Last Monday we had the option of signing up for an evening trip to Bassano del Grappa and I’m so glad I put aside school work and took the short 20 minute trip. Got some great pictures of a famous bridge where it’s truly European to stop at the end bar and ask for a glass of “Metza-Metza”. We all shared in a cin-cin (toast) and sipped our drinks, and in the words of one of the international students “it tastes like Chinese cough syrup or medicine for when you get car sickness”! It was interesting, a slightly red drink with a drop of lemon in it. Gorgeous town though, especially for an evening stroll, and in true Italian style we topped the night off with some gelato for the soul. We all kind of wish that CIMBA campus was actually in that town because there’s much more offered like supermarkets and interesting restaurants, but Asolo is a truly unique experience in itself also. Monday afternoon we also took another plant tour to LAGO furniture to examine their Lean Manufacturing practices. A higher end design company specializing in thinking outside the box. Their furniture is more like art and priced that way too. I could really see them being a success in some of the more major cities of the US though, New York, Dallas, Austin, Miami, etc., simply because they think outside the box and offer truly unique products.
On Tuesday, Wine Appreciation, we were treated to the expertise of CIMBA’s founder, Dr. Al, who has over time become a true wino of northern Italy. At one point he purchased a closed wine cellar for $400,000 and then owned everything inside. When he went inside he found a couple of cases of 1887 wine that he said was worth over $3,000 per third of a glass. He said he couldn’t resist and had to give it a little taste. From my understanding he’s also developed some sort of exporting wine business around the globe. He’s just one of those success stories that’s truly inspiring to listen to. Anyways, he shared his knowledge about the wine making process, and I can now see why universities are developing a degree for vineyard management. It’s a huge process with thousands of different wine mixtures and products. Made me appreciate the glass bottles just a little more, the Italians have truly developed an art out of wine making and harvesting their grapes. We were treated to several different kinds of wine, and taught the proper way of tasting it alongside some 6 month old parmesian cheese. An irreplaceable experience to say the least, it even gets as detailed as the shape of your glass, how to hold it, and how to swish it. I like the various wines, but I’m still biased towards my Riunite Lambrusco in the states (cheap and good if you’re interested, red and white label), but I now know that generally lambruscos are the bottom of the barrel wines but that in recent years they have been making a quality comeback in Italy.
On Wednesday, we were given a lecture on proper etiquette regarding professional dinners in Italy. Dr. Al again shared his expertise and we tried our best to get acclimated with the new lessons of proper European style. A bit complicated for an American who is used to a system of comfort, even further a Texan haha, but a fun challenge none the less. Texans even have a grip of a wine glass named after them lol, we like to grip the glass which is a huge no no with Dr. Al because it alters the temperature of the glass and wine, always pinch the stem, anyways . . . ; ). After the etiquette training we all got spiffed up and were taken to Castelfranco Venetto for a formal Italian dinner. The restaurant Barbesian opened up just for us. We had a large group of students and professors and had a great time. It was one of the better meals I’ve ever had, not sure about the cost we were just told that it came out of our tuition and that the wine was provided by Dr. Al. A 5 course meal! Three different appetizers mainly vegetable and bread concoctions, I must say I’m not a vegetable fan but the Italian spices and olive oil seem to make anything good! Then we had a white asparagus dish mixed with rice and various cheeses, a beef dish which was pretty rare but fantastic, and something else that I can’t remember. Then for an amazing dessert it was a beautiful display of a homemade cookie fanned cup, with a scoop of gelato cream in the middle, powdered sugar, and hot chocolate syrup poured on top after it was set in front of you (hold on while I wipe up my drool), to DIE for! I’m sure I did a horrible job of explaining the Italian cuisine but the menu was completely foreign to me, sorry, I will hopefully post a picture of it. All matched with suitable wines, always going from white to red with your meal. A humbling and influential experience that I hope to do again someday.
For the weekend travel that approached at lightning speed the CIMBAnzees(“chimbaaanzeees”) reunited once again and decided on an overnight stay in Milan and continued trip to Cinque Terre. Milan was an interesting stop offering a beautiful Duomo (church) with elegant peaks that touched the sky. The detail on every inch of its surface was jaw dropping. One of the most gorgeous churches I’ve ever witnessed, at the east side of the piazza right at evening it was gorgeous. The plaza was crowded with people holding hands, running in circles, and rioting about something, but they were super happy doing it and made us laugh. Then we continued on into the 5 point tunnel (proper name?) that were each lined with high end fashion stores. I felt like a dirty slob in Milan with my tourist apparel. The most enjoyable part of it all was standing aside and people watching, the fashion and style was spectacular, every local was dressed to the T ranging from the blingin’ mistress, the business man who dressed straight out of GQ magazine, to the perfect fedora-ed old man that had the “umbrella as a cane” stroll down pat. I loved just sitting aside and observing the confidence of the locals carouse their way around the center of the tunnel. I would love to go back there someday, purchase one of the stylish window displays, and actually feel like I belong!
On to Cinque Terre, one of the most gorgeous coastal regions I’ve ever witnessed. Alongside the Mediterranean coast on Western Italy lies a group of 5 small towns each with its own style that make up Cinque Terre. The main goal of most tourists is to hike in between them. Due to landslides caused by some rowdy weather earlier in the week we got to experience half of the 7b trail. We hiked up the paved roads half the way for a good 1.25 hours, then hit the truly rugged and unknown trail downhill another 1.5 hours. Hiking at its best that one of our friends trooped through in her flip flops (props to her), with sharp slippery rocks, thorny bushes, and flower perfumes, it was a nice long hike and bonding experience with good ole Mother Nature! Pretty sure we each sweated out a couple of gallons, some shed some layers, and others were too modest like myself. That cooler water never felt so good in Monterossa though. We spent time on the beach for a good while chuckling at the skimpy speedos and unashamed beach dwellers, experienced a coast side dinner with pasta and wine that some only see in magazines, and then hit the pillows hard. A truly unique region that I would put at the top of my list up to this point, and strongly recommend to the nature lover or honeymooner. We stayed in a hostel that had a total of 305 steps (not counting the walking space in between) in Riomaggiore, that ranged from 5” incline, to 2’ incline, not sure I’ve ever experienced sore hips up until that point haha. Loved the region, captured some great pictures, ate some great food, met some cool people, shared the experience with great friends, and continually had that awesome feeling of how blessed I am and that I seemed to be in the right place at the right time with the right people. Bellissimo!
After blowing and going I could use a good “sleep in sesh”, but none so far and it’s true what they say you can sleep when you’re dead. Today (Monday) we have been bombarded with homework that I should be doing, but this was so much more fun. We also were treated to an authentic Italian Tiramisu making with a local Italian woman. A fun experience that we all got to take part in and are so excited to dive into in a few hours. The secret . . . fresh ingredients. Back home search around for Italian shops to make it best, use the egg whites sparingly, and stir your cream in one direction only. I think we went a little heavy on the sugar and brandy for her usual preference but she’s been working with Americans for a while so she understood I think, she was a gem of a lady.
Well I’m tired and still have lots to do, but so ready to be done with school and meet up with Magen on Thursday. We are starting in Turin and headed to Rome ASAP. I’ll officially be living up the backpacker’s lifestyle with an Osprey Aether 60 that will see me around Europe. We have a tentative schedule that I’m sure will change with the unpredictability of the European system, but that’s part of the adventure! Schedule: Turin, Rome, Bari, Athens, Belgrade, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Frankfurt, Brussels, London, Paris, then back to Turin with some possible day trips from there. (Local: Torino, Roma, Bari, Athina, Beograd, Budapest, Wien, Praha, Frankfurt, Bruxelles, London, Paris)
Some pretty awesome pictures that don’t even do it justice but that have truly been an honor to capture, gracie Italia! Mi piace un sacco (I love it).
Well as always, gracie for reading and ciao for now!
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