Ciao a Tutti!

Siena Italian Studies has just ended their ten- day break and its back to studying and hitting the books! There is great talk about the many places the group traveled to. While some students decided to stay and explore Italy, others traveled great distances, to places such as: Spain, Greece, London, Ireland, France, Turkey, Czech Republic, Austria and the list goes on…

Through the many delays and cancelations, we all managed to have a great traveling experience with our friends. Ending the previous week with numerous tests and essays, it was definitely time for a break! My group and I had the privilege to travel to Madrid, Barcelona and Greece (no delays!). After five flights, it is safe to say that we all had an amazing time.

First stop: Madrid. Spain’s capital city offered us many beautiful places to visit. While walking through the city, we were able to visit the Plaza Mayor, where we met our travel guide. Plaza Mayor was built during the Habsburg period and is a central plaza in the city. The rectangular shape as well as its nine entrances makes this plaza unique and popular year round.

Carmela, Erica and I in Plaza Mayor

The crowded streets of Madrid had a subtle, yet significant piece of history. The largest city in Spain also happens to have a small area that is the “Center of Spain.” The piece of sidewalk contains a compass, where people are always standing to take pictures.

Carmela and I posing in the center of Spain!

Next Stop: Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. The weather was amazing, perfect to lie on the beach. Thankfully our hostel allowed us to walk about ten feet and do just that! If we weren’t found on the beach, we went sightseeing and explored the famous Barcelona nightlife. We were definitely not disappointed! We ventured down the boardwalk to the famous Ice Bar, where we were given coats and gloves to keep warm in the below zero temperature.

Tom at the Ice Bar!

Today, Barcelona is one of the world’s leading tourist, economic and cultural- sport centers. The lively city attracts tourists for its commerce, entertainment, media, fashion and arts. We were unable however, to keep up with the infinite sites Barcelona offers. Although, we were sad to leave, we were on the way to our next destination…Greece!

Last Stop: Rhodes, Greece. Arriving in Greece was absolutely an experience. As the taxis took us from the airport to our hotel, we noticed that the potential crazy island was completely dead. We had missed the busy season by two weeks! Apparently in the summer up until the beginning of October, Rhodes is heavily populated; packed with tourists and college students. We were lucky however with the weather. The beach was gorgeous and the weather perfect for a much needed tan.

On our third day, we explored a little further and found a place where we could all go banana- boating and parasailing. For a pretty cheap price, all ten of us hopped in the banana boat and began to see different parts of the island.

The water was crystal blue and not even the slightest bit cold. I could literally see all the way to the bottom! As the speedboat stopped, the driver insisted that we jump off and swim into one of the caves. The banana-boating experience was a special one. Being able to explore the island by boat was breathtaking; it made the whole trip worth it.

After, some of the girls and I went parasailing. The view from up above was just as amazing, though I had been screaming the whole entire time. This was the day that turned our Greece adventure right around.

While my group traveled to Spain and Greece, others made it to Ireland and London!

The Guinness Factory!

London is a beautiful place, but even here students were able to see “Occupy London”

All in all, the stress of making our several flights, busses and trains was completely worth it. The ten-day break was the perfect opportunity for our group to relax, unwind and enjoy the beautiful sights these places offered!

Addio per ora!

-Alexandra Vigliarolo

Ciao Visitatori SIS!

This past weekend was perfect to travel to the beautiful Assisi and Perugia. The weather only added to the effect. The temperature has finally dropped! The first stop was Assisi, where the group was able to explore The Papal Basilica of St. Francis. We were given the opportunity to walk around and examine the sites of one of the most meaningful places in Italy! The landmark was definitely a special place to visit!

Off to the Chocolate factory in Perugia, where the smell of chocolate was absolutely intoxicating! Greeted by a brief chocolate making demonstration, we were able to snack on some chocolate before heading into the factory. It was awesome to see different types of chocolate everywhere, especially a gigantic Bacio!

“A Bacio in front of a Bacio,” says Emma.

I’d say the coolest part of the visit was to see all of the famous monuments in Italy made only of chocolate!

Addio per Ora!

- Alexandra Vigliarolo

Ciao a tutti!  We have a new student blogger this semester.  I present Alexandra Vigliarolo from Siena College.

Ciao a tutti!  Today is the Festa Della Repubblica here in Italy.  After World War II, the Italian people were faced with a choice:  To vote to keep a monarchy, or to vote for a republic.  I think that given the name of the holiday, the outcome of that vote is obvious.

Before I get to what’s happening currently here at SIS, I’ll sum up what has already happened since last I wrote.  First of all, here are two pictures of our groups that just left.  Best of luck to all of you in whatever you do!  You are all missed, but I’m sure that you’ll come back and visit us.  You’re always welcome!

LC 2011 (classy)

The rest of Spring 2011 (with Carlo!)

Right after our Spring semester ended there was no time to rest.  Our first Intercultural Horizons conference was just 5 days after the end of the semester.  I’m happy to report that everything exceeded our own high expectations.  People came from all over the world to speak, the atmosphere was relaxed but interactive and stimulating, and we, as a staff, came away from the experience with a true feeling of success and accomplishment.   We look forward to organizing the second edition of the Intercultural Horizons conference in 2013.  It’s hard to believe, but it’s actually right around the corner.

After some well-deserved rest, we welcomed our first summer students last week.  Some of them will be here for a full two months and others for just one.  Soon we will be welcoming our six-week students.  I will admit that it is a challenge to keep track of everyone during our complicated summer schedule.  The students on the other hand, are already in sync with the local rhythms.  Yesterday evening, we took a moment to relax at the hot springs (Terme di San Giovanni).  Our dip in the pool had the fortunate timing to come to an end just before it started to rain.

Buona Festa Della Repubblica!

Mike

Our new flag that, when on display, means that ONLY ITALIAN will be spoken in the office.

Ciao di nuovo a tutti!

Spring is upon us and this year we can actually tell.  Last year at this time of year we had a freak snowstorm.  I won’t go as far as to say that the sun is the actual property of Tuscany (like one particular American author) however I can say that when it shines, over here, life is good.

This past weekend we made a trip to Pienza to taste some Pecorino cheese.  For those of you who don’t know the word pecora in Italian means sheep.  one certain breed of sheep, originally from Sardegna,  made its way (along with humans) about 50-60 years ago to the Tuscan region.  The Sardinian breed is famous for it’s milk-producing qualities and pecorino originally comes from the island.  There you go!  That’s how we get the word pecorino (or) sheep cheese.

We also visited Adamo Contucci’s wine cellar.  If you’re a fan of Rick Steves, then you may have already seen some information on Moltepulciano’s Contucci winery.  Adamo Contucci has been making wine for 65 years and his family has been doing the same for more than 600 years.  He knows what he’s doing.  His wines are excellent.

Lastly, and probably most important… I must mention our conference that we are organizing.  We at SIS are putting on a huge conference that will take place on may 7th and 8th.  Just go to the homepage to find out more.  We’re all working incredibly hard to make sure that the conference is a success.

The view from Pienza

Vino!

poster-70-100 click to see our poster for the conference!

It has been a while since I last posted anything on the SIS blog.  My excuses could be numerous, but in the end there’s always time that could have been used in a more productive way.  The important thing is to actually do productive things rather than just talk about them.  So, here’s the latest news in the SIS world.

First of all, this entry comes on an important day in history.  Today marks the 150^th anniversary of that Italy has been… well, Italy!  After Giuseppe Garibaldi and his rather small army of one-thousand men successfully united the fragmented  southern part of the peninsula, on March 17^th, 1861 Vittorio Emanuele II was pronounced the king of Italy.

The national holiday comes during our break, so there are currently no students in Siena at the moment.  It’s always rather astonishing to step back for a moment and realize how quickly things seem to go.  Our current students have already stepped over the half-way point of the semester.  Thinking back on all of the semesters that I’ve seen pass by in ten years here, I’m in awe of how many people I’ve had the opportunity to get to know and the amount of things that we’ve accomplished together.

This semester we took the group up to the north.  First we stopped in Torino at the Mole Antonelliana, which, today is home to the cinema museum.  From there we headed up to the Valle D’Aosta for a few days.  Some skied or snowboarded while others explored the area.  One day, our hotel organized a snowshoeing adventure near picturesque town of Cogne.  The Valle D’aosta is an interesting region with influences from both Italy as well as France.  Like all of Italy though, one thing that’s a sure bet is the quality of the food.  Probably the most famous product from the area is the fontina cheese.  We tried it and everything else we could.  I brought back a bunch of it to eat at home, but alas, it’s finished.  Now I’m left with nothing but all of this pecorino toscano… poor me!

This semester, like all semesters, is keeping both staff and students very busy.  All of our service activities are in full swing by this point in the semester as well as all of the courses.  An added challenge for SIS staff this semester is make sure the semester is as meaningful and productive as possible while simultaneously focusing on the organization of SIS’s second conference.  We are expecting quite a lot of people from literally all over the world to attend the conference that will address intercultural communication. Our homepage can provide you with info and links regarding the conference.

Here to help us with the conference, we are very lucky to have former president of IPSL and now Senior Fellow of SIS, Nevin Brown.  Nevin is not only working with us in the office, he’s also getting the full SIS experience… from the point of view of a student.   Nevin is taking Italian, living with a family and participating on all of our excursions.  I couldn’t think of  better way to really see SIS from the inseide!

More pics soon!

Mike

My plan for the final blog entry for the Fall 2010 semester wast to simply post a bunch of student’s pictures.  To tell you the truth, that’s still my plan.  What better way to sum up the semester that through the eyes of the students who lived it?

I think, however that before I get to those pictures that today’s events deserve some attention.  Today, as the students were taking their final exam for Italian class, this started to happen:

San Domenico as the snow started...

…And then some more fell…

Jillian in the snow

…And enough snow fell throughout the day, that I was able to make this in front of my house:

:)

So I guess the snow is Siena’s gift to us all after a semester’s worth of hard work.  Now, with no further ado, student photos!

click fall semester 2010 (the resolution isn’t the great, but it’s the best that our site can do.  The same video is on the Siena Italian Studies facebook page.  The resolution’s a bit better.)

Thanks to Jillian Marziglaino, Elizabeth Viles, Rebekah Smith, Chelsea Flaim, and Gabriella Baetti for the photos.

There’s quite a lot to recount and I’ll admit that this is partially due to the fact that I’ve fallen a bit behind on the blog updates.  Before I make any more excuses, let’s just get down to business.

First on the bill are congratulations to be awarded to Lavinia, Antonella, and generally all of the staff here at SIS for the long-awaited publication of our FICCS (Full Immersion: Culture, Content, and Service) teaching method.  We actually have a real book that explains our entirely unique system that we invented right here in Siena.  We’ve been using it for years now and the publication of the book doesn’t change life here around the office, but it means a great deal for the program and all of our futures.  Bravi tutti!

Next up would be Thanksgiving, I suppose.  Last Wednesday night, Marco Laporta and I started preparations for the big dinner.  By Thursday morning we had a lot already done and it’s a good thing that we started early because we cooked from 8:30 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening.  There were a few moments during the day when it seemed like we weren’t going be able to finish in time.  By 8:30 it was evident that the hard work was worth it and I have to say that I think that although it seems excruciatingly cliché that this Thanksgiving was probably the best that we’ve been able to organize as far as the food was concerned.  Everything was there including two 15 kg  (33lbs each!) turkeys.  We were very grateful to the brand new bookstore that has a bar/restaurant inside (www.sicsiena.it) for providing us with the kitchen, space, and also the catering contacts in Firenze who were able to get us things like real cranberry sauce and all of the ingredients for pumpkin pie.  In total, somewhere around 60 people went home with very full bellies.  This is the one time of year when the Italians eat American food…. and like it!

Last but not least, Friday was a day off for the students last week.  “Days off” are often the days when staff takes advantage of the students’ absence get things like “home improvement” done around the office.  In anticipation for next semester, the student room got a much-needed makeover and a few couches made their way up to the Salicotto office.   What was really fantastic is that a number of students stayed in Siena for the weekend to help out!  Grazie mille!  Everything looks great.

This week has been rather quiet so far.  Things get eerily calm towards the end of the semester.  I have a hunch that it might have something to do with those 10-page papers and tests to study for.   Buoni studi!

The two authors with their book.

A close-up for proof that their names are really on the cover.

Long after thanksgiving dinner was over, the students were sill hanging out.

Juan Carlos (Giancarlo) getting the "hard to reach" spots.

Special thanks to Sara Ketcham, Chiara Colette, Sophia Lind, Rebekah Smith, and of course... Roni and Juan Carlos.

It’s been a little while since last I blogged.  I’m sure that all of you who studied here and are eagerly awaiting the latest news can sympathize with the fact that the ever-expanding world of SIS keeps us tremendously busy.  For those of you who haven’t been here (yet!), just ask anyone who has, and they’ll confirm that indeed everyone here has their hands full.   That’s a good thing though, right?  Yep.  It means that we have lots of students who want to be involved in as much as they can be.  It’s up to us here to make that possible.

In the past few weeks we’ve had a few interesting excursions.  Students went to a local pecorino cheese farm/factory and got a close look the process of making the local delicacy.   After tasting all of the various types of cheese produced by the Azienda Sanna, the next stop was a pig farm.  Mr. Barruffaldi’s pig farm, like most pig farms, is generally a muddy experience however, that’s about all that his farm has in common with regular pig farms.  His pigs, the Cinta Senese, are a rare breed of pig left over from medieval times that live on whatever they find in the forest.  Their diet is the main reason that their meat is so sought after for its health benefits.  It turns out that the type of cholesterol in the fat produced by these pigs is actually good for you!  Of course, all things in moderation.

Still on the subject of pigs, (pork is an important meat in Italy) Carlo Tozzi, Marco Laporta, Marianna and I took a small group of brave students to La Villa Ferraia (www.villaferraia.com) to see the process of how a pig becomes sausage, prosciutto, and everything else.  The process was carried out respecting centuries of tradition. It was if we stepped back in time to the Tuscany of 200 years ago.  The experience was humbling and made us realize how important it is to use absolutely every part of the animal, not only for our benefit, but out of respect for the pig.

By now, I’ve probably scared away any vegetarians interested in the program.  Fear not!  We always have a good number of vegetarians on the program and there’s always plenty to eat for everyone.  I’m actually planning another excursion to La Villa Ferraia in the spring have students participate in the spring planting in their enormous organic garden.  The methods they use in their garden reach far beyond what we know as organic in the U.S.   It should be fun.

Next week it’s our turn as Americans to do some cooking.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Mike

Gwen helping make sausage

Zach stirring the polenta over the fire

Staff relaxing

It’s hard to believe that we’re halfway through the semester.  It’s also equally amazing how fast weeks and months seem to breeze by in a place like Italy where the pace of each individual day is apparently slower than the American one.  For everyone’s benefit, I’ll stop short of getting into the physics of space and time and just say that, indeed, we’re moving ahead in the fall, 2010 term.

The school is currently silent and I’m actually writing this installation from home today because we’re on break right now!  Roni went back to the US for a week to spend some time with friends and family while the rest of the staff is taking it easy and working on some of the things that never get done while we’re concentrating on the students.  The students? Well, they’re all over Italy and Europe until next Sunday.  I hope they’re all having fun!

Last week one of our professors, Alfonso Casella, had much to celebrate as his second book to be published was released.  I picked up a copy and I have to say that it is very unique approach to a book.  Complimenti Alfonso!

We had a visit from an Italian student who will be working with Marianna on a project that may bring students from the former Yugoslavia to study here in Siena with us.

Last but not least I’ve been meaning to mention Lavinia, Nate, and Eliza’s work for our conference in the spring here on our site.  Check it out if you have a moment.        http://www.sienaitalianstudies.com/intercultural_horizons.php

Ciao Ciao!

Mike

Alfonso's second book!

No photoshop here, just the colors in the driveway as I wrote the blog.