Italian
Menu
    Umbra Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Professional Affiliations
    • Umbra Mission
    • Administration & Staff
    • Umbra Central Location
    • Umbra Facilities
    • Umbra Student Body
    • Contact Us
    • Close
  • Academics
      • Academics
        • Academic Programs
        • Courses at Umbra
        • Academic Calendar
        • Italian Language and Culture at Umbra
        • Library Resources
        • Umbra Faculty
        • Perugia Food Conference
      • Semester Programs
        • General Studies Program
          • i-Courses
          • STEM Courses
          • Music Courses
          • Multicultural Psychology Courses
          • Independent Study
        • Center for Food & Sustainability Studies
          • Perugia Food Conference
        • Italian Language & Culture: Direct Enrollment
        • SCHOLARS Program and Independent Research
        • University of Perugia:
          Direct Enrollment
        • Accademia di Belle Arti:
          Direct Enrollment
      • Summer Programs
        • General Studies Program
        • Archaeology Field School
        • Intensive Italian Language & Culture
      • Community Engagement
        • Overview of CE Opportunities
        • Seminar and Practica Courses
        • Community-Based Courses
        • Courses with Service Learning
        • Volunteer Opportunities
        • Co-Ops Abroad in Italy
        • Summer Internships
    • Close
  • Students
      • Prospective Students
        • Apply Now Online
        • Why Study at Umbra?
        • Student Life in Perugia
        • Student Housing
        • Student Activities & Travel
        • Transcripts & Credits
        • Program Fees
        • Scholarships & Financial Aid
      • Discover More
        • Ask Former Students
        • Umbra Photos
        • Umbra Videos
        • Umbra Institute Reviews
        • Umbra for Parents/Guardians
        • Downloadable Brochures
        • Study Abroad in Italy
        • Contact Us
      • Accepted Students
        • Matriculation Checklist
        • Housing Request Form
        • Umbra Optional Group Trip
        • Pre-Departure Guides
        • Budgeting for Your Time Abroad
        • Academic Calendar
      • Current Students
        • Academic Field Trips Dates
        • Events Calendar
        • Umbra Optional Trip
        • Independent Travel Form
        • Housing Maintenance Form
        • Student Discounts
        • Umbra Clubs
        • Visitor Guide
        • Traveling
    • Close
  • Study Abroad Advisors & Faculty
    • Umbra at a Glance
    • Collaborate with Umbra
    • Faculty-Led Programs
    • Teaching Opportunities
    • Graduate Teaching Fellowship
    • Arrange a Visit
    • Download Brochures
    • Subscribe to Umbra Newsletter
    • Partner Portal
    • Close
  • Alumni
    • Umbra Alumni
    • Request a Transcript
    • Close
  • News & Blog

Learning Italian… Organically!

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

Although the fall break week provided plenty of time to travel throughout Europe and see the sights, Sarah Murphy and I wanted to spend our week off getting to know another area of Italy personally, practice our Italian, and spend as little euro as possible. After searching through several possible WWOOFing farms, deciding upon the hopefully still- moderately-weathered-Sicilia was easy. Our destination, Villa Del Bosco, roughly 2 km from the small town of Calatafimi, (in the region of Trapani) was in the middle of their olive harvest and in need of willing workers.

After 24 hours of continuous travel, we arrived, munched down a quick lunch and tramped out about one kilometer to the near by olive groves. Villa Del Bosco has over 1000 olive trees and while I’d love to say we got to all 1,000, we probably only did 799 (something like that) . Although it rained four out of the seven days, forcing us to stay inside and clean house, we harvested olives for about 18 hours total, yielding roughly 75 average sized bottles of the freshest, greenest most delicious olive oil known to man.

 

Due to a number of other farms around the area, we would wake up to surprises, such as newly pressed wine, abowl of fresh picked tomatoes or chicken eggs still with a few feathers on, on the table down stairs each morning. The Villa Del Bosco also doubles as an agriturismo and we cooked for an average of 8 people per meal! Thank goodness for the Sicilian cookbooks that were around the house, as well as native Sicilians who treated us to homemade snail soup one night. It was extremely relaxing, we would wake up around 9 each day, stroll out to the olive grove (if it wasn’t raining) work for about 3 hours, come inside, cook a huge Italian pranzo (noon meal), take a siesta until 3:30 then head back out to the grove and pick till 6-ish. Coming inside, we would take a quick snack, lounge by the fire and read or talk with the other workers until we started to make dinner around 8-ish.

 

We either retired early to bed, traveled a bit to relax in the hot springs, walk around the mountains in full moon light or bake apple turnovers and other sweet treats. We didn’t have to pay for any ingredients, food or our beds for 7 days and nights! It was certainly an interesting, rewarding experience filled with trials (dealing with Italians who did not exactly appreciate or understand American cooking, a lack of running water for a day or so), successes (picking over fifteen 25 kg buckets of olives in thick mud and the Sicilians being sad we wouldn’t be there to make chocolate chunk cookies again) and a week of stories that make us laugh (a characteristic 45 year old German woman misunderstanding our English, hearing string cheese as chicken cheese) and wish we could go back (sleeping in until 9 every day AND taking a nap for at least an hour a day). I would do it again in a heartbeat and wouldn’t have changed my week in Sicilia for all the road trips throughout Europe.

 

Post by Erica Mouch

Erica Mouch, the author of this blog, is a student from Elon University studying at The Umbra Institute this semester. She also writes for Cafeabroad.com

Article by Mauro Renna / Umbra Blog

Quick Links

  • QUICK LINKS
  • How to Apply
  • In the News at Umbra
  • Photos
  • Student Activities
  • Courses Offered
  • Tuition & Budgeting
  • Academic Calendar

Archives

  • ▼2018 (7)
    • ▼April (2)
      • Umbra Students Create Dolls for UNICEF
      • Say cheese: Five things students learned from the Italian cheese workshop
    • ►March (4)
    • ►February (1)
  • ►2017 (44)
    • ►December (1)
    • ►November (1)
    • ►October (2)
    • ►August (1)
    • ►June (5)
    • ►May (3)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (6)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (8)
  • ►2016 (93)
    • ►December (5)
    • ►November (9)
    • ►October (13)
    • ►September (10)
    • ►August (3)
    • ►July (2)
    • ►June (10)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (7)
    • ►March (17)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (4)
  • ►2015 (70)
    • ►December (9)
    • ►November (8)
    • ►October (5)
    • ►September (5)
    • ►August (2)
    • ►July (3)
    • ►June (8)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (7)
    • ►March (9)
    • ►February (4)
    • ►January (6)
  • ►2014 (54)
    • ►December (3)
    • ►November (4)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (8)
    • ►July (2)
    • ►June (4)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (3)
    • ►February (10)
    • ►January (3)
  • ►2013 (111)
    • ►December (3)
    • ►November (10)
    • ►October (10)
    • ►September (12)
    • ►July (16)
    • ►June (13)
    • ►May (4)
    • ►April (12)
    • ►March (12)
    • ►February (11)
    • ►January (8)
  • ►2012 (118)
    • ►December (3)
    • ►November (11)
    • ►October (14)
    • ►September (6)
    • ►August (2)
    • ►July (11)
    • ►June (14)
    • ►May (7)
    • ►April (12)
    • ►March (12)
    • ►February (13)
    • ►January (13)
  • ►2011 (112)
    • ►December (7)
    • ►November (22)
    • ►October (12)
    • ►September (10)
    • ►July (4)
    • ►June (8)
    • ►May (19)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (7)
    • ►February (9)
    • ►January (6)
  • ►2010 (91)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (8)
    • ►October (9)
    • ►September (15)
    • ►August (3)
    • ►July (1)
    • ►June (5)
    • ►May (5)
    • ►April (8)
    • ►March (10)
    • ►February (10)
    • ►January (11)
  • ►2009 (83)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (11)
    • ►October (11)
    • ►September (8)
    • ►July (1)
    • ►June (5)
    • ►May (3)
    • ►April (11)
    • ►March (7)
    • ►February (12)
    • ►January (8)
  • ►2008 (82)
    • ►December (6)
    • ►November (8)
    • ►October (6)
    • ►September (9)
    • ►August (5)
    • ►July (1)
    • ►June (3)
    • ►May (2)
    • ►April (9)
    • ►March (10)
    • ►February (12)
    • ►January (11)
  • ►2007 (84)
    • ►December (5)
    • ►November (10)
    • ►October (8)
    • ►September (17)
    • ►August (2)
    • ►July (2)
    • ►June (7)
    • ►May (1)
    • ►April (7)
    • ►March (6)
    • ►February (11)
    • ►January (8)
  • ►2006 (79)
    • ►December (4)
    • ►November (12)
    • ►October (6)
    • ►September (8)
    • ►July (4)
    • ►June (7)
    • ►May (6)
    • ►April (10)
    • ►March (5)
    • ►February (7)
    • ►January (10)
  • ►2005 (30)
    • ►December (5)
    • ►November (8)
    • ►October (10)
    • ►September (6)
    • ►August (1)

UMBRA

  • About
  • Academics
  • Prospective Students
  • Accepted Students
  • Events Calendar
  • Advisors and Faculty
  • Bentornati Alumni

QUICK LINKS

  • Emergency Contact
  • Photos
  • Umbra Partner Portal
  • How to Apply
  • Housing
  • Tuition & Fees
  • Videos

Connect With US

UMBRA INSTITUTE ARCADIA UNIVERSITY

Piazza IV Novembre 23
Perugia, Italy 06123
Tel: (39) 075-573-4595
Fax: (39) 075-573-7033
Email: info@umbra.org

ARCADIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF
GLOBAL STUDIES

450 South Easton Road
Glenside, PA 19038-3295


© 2018 The Umbra Institute · Privacy · Contact