News and Blog – Page 70 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

Congrats to Jayne Wilhem from the University of New Hampshire for her winning photo taken in Venice! Jayne will enjoy a free meal from Quattro Passi Pizzeria!

With Monday as a national holiday, students have the day off which equates to a long weekend. Some students are gone for a last weekend away, outside of Italy, while others will spend the weekend with their families who are here to visit.

Wherever you are, we hope you enjoy catching the first few rays of spring sunlight!

Buona Pasqua and Happy Easter!

Today is the last day of March, and the Spring 2010 students officially have less than one month left in Perugia and at the Umbra Institute. Knowing how quickly this month will fly by, here are Umbra’s Top Five Must-Do’s before you leave…

5. Taste free chocolate at the Perugina factory.
Most of the Italian classes will be touring the home of the world-famous chocolate and hazelnut baci this week, but if you missed out, pick up a bus ticket and go on your own for a free tour and tasting!

4. Relax by the shore of Lago Trasimeno.
The biggest lake in central and south Italy, Lago Trasimeno is only an hour away from the center of Perugia by train. There are several sleepy towns around the lake with gelato and docks for relaxing, but the Umbra staff suggests going to Castiglione del Lago for its impressive views and historic center.

3. Walk through the “underground city,” over the Roman acqueduct, and into the Duomo. We walk past these landmarks around town everyday, but have you ever actually been inside? Perugia’s most interesting historical sites are all free and right here in the center: the Roman Acqueduct, the Etruscan Well, the Tempietto and Tower of Sant’Angelo, the Duomo, and the Rocca Paolina. Talk to Zack if you need help finding these spots.

2. Eat Pasta alla Norcina, Torta con Salsiccia ed Erba, and Hot Chocolate from Augusta Perusia! Pasta with Umbrian sausage and truffles, typical Umbria torta, and to-die-for hot chocolate… you can’t go home without trying these Perugia specialties.

1. Picnic in the grass on a sunny afternoon at San Francesco.
At the bottom of Via dei Priori you’ll find the church of San Francesco and the big grass lawn in front. Pick up sandwiches from Parma (another Perugia must-eat) and bring a blanket and your iPod… perfect for reading, catching up with friends, or meeting local Italian students.

After this stop the group headed to Sorrento, a beautiful port just south of Naples, which was the “staging area” for that weekend’s trip. The Hotel Michelangelo, where the group stayed, was directly across the street from the last lemon grove in the city’s center. Saturday the students took a short ferry ride from Sorrento’s port to the island of Capri, home to (long ago) the Roman emperor Tiberius’ villa and (currently) the Blue Grotto, great food, and fantastic views of the nearby coast. Students had time to explore the island and eat some of Italy’s best seafood.

Sunday’s highlight was a stop in Naples. First the students had a guided tour of the city with a knowledgeable local tourguide, followed by a walk around the center and then free time for lunch. Many had a pizza at the birthplace of the Margherita pizza. Pizzeria Brandi. After that it was time to get back on the bus and head back home, to Perugia.

Just as the weather in Perugia is starting to warm up and the main corso is filling with caffe tables and white umbrellas, students in Umbra’s Food Cultures class had a chance to visit a local artisanalgelateria to see how Italy’s famous summertime treat is made. Signora Paola at the Fonte Maggiore gelateria, located in Piazza IV Novembre just behind the fountain in the center of Perugia, makes all of her gelato in-house and using only fresh ingredients — no preservatives or artificial flavorings here. Students saw how she and her assistants make both the cream and fruit-based flavors, and had a chance to sample the fior di latte, green apple, and tiramisu varieties. Not suprisingly, gelato makes for a pretty tasty field trip!

Her name is a little bit different in Italian, but that didn’t present any sort of linguistic barrier to the Umbra Institute students participating in a fundraiser for Unicef. The project involves sewing together rag dolls, which are then sold to raise money for hunger prevention and vaccinations in the developing world. Umbra intern Paola D’Amora coordinated the effort and organized the dozen Umbra students that work with Perugians to make the dolls. This is the second semester that Umbra students have been at the heart of the fundraiser, an accomplishment noted in several local newspapers.

Starting April 11, Perugia’s Galleria Nazionale will be be displaying two-hundred and forty photographs by Steve McCurry–most well-known for his work during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

McCurry shot the famous photograph “Afghan Girl” (whose name he later found out to be Sharbat Gula) which was published on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in June 1985. The photo was deemed “most recognized photograph” in the history of National Geographic.

The exhibit (which drew more than 120,000 visitors while in Milan) will include a collection of McCurry’s work, photographs taken in Afghanistan, India, Tibet and Burma. It will be on display in Perugia through September 5, 2010.

No none knows what came first, the chicken or the egg, and just as mysterious is whether the Hershey’s kiss or the Perugina bacio was first. Original or copy, the bacio tastes just as good on the lips, and to celebrate that product the Perugina (originally a Perugian-owned company, now part of Nestlé) is sponsoring a kissing contest.

Pucker up, kids, and have your friends ready to say “formaggio” (actually, Italians in front of a camera say “Cheez!”). Send in your best pictures and, if you happen to be in Perugia, drop by for a tour as well. And remember not to eat too much free candy ahead of time!