We got up early and met Elisa at 8:15am to head to a farmers market populated by local producers of a wide range of products from the Perugia area. We talked with a man who produces beans, lentils, and grains (staple products here in Umbria), and another who produces olive oil. We even got a free bottle of fresh apple juice from a vendor who initially thought we were filming for American TV. In reality, it was Cat (from the Umbra Institute) filming footage for a promotional video for future use at OWU.
After visiting the market, we then had a second breakfast at a caffe operated by the Ferretti Caseficio folks (where we visited earlier in the week). The students had wonderful cappuccinos and pastries made with their dairy products.
We had some free time after this, and some of us went shopping, while others were interviewed by Cat for the promotional video. Around 2:30, we met again to share our 'stories' in a beautiful sitting area in our hotel after a quick photo shoot with each of us wearing every scarf that we purchased on the trip. RIDICULOUS. The students were assigned, at the start of the trip, the task of creating their trip story, complete with contextual setup, conflict, and resolution. The stories were wonderful, and it was an incredible experience hearing about how this time in Italy had affected all of us. There were smiles, laughs, and a few tears as well.
We then proceeded to the Umbra Institute where Elisa shared the story the cultural importance of bread, and then told us the story of the traditional Umbrian Torta di Pasqua, or Easter Bread. We also talked about Sardinian Pane Carasau, and its importance. Needless to say, bread has a longstanding and important role in the culture of Italy, to the degree that many folks kiss any bread that needs to be thrown away. In addition, there are a lot of recipes that use stale bread - it is truly a treasure here.
After this, we attended an olive oil workshop, where we learned to recognize the difference between good and bad olive oil. Our teacher was a shop owner and olive oil expert, and he shared with us a lot of great information about the production and cultural importance of this product. We then smelled three different olive oils (and tasted two). We didn't taste the third because it was 'terrible' according to our olive oil expert, and we all agreed that it didn't smell very appealing. Many of the students purchased a bottle of Umbrian oil - it was a great experience. One of the key lessons that our olive oil expert wanted us to bring back to the States was that we should be sure to share time at the table. He reminded us that time is precious, and that the table is the place where we should discuss, argue, and make peace -- and that it is the place where families and friends bond and grow. He also reminded us that food is valuable, and that we should take care to choose quality over quantity. It was a really wonderful way to drive home the messages that we've been discussing all semester.
We ended our night with dinner at Bacio, a small pizzeria off the main street in Perugia. It was a boisterous, fun time, complete with a very handsome waiter. The students gave Dr. Fink and Dean Goldsberry a gift of a leather bracelet with their Italian names burned onto the outside (Fabrizio and Valentina, respectively), and OWU 2013 burned onto the inside. Also in the gift was a great bag of Umbrian candy. Such a sweet group!
Even with pizza and dessert in our bellies we needed more, so we headed to Grom, a gelateria that was started in Turin, but now has locations across Italy and even in NYC. We walked and sang our way back to the hotel, to pack and rest up for our big trip home.
On Friday we got up early and headed to our bus at 7:30am, and are currently zooming our way across Umbria and Lazio to the airport, with mixed feelings. We will certainly all miss the excitement of being in a foreign land, the kindness of our Italian friends, the wonderful vistas, and of course the food. But even more, I think we all agree that we will miss the camaraderie of our wonderful group. At the same time, we are ready to reunite with our family and friends back in the US, and to return to our lives there. It's been a wonderful experience - one that none of us will ever forget. Thanks for coming along with us through this blog! We will have the final set of pictures up in the coming days.
Ciao!
