Umbra staff will be down at the Fiumicino/Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome to welcome arriving Summer 2012 General Studies students and bring them back up to Perugia, their new home! This is the start of the roughly six-week summer program.
Calendar of Events
Umbra Gelato Night
Come enjoy some gelato, on Umbra, and get to know your fellow Umbra students a little better. What’s the difference between gelato and ice cream, you ask? There are a couple: one, gelato is made with a different ratio of whole milk to cream, so instead of the 10% fat that ice cream contains, gelato usually contains around 6-7%, allowing the flavors to be tasted more intensely. In addition, it’s whipped very slowly and then folded repeatedly in the gelateria before being smeared (not scooped in balls) onto the cone. Yum!
Perugia Nooks and Crannies Tour
Usually billed as the “Almost World-Famous And Definitely Not Boring NOOKS & CRANNIES TOUR OF PERUGIA,” Professor Zachary Nowak’s walking tour includes thrilling and gripping stories about The Seige of the Goths and the Catapulting Veal, the Aqueduct That Brought More Debts Than Water, and the Salt War (alternate title: Why The Bread Here Sucks”).
Wholly death-defying!
Partially fun!
Mildly Fascinating!
Please stop by the front desk to sign up, then meet at the Steps in the main piazza at 4:00pm on Sunday, May 26th! Approximate duration: 2 hours. Sign up fast — it’s free, but there are only 25 spots!
Aperitivo 101
The Italian aperitivo is the beautiful art of pre-dinner drinks and munchies — but one that is largely unknown to us Americans. Come learn about the tradition of aperitivo and try a sampling of the drinks that are popular with the locals, most notable the timeless spritz.
Meet at Lunabar at 7:15pm — aperitivo time — but sign up/pay €7 beforehand at the front desk.
Wine Tasting at a Local Enoteca
Curious about the art of wine tasting? Come join us at local enoteca énonè and learn the basics from a certified, English-speaking sommelier. This event is always a favorite, so make sure to sign up quickly at the front desk!
Pictured: Fall 2011 student Matthew Pastorius.
Meet at the fountain at 7:15pm and we’ll all go together!
Creative Non-Fiction Daytrip to Monteluco
The creative writing class heads up the famous Monteluco for a mountaintop lunch and to explore the caves where St. Francis of Assisi once had visions.
Intensive Italian Arrivals!
The Intensive Italian group arrives at Rome’s Fiumicino/Leonardo da Vinci airport, and the Umbra staff will be there to meet them! They will be staying in Perugia through the Umbra Jazz festival and leaving in mid-July.
Tandem: Primo Incontro
Come chat in Italian and meet some new people at another Tandem exchange! This event is held about every two weeks at Il Birraio in Perugia and is free and open to all Umbra students. Don’t be shy!
If you don’t know where the Birrario is, meet at the fountain at 7:15pm!
Sei uno studente italiano che ne vuole far parte? Manda una mail a Ian Lyons (ilyons@umbra.org).
Food Studies Conference
The Umbra Institute has announced a conference on the history and culture of Italian food to be held on June 8 and 9, 2012. Since the beginning of the course The History and Culture of Food in Italy eight years ago, food studies at the Umbra Institute have always been more than just the typical “food&wine” courses. Food at Umbra is a rigorous academic pursuit, one which lies at the intersection of society, the state, and the market.
Building on the success of this inaugural semester of the Food Studies Program, the Institute has organized an international conference for scholars who use food as a lens to analyze larger cultural and political trends. The conference’s theme, “Italian Food: Fact & Fiction,” seeks to examine the last one hundred and fifty years of Italian history from various perspectives.
The Food Conference will host over fifty professors from as far as the Australia, Israel, and the United States. Among the speakers are food history giants Carole Counihan, Ken Albala, Massimo Montanari, and Allen Grieco. You can find out more by visiting FoodConference.it.
Pizza Making Workshop
Ever wonder how to make pizza? Come get your hands doughy and give making pizza pie a whirl with staff member Julie Falk at the local pizzeria Pizza e musica, whose pizza has been described as “sublime” and “ridiculously tasty”. Sign up with Addy at the front desk — first come, first served!
The cost is €15, which covers a drink, the making and eating of your own pizza, and dessert. Meet at the fountain at 7:15 pm.