Arriving in Italy

EB: Traveling by myself across the world was a very interesting experience but one that I hope to not repeat any time soon. It took two flights, a layover, and another two trains rides for me to reach my destinations but it was well worth it.  My first views of the beautiful Italian scenery occurred while I was on a train from Rome to Castiglion Fiorentino.  I met a kind woman named Elena, who happened to be a tour guide for the Tuscany region. As we passed by all of the small towns she would point out certain details that I would have otherwise overlooked and regaled me with interesting facts about the landscape. Parting ways with her, I got off at the Castiglion Fiorentino stop and was thankfully given a ride up to the center. After a long day of traveling from Cancun, Mexico to Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy arriving at Santa Chiara was such a relief.  Seeing the hills surrounding us was absolutely breathtaking. Being raised in Texas, I have not been able to see many hills much less be surrounded by them. This place is one of the most beautiful places I have been to and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to travel here.
               

Since I missed the first couple of days of class due to a family event, I was given an impromptu tour by some of my close friends. I was not able to hear all of the technical names of the plants that we saw but I was able to look and appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. As we explored the city I noticed that there were places where the flowers had grown into the rocks and steps of many of the buildings. Seeing this made me realize how flexible plants can be and marveled at how they were able to survive.  After seeing this first glimpse, I am eager to see what the rest of Italy has to offer. 

Flora and Food are Oh-So-Wonderful

Alexis M: Toscana, Italia absolutely takes my breath away. I love the green, rolling hills, the gorgeous cypress trees, the brightly colored roses lining the streets, the mouth-watering food. The Italian way of life is the way to go.

This past week we had two Italian lessons with our spunky teacher Rossella. She taught us how to order fruit on our own, including pesche (peaches), fragole (strawberries), and mele (apples). As my friends and I strolled around town later in the week, I passed by these juicy beauties:

Every day around every corner we turn, flowers are present. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once quoted, "The earth laughs in flowers." I believe this to be so true! Flowers bring so much joy and meaning to life. They are an instant way to cheer up someone's day. I wish people in the United States treasured flowers as much as people here in Italia do.

Horticulture is not just a topic taught in schools here - it is a lifestyle. Gardens are frequently grown and essentially everything we eat at the Santa Chiara center is locally grown. This trip is already inspiring me to buy local food back home and try to use natural herbs in my meals, such as rosemary and basil. I'm definitely looking forward to learning more about Italian horticulture in the coming weeks!

Small Town Charm

SH: My time in Castiglion Fiorentino is quickly flying by. The small town is adorable and the locals are all very welcoming and friendly. Everywhere I look there is another beautiful view that pictures do not do justice. The food at the center is delicious and a lot of the ingredients are grown locally. We went to the farmers market on Friday and tried some different fruits and cheeses that were very tasty.
We have explored the town looking for various foods and I am amazed at all of the flowers growing everywhere.

     There are walls of flowers, pots of flowers, and fruit trees on every corner. I can't help but to stop and smell the roses every chance I get. On one doorstep somebody had turned an old pair of boots into a flower pot and I loved the idea. I may try to replicate the look for my house in College Station. 

     We have visited Cortona, Florence, Arezzo and Orvieto so far and the views from each city are unique and gorgeous. The wide expanses of trees, fields and the occasional castle leaves little left to wish for in a view. The fact that many of these towns are over 3000 years old blows my mind. The detail on the buildings, especially on the Cathedrals, is unbelievable. 

   

  This week is busy with trips to some wineries and pizza making classes. I am very excited to learn about the vineyards and also how to make my own pizza the Italian way. Can't wait to see what new adventures this week brings! 

The Italian Experience: Volume 1

Our first evening in Italy was probably the most in shock I have ever been. Flying a total of twelve hours to a place I have never been but always wanted to go put my brain in a state of complete awe. Looking at the landscape, my eyes strained to take in the view. I was accustomed to flat and tall trees and Texas. It was like I was in a dream, except the type of dream where you wake up and you are still in the dream. Nothing was the same and I loved that.

Sometimes all you need is a new perspective in order to appreciate life. Going from the hustle and bustle of the American lifestyle to the slow and drawn out living of Italians was a new one for me. Every day the sun peeks over the mountains, bringing life to the land at five in the morning. That's all fine and dandy, but when you have been awake for more than twenty-four hours, you resent it. That gosh dang sun couldn't wait a couple of hours for me to get situated into my new home and acclimatize with the seven hour difference. But that was not the point. The sun was there to remind me that the trip of a lifetime had begun and that no matter what, I was going to love every second of it. If there is anything that describes an afternoon in Italy, there is none other than gelato. It is akin to a snowcone in Texas, where the heat plus the sweet, icy, deliciousness that is gelato completely melts your heart. When we went to get gelato after class, the whole town had shut down. Apparently the Italians take siestas in the afternoon, except there is an Italian term for it that I don't know. The gelateria that was closest to the center was a victim of the siesta plague, so we had to find a new place to engorge frozen sugar water. Down the hill just a tad was another place that had not closed, so we decided to stop in and give it a try. Upon entry, I noticed they had a gelato flavor named “100% nut”. I wondered what type of nuts were in this mystery nut concoction, so I took a taste test. Turns out the Italians like to shorten words just like Texans do; nut= nutella.

So turns out there is a bit of America in Italy! Agave americana, that is. The century plant is a succulent that is native to parts of Mexico and Texas. The agaves are monocarpic, which means once they flower and set seeds, they die. A sad fact, but there is also beauty in senescence. The huge stalks of the agave are a monument in themselves. Sometimes they can reach to impressive heights, towering at twenty six feet. There are tons of these century plants scattered around the landscape here in Italy, reminding me that no matter how far away from the United States I am, I will always find fragments of home in the unlikeliest of places.

 

And with that, I leave you with a bit of (sassi)ness. (vietato gettare sassi translates to “do not throw stones”)

 

-Ciao from the one and only Keith… Just kidding there are two of us. This is Keith Tamborello

 

First Week of the Trip

It has officially been a week since we arrived in Castiglion Fiorentino.  We have gone to visit many different cities in the area including Cortona, Florence, Arezzo, and Orvieto.  All of them have been absolutely beautiful and I have learned so many new things since getting here.  We have been able to experience many of the cultural occurrences that happen here including seeing a new mayor voted in and a train strike.

The food here has been incredible, especially all the fresh fruit.  We have been served fresh fruit at almost every meal and were able to go to the open market on Friday.  At the market, we were able to try many of the fruits that are grown locally and could taste the difference between the fresh fruits here as opposed to what we eat back home.  On Tuesday, we went on a tour of the garden near the town with Dr. Lombardini.  We learned about some of the fruit that they grow here and also about the history of the olive trees at the garden.  I have also noticed how important plants are here in Italy.  Everywhere I go, I see different flowers or fruit producing plants, whether it is on the sides of the roads or in the locals' backyards.

I am looking forward to these next few weeks to come and learning more about the culture and history of Italy!

Bethany Kennedy

 

Life is a Garden, so DIG IT!

Ever since I was younger, I have always wanted to visit the boot-shaped country that was so far away. It has been a week and I still cannot believe that I am here. It has truly been such a dream come true! There are countless things I could talk about from this week, but my trip today to Castiglion del Lago sums it up my feelings for Italy quite well.

To start off our first independent day trip, we encountered a hitch-hiking traveler from Lithuania. 


He knew plenty of different languages and has this philosophy of trying to live by not spending a single dime. He was definitely quite the character who just enjoyed the experiences of life. I really appreciated meeting him because he is a good reminder that there really is a whole huge world out there. If you are fearless and courageous enough to open your mind up to the world and the people in it, the world has so much to offer.

Another beautiful thing I noticed so far in Italy, especially in Castiglion del Lago, was how decorative every single front yard is. It is nothing like Texas where most front yards are just grass. Rather, every front yard has roses, a garden, or even plants wrapped in perfect arches. It is such a wondrous thing because it makes me feel as if Italians really appreciate nature and take it in much more than Americans do. Along with that, we also visited a fortress turned into an auditorium. Besides the breath-taking views, it really hit my heart when I realized that the fortress was used in the past as an actual fortress. We were walking along historical grounds! And this essentially happens everywhere you go in Italy! Although a lot of historical things happened in Texas, it just doesn’t resonate like it has while I’ve been here. I don’t know if it is because its somewhere new, but so far the view just hasn’t stopped being amazing.

Ciao4Now,

Christy Adkins ‘15

A Country with a Rich Beauty

It has officially been one week since we have been living in Italy, and it has been absolutely amazing. The view from anywhere and everywhere that you go is incredible. The hills and valleys surrounding us are covered in all different shades of green, with olive and grape vineyards and other beautiful crops and gardens. The air is so fresh and the weather has been nearly perfect everyday, beside the few showers that we have had.

The food is out of this world! I honestly do not think that Santa Chiara has repeated a pasta dish yet, and we have it everyday at lunch and dinner! You can taste the freshness and quality in each meal that the wonderful cooks here beautifully prepare for us everyday!

Our first day in our horticulture class Dr. Lombardini took us down to a garden right below Santa Chiara, where we were able to see a variety of veggies and herbs. As I have walked through the town of Castiglion Fiorentino I have noticed that not one resident that has any sort of space for a yard, or even a pot, is not growing their own fresh vegetables or flowers. There are olive trees on every corner, strawberries on balconies and flowers that color this adorable town with a bright beauty. On Friday morning Rosella, our Italian teacher, took us to the weekly local market to practice our Italian, and sample food of course! The fruit stand in particular was calling my name; I couldn't pass it up without buying something! The freshest, juiciest, most wonderful peach that I had ever had was in my stomach within 5 minutes. The strawberries and cherries were something to rave about as well! Whether you are staring at the rolling hills, eating fruit at the market, or looking at paintings in churches I have realized that there is a piece of horticulture that tells a part of history or a story.

I love love love this country and the rich color that it shares with us everyday, and cannot wait for the time and adventures that approach us! The beauty unveiled purely by the view I see each day that I look out the windows of the Santa Chiara Center give me a greater perspective of the abundance of this world and the incredible creation that it truly is.

-Kara P.

The Local Market Friday morning

View of Cortona

So many blooming flowers in the town!

Castiglion Fiorentino - Outer Cathedral Garden

         IH: On Tuesday May 27th, my horticulture class and I decided to go outside the classroom into the field. Right outside the cathedral bell tower, Dr. Lombardini showed us the gardens that the citizens of Castiglion Fiorentino had cultivated. Among the many vegetables that grew in the garden included potatoes, cabbages, and garlic, just to name a few. The most noticeable plant we saw happened to be the olive tree, where we learned that they could possibly be up to a few hundred years old and beyond! Even though some of the plants we saw were ancient, there is always something out there trying to kill them. 

         In the picture above, you see a bluish/green pigment that is actually not part of the plant; those colors were sprayed on using the chemical called copper sulphate. This spray is actually something that protects all the plants in the area from a special fungus that would devour the greenery in the area. This fungicide has positive and negative effects on the plants but mostly is an overall good thing for the cultivation of the plants. Farmers are always trying to fight off disease and plagues wherever they are; one problem that Italy experienced in the 1850's was a bug that was brought from America to Italy. This bug nearly wiped out the wine industry, but thankfully by using grafting with American grape vines as the base the problem was solved and the industry saved.

         I learned a lot on this excursion outside the classroom. Realizing how fragile a lot of plants are was really eye opening to me and that cultivating plants is a lot tougher that just digging a hole and watering them. I hope that I can keep on learning more about Italian horticulture and how it may help me in my future. 

        

         

Farmers' Market in Castiglion Fiorentino

Emily K: Last Friday, May 30, we went with our Italian teacher, Rossella, to the local farmers' market. It was not only a perfect opportunity for us to practice our newly learned Italian vocabulary, but also to learn about the local agricultural products grown here in Castiglion Fiorentino and the other Tuscan areas. We bought cantaloupe, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, cherries, lemons, and oranges, all harvested from the area. Safe to say the region is spoiled by the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available! However, this was not always the case. Citruses, for example, are original natives of South East Asia and peaches original natives of China. Fruits and vegetables have been spread across the globe through trade and exploration, and many can now be grown in a multitude of areas. Tuscany's land and climate together make a nice suitor for many plants, so farmers in the region have been able to yield a great variety of delicious tasting products. Personally, I have most gleefully indulged in the wonderfully ripened tomatoes. Whether they be used on a pizza, in pasta, in a salad, or even served wholly on their own, I've never had a tomato more delectable than the ones grown here! <br>

Castiglion Fiorentino - Surrounding Lots of Farmland

Last tuesday, May 27th, we toured the farms that surround our Santa Chiara campus in Castiglion Fiorentino with Dr. Lombardini. Of all the various crops, olive trees vastly outnumbered their nutrient-dependent rivals. The olive trees are buried deeper in the ground than most other crop trees to the point where only the branches of the tree of sprout up out of the ground, resembling a bush. The olive trees outside of Santa Chiara have a very interesting history. If I can recall correctly, there was a particularly miserable winter in Italy in the early 1980's with some of the lowest temperatures witnessed in the century, especially damaging to the agriculturally dependent Tuscan region (Including Castiglion Fiorentino), diminishing the crop yield and killing great portions of olive trees. Dr. Lombardini stated that the olive trees that we see around our campus most likely sprouted back from the roots after the winter from hell, irony unintended.
The trees adjacent to Santa Chiara at the current time have four-five shoots sprouting from the ground, although they started with as many as ten-fifteen. As an olive tree ages, in accordance with the survival of the fittest theory, the weakest shoot must be cutoff every few years to accommodate the more productive shoots. Eventually, the remaining four shoots of the Castiglion Fiorentino olive trees will be dwindled down to just one trunk, the most productive shoot.
As far as analysis goes I can only describe the taste of the olive oil that we, as a class, purchased to soak the dry Tuscan bread in, which is quite good I have to say.

Signing off,
Nick Melocik