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News and Blog

Tuesday night was the end-of-semester art show, a chance for students to exhibit a semester’s worth of paintings, drawings, and photographs to their fellow students, as well as professors and interested guests. The Via Danzetta art studio was crowded with Umbra students, professors, and interested guests hoping to review the artwork on display.

The art show was part of the Umbra Institute’s week of special academic events. Beginning with the performance of Mario Pirovano and ending with the Festa d’Addio, the week is designed to allow students time to review for finals while reflecting on a semester at the Institute.

In photos: Andy Ward directs the attention to student work.

Last night Umbra students witnessed renowned Mario Pirovano deliver a captivating performance of Johan Padan and the Discovery of America. Written by Nobel Prize winning play-write Dario Fo, Johan Padan tells the winding and at times unbelievable story of a man who, in an effort to flee the Inquisition, joins Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to the New World.

Mario Pirovano wove a wonderful story for the attending students, soliciting a ride range of emotions ranging from hysterical laughter to moving silence.

Sig. Pirovano’s singular two-scene act came as a part of Umbra’s week of special academic events, during which students have the chance to participate in a number of curricular or extracurricular activities, such as art shows, literary readings, and film festivals. Keep checking the blog to find out what happens next!

What is a student apartment like? What does Perugia “feel” like? What exactly is the Full Immersion – is it worth it? Umbra staff member Tyler Pace has put together the first six videos in what will be a larger series, all under the rubric of “UmbraViews.”. To see the videos, do a YouTube search for “UmbraViews” or click on the link above. You can even subscribe on the main page and a brief announcement telling you when a new video is posted will be emailed to you. Check it out– maybe you’ll even see yourself!

This title makes most Americans think of the American Beef Council’s ad with the music from Aaron Copland’s Rodeo playing in background, accompanied by a strong piece of narration featuring Sam Elliot. But while Italians do enjoy the occasional piece of beef (like the famous inch-thickFiorentina steak) pasta, by in large, is what’s for dinner… and it’s definitely what’s for dinner for Umbra students, some 99% of the time. But wait! This isn’t any old 3AM dorm room pasta, not a CupONoodles or a tiny bag of Ramen- Italian pasta is much more refined, and is made with super-fresh ingredients. Moreover, the recipe at hand has surely been perfected by generations of pasta practitioners dedicated to this complex art. Take this story from Umbra students…

 

Allison Pengue, Jaci Kramer, Sara Gardner, Sarah Garnitz, and Kelly Hoffmaster, humming the tune from Rodeo (no, just kidding), decided to take a night and shoot for one of Italy’s most famous pasta dishes, “spaghetti alla carbonara”.

 

Ever heard of it? The origin of the dish, like most Italian culinary traditions, is lodged somewhere between myth and

 story goes, pasta “alla carbonara” was originally created to be a super hearty meal for Italian charcoal workers, which makes perfect etymological sense, as “carbonara” means charcoal in Italian. Then again, some say that it’s so named because the specks of pepper and bacon look like pieces of charcoal. Whatever the case, it’s a great tasting recipe, if you know how to make it well! reality. So one

 

As our aspiring Italian chefs found, the basic ingredients consist of cheese (usually a nice pecorino or parmesan), egg yokes, and pancetta (which is pretty much bacon). First, put some water on the stove to boil.In the interim, fry the pancetta in some olive oil. Mix the egg yokes, the cheese, and some butter or olive oil together. Once the pasta is done, toss in the mixture (the eggs will cook) and add the crispy pancetta… Then, the only thing left to do is enjoy!


Congratulations to Elon Hirsch-Bliden from Elon University for his winning photo! This month the contest had the theme of “Food in Italy.” Elon’s photo is entitled “Pompeian Orange.” He will enjoy a free meal at Quattro Passi Pizzeria.

Auguri Elon!

Yesterday a group of Umbra students, other foreign students, and Italians met at the local wine bar “La Tana dell’Orso” for a workshop on the history of Italian wine. The title is actually misleading because presenter and local food expert Andrea Mecozzi also brought some cold cuts and even cheese with him to accompany the wines. The first wine the students tried was one called Verdicchio – this means literally “little green,” called this because of the small green grapes used to make it. A bright follow-up was the Aglianico Rubrato, a red wine that is made with one of the oldest grape varieties in the world, used by the ancient Greek colonists of southern Italy. The wines were paired with two different salamis, both of which are typical of the central Italy, and finally the participants got to try a semi-aged pecorino from nearby Foligno. The workshop is the last in a series about Italian foods offered by Umbra.

For most Americans the Easter holidays are over after Easter dinner, but for Italians, there’s one more day: Pasquetta. This name literally means “Little Easter” in Italian, and while they were with family on Sunday, Easter Monday is when young Italians go out with their friends. Despite yesterday’s inclement weather (Italy’s March is like the northeastern US April), the restaurants were full of friends laughing and eating. While some Umbra students were away taking advantage of the long weekend, others were celebrating Pasquetta all’italiana with their Italian friends. Another group took advantage of a local chocolate maker, Augusta Perusia, and had a hanndmade chocolate egg, along with traditional Easter cake. Yum! Buona Pasquetta!!!!

 

(Above) Augusta Perusia’s handmade masterpiece. (Below) Sara Garnitz and her “torta di Pasqua.” Pictures courtesy Kelly Hoffmaster.

Heather McDermott and Teresa Marino are two students in Professor Judy Chiariello’s Introduction to Special Education class. Teresa and Heather have been part of an exciting educational opportunity – they have been tutoring Italian students at the local liceo scientifico, a high school with a scientific emphasis. What subject are they tutoring? English, of course. The Italian students have a two hour block of English language every day and must speak only English during this block. In her reflection journal Teresa noted: “The best part of this whole experience has been being able to give these students a chance to learn about American culture while improving their English. Being able to make learning my language easier for them made me feel so good because I am in the same boat with learning Italian. I know how hard it is when Stefania (the teacher) says they can only speak English and all they want to do is speak Italian.” 

Heather noted that there are some differences between the Liceo and an American high school. One major difference is that the students stay in the same room all day and the teachers rotate from class to class.Heather and Teresa both found that the students were very interested in American culture and asked many questions about American schools, music, movies and TV shows. One of the lessons taught was based on the words of the song “Time of Your Life” by Green Day, a group popular with Italian teens. As the Italian students read and comprehended the words, a discussion developed around the comparative significance in Italy and the U.S. of such life milestones as high school graduation and moving out of your parents’ home.

On Teresa’s last day at the Liceo her students presented her with flowers and a card. It turns out that the experience has been so positive for Heather and Teresa that their last day will not be their last day – they have volunteered to continue with the tutoring. Professor Chiariello joins Heather and Teresa in thanking Umbra staff member Anna Selberg for making this enriching experience possible.

 
 

Have you ever wondered how the Italian education system works? If you had been in Professor Valentina Marasca’s Italian class today, your knowledge on the subject would have increased tenfold. Italian students studying at the Umbra Institute through the Institute’s accord with the Università di Perugia (click here for more info) paid a visit to Professor Marasco’s class for a cultural exchange focusing on the differences between our two academic systems.

 

The discussion, in Italian, started with the differences at the high school level. In the Italian system one can choose between a number of possible specialized high schools: ones with a linguistic focus, a scientific bent, or even one where you learn Greek and Latin. At the university level the systems diverge radically, as the Umbra students learned. For example, in Italy universities are only urban; there are no liberal arts schools on hills in little towns, with libraries in Victorian buildings and paths paved with gravel. The Americans were also surprised to hear that there is very little homework, though for Italians, the tradeoff is a onetime, go-for-broke oral exam at the end of each semester.

 

One of the Italian students, Rossella Carpino, showed pictures from her graduation. In Italy the celebration doesn’t involve five hundred other students, but opening a bottle of champagne with family and friends out in front of the main university building. And don’t forget the laurel wreath on your head! Can you imagine if that were the end of Umbra’s semester?

 

University of Perugia graduate (and past Umbra exchange student) Rossella Carpino with her thesis and laurel crown, in front of Perugia’s main fountain.

 

Last week Umbra students hopped here and there to sample the best Europe had to offer, and those of us who held down the fort here in good old Perugia were more than ready to hear their stories. Here’s an example of what took place during spring break study-abroad-style.

Kat Black and six of her fellow students left Perugia on a fine spring day bound for Switzerland, known of course for its remarkably clean and clear weather, towering Alps, and uncanny ability to manufacture some of Earth’s best chocolate.

 

The first day of the trip was spend exploring trails and paths surrounding quiet Interlaken, whichyielded magnificent panoramas and sweeping views of massive, true blue lakes and reaching white summits. On the second day it was all for the Alpine slopes, kicks being exchanged for ski boots, sweatshirts for heavy sweaters and thick jackets. Fresh powder had fallen the night before, making for a great and, well, powerdy time. Having spent the day shredding the powder, riding gondolas and becoming human ice-cubes, our adventurers had a warm, not too Italian dinner of juicy hamburgers (wait, aren’t those German?) followed by a hardy dose of sleep.

The next part of the trip took adventuring to a literally higher level, allpersons involved opting either to skydive or paraglide (none of which are for this author!) But then again, the best way to see Switzerland would have to be from the air… Or so we’re told…

Once safely on the gound again, the last bit of an awesome week was spent perusing a Swiss chocolate fair, which included nearly every sort of chocolate imaginable-no surprise there-and countless demonstrations of how to make, and naturally eat, chocolate. Sounds wonderful, right?
See all the pictures — and full-sized ones, at that — with the gallery below!