Albhea's Post-Departure

Our time in Italy felt both long and fast at the same time. When we started our last week, it felt like we had been there for over a month! In these three weeks, I have learned, seen, consumed, read, explored, felt, and heard about various topics related to Italy's past and present.

View of the mountains from our hike to Bominaco village   

A few of my favorite moments from our study away trip are hiking to the Shepherds for lunch, partaking in Fontecchio's annual bonfire, visiting various art museums, seeing Maiori's beautiful sights, and interacting with the animals! The sights and landscapes are definitely much more mesmerizing in person! The difficulty of hiking made it much more worth it as we look to the horizon and see nature in its beauty.

The Shepherd's view from their house

The family of the olive oil refinery

Learning and being immersed in Italy's culture made me truly appreciate it. Reading about the origins, various uses, and current importance of bread, pasta, olive oil, and wine (among others) gives a deeper meaning.  Visiting the lemon grove and hearing of the fragility and specificity of growing lemons (as it was mentioned in the reading), and how they (Agrocola Ruoccos) care for and cultivate the lemons. We learned about the cultivation of wine and oil from the wine tasting (Cantina Foresi) and the oil tasting (Bartolomei), and then the making of pasta in our pasta-making class in Bominaco. Hearing the stories of different families passing their legacy down makes a greater impact and meaning to what I have been consuming. I could really tell that they were (are) passionate about what they were making. 

This made me think about how a lot of what we can see today is rooted and can be dated back to the nation's history. How central parts of the country had barely any inhabitants due to the risk of earthquakes, and the younger generations leave because of the better opportunities and safer inhabitants elsewhere. Then, we learned about Roman masculinity and how it is present in various aspects of the country (and in different time periods) to various subjects: the need to conquer, to assert dominance over women, slaves, the land, the economy, and business. 

Being in this study away program for one month was honestly one of the best decisions that I have made. I am truly grateful to Alessio, Luisella, Professor Hames, and Heather for guiding and showing us wonderful places throughout Italy!

~ Albhea Raqueno