos of what has become their new home. As the Full Immersion students wake up to their third sunrise in Italy, they are prepared to embark on an unforgettable and educational adventure abroad.