Ciao Tutto!
This week has been very busy here at Temple Rome, with midterms next week and fall break around the corner, we all have a lot of work to do before we jet set around Europe, or even Africa for a few of us! But of course when in Rome, you make time to have a little fun!
We’re all a little nuts around here.
The big event at Temple Rome this week was the WINE TASTING NIGHT! Our lovely student events coordinator, Gianni, with lots of help, brought in a professional Sommelier who is normally featured on Italian TV. It was extremely informative and also showed a clear difference between Italian and American culture.
Roberta: Normally two people will drink half a bottle of wine and save the rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Gianni: Only half a bottle? I’m with the Americans on this one, a whole bottle EACH!
Aren’t they adorable!
…Apparently excessive drinking is not considered tasteful in Italian society. They probably have the right idea! Isn’t it funny that Italy is so well known for its wine, and the Americans are the ones who are known as the drunks!
Clearly, I exude class all the time.
We actually learned a lot of helpful information about the long process of making wine. And Roberta (the Sommelier) made a good point that with all the effort and time it takes to produce wine, you should SAVOR it while drinking rather than chugging. We learned that the major difference between white and red wines are the variety of grapes and the use of the skins (which are only used in red wine). We also learned which type of wine goes in what glass (apparently, drinking straight out of the bottle is frowned upon in this country…) and a very brief explanation on pairing wine with food.
Check out these cultured creatures!
This week we also experienced another large piece of Italian culture: transportation strikes. The same day of the wine tasting was one such strike. My professor explained that these strikes are pretty much just to remind the public that there is still a union and just how much we all need public transportation. And we really, really do. Most of us invested in monthly subway passes which make all of us SO LAZY. I haven’t walked the 40 minutes to school in a month. So on Wednesday we all had to suck it up and walk, and let me just announce: I REALLY APPRECIATE PUBLIC TRANSIT. Although I really do enjoy the walk, now I’ve started doing it more often. AND, because of this walk, on the way back from the wine tasting, we made one of my favorite discoveries of my trip thus far:
24 HOUR BAKERY.
Yes. This is real life.
Let me tell you a few reasons why this place is just about as magical as Disneyland, especially for a carb-aholic like me. First of all, you can never fail with an all day all night sugar factory, second everything is dirt cheap. I got a doughnut for 30 cents! The selection was almost to the point of absurdity, although I couldn’t find any cannolis. But I think my favorite part about this place is the location, it is literally a hole in the wall. You could walk right past it and never know because it’s a tiny door that leads down an unassuming stair case to wonderland. Can you tell I love sugar?
We have a busy weekend ahead of us in Rome, full of studying and walking around the city, but that’s another post!
Buon Weekend!
Jen