Final Celebration/Celebrazione Finale

I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity to study and report from abroad for 10 weeks, and it is with sadness yet gratitude that I must say my time studying with this program and reporting for this class is coming to a close. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to meet you all since I am still abroad, but I know from the engaged comments that you all have been very interested to read the details of the lens I provided of Italy. Being able to interact with you all made this experience even more fulfilling for me, allowing me to reflect deeper and research more. 

Life in Rome has developed for me a more meditative way of living, an enhanced appreciation for the arts, and a stronger curiosity of the vastness and multilayered-ness of the world. I now, and hope you all do too, have a deeper pool of raw creative material to draw from. I hope my blog has inspired you all to travel with a curious outlook and to live life with time for reflection and gratitude. Remember that positivity, confidence, curiosity, and respect are essential to all our explorations, which I have learned during my exploration here.  

Thank you to PSU’s Reporting Live program and to you all for engaging with this blog! Happy Summer! Take care!

Photo of the Week: East Side Gallery; Berlin, Germany

This is a photo from the East Side Gallery in Berlin, Germany, which is an art gallery that decorates the remains of the Berlin Wall, which divided the city of Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Today murals are painted directly on the surface of the wall. 

Thank you all for reading and being engaged with my posts documenting my experiences and what I’ve learned during my studies abroad! Could you all please let me know what you’ve learned, and your general thoughts about my blog posts? I wish we could all meet, however I won’t be coming back to the States until after your class ends! Happy Summer! 

Interviewing a Scuola Media Class

Attending school in Italy is required from age 6 through age 16. There are five stages in the Italian educational system: Kindergarten, scuola dell’infanzia; primary/elementary school, scuola primaria or scuola elementare; lower secondary/middle school, scuola media; upper secondary/high school, liceo; and university, università.

In the hallway

I was able to organize an interview with a class of scuola media students, where the teacher invited me into the classroom to conduct the interview for the entire class, as part of her lesson on the English language, so we conducted the interview almost entirely in English! The school was a regular public middle school, and the class I attended was the class of the son of one of my study abroad program advisors here in Rome. 

In the classroom

It was a really small class, with eight students: Sarah, Frederica, Samuel, Nicola, Fabrizio, Marietta, Pedro, and David. Three of the students were deaf, so they communicated through Italian Sign Language and had their assistant translate for me. They were really shy about having photos taken as well as answering questions, but they were excited to meet me and hear about America! Here’s the transcription of the interview:

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in Italy?

A: “The food, the pasta” – Sarah

Q: What are your favorite meals and desserts?

A: “Pizza, pasta carbonara, and gelato” – Pedro

Q: What is your favorite flavor of gelato?

A: “Chocolate” – Pedro

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: “Be with friends, play football, or play video games” – Fabrizio 

“Fortnite” – Nicola

(here the assistant teacher asked, “so you don’t study?” and the teacher said “all the students like to study!”) 

Q: Who are your favorite music artists?

A: “Mina” – Marietta 

Q: Do you enjoy going to school? Why or why not?

A: “I enjoy going to school to see my friends” – Sarah

Q: What are your favorite subjects to learn about? 

A: “History” – Samuel 

“Math” – Frederica 

“Physical Education” – Pedro  

Q: What do you want to do when you grow up?

A: “To write” – Samuel 

“I don’t know” – David 

Q: Are there any after school activities at your school? 

A: “We go to the Villa sometimes to hang out” – Samuel 

“I play basketball” – Pedro

“I play football” – Fabrizio 

“I play in band” – Marietta 

Q: Are you learning any languages? 

A: “English and Italian Sign Language” – The whole class agreed 

Q: Are you planning on going to college? If yes, what do you want to go for? If no, what do you plan to do instead?

A: “For now, I am planning on going to high school” – David, and the whole class agreed! 

Photo of the Week: View of Vatican City from the top of St. Peter’s Dome

After 551 stair steps, you can see this view from the top of St. Peter’s dome in Vatican City (or the smallest country in the world). The top of the dome offers an aerial view of all of Rome, where you can walk in a circle around the dome and see all of the city – you can even see the birds flying below you! Walking all the way up here was quite a work out, and the staircases are very narrow, with the dome walls tilting and closing in the closer you get to the top! 

Italian Pop Culture

Hey again everyone! For this post I’ve decided to compile some details about a few of the many aspects of pop culture that I’ve come across living here in Italy. Since there’s only a few more weeks for me to blog for you all, and I haven’t gotten to covering each of these topics in their own post, I decided to make this post including a little bit of everything – Italian fashion, music, sports, and art!

Fashion

Milan Fashion Week; Photos Courtesy of Google Images

         Italian fashion is a huge aspect of pop culture in the country. Italy is known around the world as a capital for fashion, and it’s true that most Italians dress very nice on a daily basis, including the women wearing blazers and high heels, the men wearing sport-coats and dressy shoes, and everyone having color-coordination in mind when they put together their outfits. Carpisa and Fila are two brands based in Italy that are very popular, with Carpisa supplying handbags and leather goods, and Fila supplying their famous sneakers and sport gear. 

High-end fashion houses based in Italy include Prada, Valentino, Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, and Etro. The Northern city of Milan is widely known as the “fashion capital of the world”, with many fashion houses sourced and based from that city. Italian and European fashion seems to set the scene for fashion, both high-end and low-end, around the entire world. What kind of clothes and fashion do you all like?

Music

Ghali; Photo Courtesy of Google Images

         Contemporarily, rap music is very popular for the youth in Italy, as it also is in America. Some of my favorite Italian rappers include Ghali, Capo Plaza, Madman, Keezy, Salmo, Rancore, and Luche. I also enjoy older Italian music such as Mina and Patty Pravo, who were women who sang with lyrics inspired by the feminism movements. My grandmother actually introduced me to Mina! Many of the older locals love Mina’s music, and I hear Mina sometimes playing in nicer restaurants here in Rome. However, I find it interesting that most public places, including restaurants, pubs, and coffee shops play American and British music, usually older songs such early 2000’s Beyonce and Taylor Swift, or punk rock, Pink Floyd, and even songs from the ‘80s. Do you all like to listen to music from different countries? 

Mina; Photo Courtesy of Google Images

Sports

Juventus; Photo Courtesy of Google Images

         Soccer is the main sport in Italy. A.S. Roma and Juventus are the primary, popular, well-loved teams in Italy. Most locals root for one of these teams, and feel very strongly about their team winning – kind of like the Ducks vs. the Beavers back in Oregon with football. Bike racing is also a popular activity that locals are invested in. When I was visiting my cousin in Chieti, there was a bike race happening that rode through the city. When I went out for lunch that day, the TV at the pizzeria was playing the live footage from the bike race and there were locals young and old watching and bonding over the happenings of the race. It was nice to see strangers getting into such passionate conversations over their mutual interest of the sport! What are your favorite sports to play and watch?

Art

Baroque Art in the Vatican Museum

         70% of all art in the world is located in Italy, which seems like a crazy large amount, however, is believable considering the large number of museums which house imported art as well as the remains of the ancient art around the country. Baroque art specifically was born in Italy, and is easily found in many of the churches and building surfaces around the country. Baroque art was invented as a form of lavish, over-the-top, extravagant art in order to decorate royal and wealthy homes and places. 

Baroque Art in the Vatican Museum

When I look at Baroque art, it’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed with the amount of intricate detail in every corner! Baroque is an absolutely beautiful art form, and it’s fascinating to think about how such intricate details were designed and executed in such large areas! The Vatican Museums house a large amount of Baroque art, especially on the ceilings. Lecce, Italy is known as the city of Baroque art. Even the contemporary art in Italy seems to be inspired by ancient and baroque styles. What are your favorite art forms? Do you make art? 

Photo of the Week: At the Beach in Pescara!

This is the ocean jetty in Pescara, a beach city located on the east coast of Italy. I took this photo standing all the way down the jetty looking back towards the land. Jetties are usually built in order to protect coastlines from degradation caused by currents and tides, stretching from the sandy shore into the wavy water. In the distance, back on the shore, you can see all the umbrellas that restaurants and resort owners build into the beaches, and beyond that, the green trees and mountains. I absolutely love spending time at the beach! Do you like beaches?

Gelato: Traditional Italian “Ice Cream”

 

What is Gelato?

The translation of gelato literally means frozen. Contrary from popular belief, Italian gelato is actually quite different from the traditional ice cream that is found in America. Traditionally, gelato is mixed by hand or by machine until semi-frozen, which prevents the formation of ice crystals. Gelato is made with all natural ingredients, and less air and less butterfat than ice cream, which allows for a more intense flavor. Most of the fruit flavors are traditionally made with a water base instead of a milk base, called sorbetto. Authentically, no artificial colorings or flavorings are used, which makes the flavor more natural and means that the product is healthier! 

Mixing gelato at the Fassi Gelateria!

Historically, it is believed that Florentine Bernardo Buontalenti whipped up the first ever batch of gelato in the 16^th century, as a gift for Caterina di Medici, an Italian noblewoman who was married to King Henry II. 

Some of the flavors from the Fassi Gelateria!

Gusto di Gelato: Traditional Flavors

“Gusto” means “taste” or “flavor”. Some of the traditional flavors popular and common around Italy include amarena, made with cream and sour cherries; zabaione, made with white wine and custard; stracciatella, which is cream mixed with chocolate chips; cassata, which is ricotta cheese cream with candied fruit; zuppa inglese, which is custard with cookies and sherry; and tiramisù, which is mascarpone cream and chocolate.

There are also a wide range of gelato flavors made with fruit flavors, such as strawberry, mango, banana, peach, melon, lemon, avocado, and mixed berry. There are also flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, licorice, mint, cream, cinnamon, coffee, hazelnut, almond, and more. Some gelaterias have so many flavors to choose from that sometimes it’s hard for me to decide what to order! Some gelaterias also offer fresh whipped cream as a topping, which I love!

Everyone enjoying their gelato at the Fassi Gelateria!

I asked my local friends: What is your favorite flavor of gelato? Here are their responses:

Claudio: “Cocco” (Coconut)

Giovanni: “Pistachio, stracciatella, zuppa inglese, and Nutella, and in some cases strawberry, watermelon, and melon” 

Claudia: “Cioccolato” (Chocolate)

Franco: “Fragola” (Strawberry) 

Livia: “Stracciatella o fragola” (Stracciatella or strawberry)

My personal favorite flavors are amarena, stracciatella, zabaione, cassata, cinnamon, and chocolate-hazelnut!  

Rome’s Historical Fassi Gelateria

Laboratorio Fassi; Photo courtesy of Andrea Fassi

I had a chance to visit a historical artisan gelateria called Fassi Gelateria. Currently the gelateria is being run by Andrea Fassi, the fifth generation of the original creator of the gelateria. I also had the opportunity to get in contact with Andrea Fassi of the Fassi Gelateria for an interview. Below are my questions with Andrea’s answers: 

Andrea Fassi; Photo courtesy of Andrea Fassi

Q: What is the origin story of the Fassi Gelateria? 

A: At the beginning, there was a little ice and beer point in Quattro Fontane street, near Barberini Square. Giacomo Fassi, from Piemonte, and Giuseppina his wife, from Sicily, started a company that brought their son, Giovanni, to work as pastry chef in Royal House.He was called The King gelatiere, remembered by his characteristic mustache, that will be the reason of his fortune. When all the workers were obliged to cut the mustache by a royal order, then, Giovanni declined and opened a private company in Navona Square and Piave street, and then 1928 in Principe Eugenio street where he founded the Palazzo del Freddo: a headquarter 700 mq with laboratory that he managed with his Mom and his wife, Giuseppina. During the Sixties, Leonida, Giovanni's son, inherited the family passion, becoming a member of Federazione Italiana dei Pubblici Esercizi and teaching profession to Giovanni Daniela and Fabrizio. From 2014 Palazzo del Freddo had a Korean property, Haitai Confectionery and Foods. Andrea Fassi is the CEO, he belongs to the fifth generation of Fassi gelato masters and wants to expand Palazzo’s brand all over the world, with the same principles that have made the Fassi gelato: high quality, visual laboratory, and good prices: a new era projected to innovation.

Making gelato; Photo courtesy of Andrea Fassi

Q: What is the importance and historical significance of keeping the Fassi Gelateria running? 

A: Palazzo del Freddo maintains the value of homemade production, defending the quality and carrying on the responsibility to spread the brand in the world with the same principles of Giovanni Fassi. 

Q: What is the most popular flavor purchased at the Fassi Gelateria? 

A: Pistachio, Mango, and obviously the Sanpietrino. 

Q: What is the least popular flavor purchased at the Fassi Gelateria? 

A: There isn’t!

Andrea Fassi; Photo courtesy of Andrea Fassi

Q: What is your favorite part about working with the Fassi Gelateria? 

A: The analysis of the monthly statement to study the choices to be done to change something if it doesn’t work, and also I love the creative part of the day, planning new flavors, organizing dinner, and show cooking.

Q: What influence does the Fassi Gelateria strive to have on the local gelato community? 

A: Fassi Gelateria is an institution for the gelato market in Rome, a lot of new gelato shops look at our gelato to understand a homemade way to produce it, they respect our business as something that can’t be replicated because it’s huge and big. 

Q: What is your personal favorite flavor of gelato? 

A: Chocolate. 

Semifreddo gelato dessert; Photo courtesy of Andrea Fassi

Do you all enjoy eating ice cream? If so, what are your most favorite flavors? Are there any traditional gelato flavors that you would want to try? What are your favorite desserts in general? 

Is there anything else specific you all are interested in me writing about during my last few weeks in Italy? See you all soon!