Corri la Vita

RUN FOR LIFE - CORRI LA VITA

CET students joined 20,000 others in this year's edition of CORRI LA VITA on September 26 at 9:30 am in Piazza della Signoria, the most historic and prestigious piazza of Florence.


CORRI LA VITA is an event organized and managed by a committee of volunteers in collaboration with the Italian Cancer Society. CORRI LA VITA is not only a walk/run, but is an event for people to gather together for sport, culture and solidarity. 


Together with Florentine families, friends and children we walked through the historic center of Florence and crossed over the river to the Oltrano, stopping along the way to visit gardens, churches, palaces and museums that will be opened especially for this occasion.

Newsletter Sept. 26th - October 10th

Announcements / CET Events

Sept. 27
Buon compleanno, Lucy!

Sept. 27-29
Fiorenza International Soccer Tournament. Come support our team!

Sept. 30-Oct. 3
Traveling Seminar to Rome

Oct. 4-6
Fiorenza International Soccer Tournament Play-Offs.

This week in Florence

Wed. Sept. 29
6 pm British Library Weekly Lecture: Christopher Newall, The Etruscans: Painters and Patriots
Italy, its landscape, literature, art, and history, was a central reference point for the movement of British artists known as Pre-Raphaelitism in the 1850s and 1860s. Later in the century there came about an artistic grouping which involved both British and Italian artists - the Etruscans. Led by the painter and patriot Giovanni Costa, members of this circle sought to treat landscape subjects as a means of prompting thought about the struggle for Italian unification. Writer and art historian Christopher Newall will explore the fascination that these British artists felt for Italy, their support for political unity and their depiction of the Italian landscape. Christopher Newall was co-curator of the exhibition Pre-Raphaelite Vision: Truth to Nature (Tate Britain, 2004) and of The Pre-Raphaelites and Italy (Ravenna and Oxford, 2010).


Wed. Sept. 30
Palazzo Strozzi, 7 pm, PORTRAITS AND POWER: People, Politics and Structure
Portraits of famous political figures, investigations into the lifestyle of the social elite, as well as inquiries into the power structures of international institutions. The exhibition explores portraiture and the representation of political, economical and social power in the today’s world through the works of contemporary artists. Artists: Tina Barney, Christoph Brech, Bureau d’études, Fabio Cifariello Ciardi, Clegg & Guttmann, Nick Danziger, Rineke Dijkstra, Jim Dow, Francesco Jodice, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Trevor Paglen, Martin Parr, Wang Qingsong, Daniela Rossell, Jules Spinatsch, Hiroshi Sugimoto, The Yes Men.
www.strozzina.org www.palazzostrozzi.org

Starting Sept. 25th:
Guided tours of the Ancient Roman Amphitheater located UNDERNEATH Palazzo Vecchio.
The amphitheater, with a capacity for 15,000 spectators, is now open to tourists after 6 years of excavation. Guided tours on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (11, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30). Reservations are required. €6.50. Tours are only held in Italian. Take advantage of this opportunity and sign up now for a tour of the amphitheater with CET on Monday, Oct. 25th! info.museoragazzi@comune.fi.it.


Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:

This October, a series of guided walks are offered each weekend (see Aria for details if you are interested in participating):

Saturday, Oct. 9
Marble and sculptors: “La strada degli scalpellini. ll tragitto del marmot” (9 AM – 3 pm)

Saturday, Oct. 23
Firenze along the walls: Guided walk of Florence’s medieval perimeters (6 – 10 PM). Leaves from Piazza del Carmine.

Sunday, October 24
Val Di Rose e Stagni di Focognano, Pianai Park (9 AM – 5 PM)

Italian phrase of the week

“Chi non fa, non falla”
(He who does nothing makes no mistakes).

Siate coraggiosi! Be brave! Take advantage of your time in Italy to learn the language and culture, don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

Firenze Cum Laude: Welcome Reception for Foreign Students, Sept. 22

Yesterday, CET students attended the welcome reception for new international students held in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio. Here we are with the U.S. Consul General of Florence, Mary Ellen Countryman.

View from the Top: Climbing the belltower of the Duomo on Sept. 16th

Newsletter Sept. 13-26

Announcements / CET Events

Sept. 15

Movie and Dinner Night. 6 pm showing of “The American” followed by dinner in one of the apartments.

Tues. Sept. 16
Duomo Climb and aperitivo

Mon. Sept. 20
Music Video Filming in Via della Scala (for all who signed up)

Tues Sept. 21
8 pm Teatro Comunale, Porgy and Bess (for all who signed up)




Wed, Sept. 22
Welcome Reception for International Students at Palazzo Vecchio (City Hall). 5:30 pm meet in Piazza della Signoria.

Sat, Sept. 25
Day Trip to Terme di Monsummano. Sign up!

Sun, Sept. 26
Corri la vita. Meet at 9 AM (for all who signed up). Don’t forget to pick up your t-shirt from Aria.

This week in Florence

Thurs Sept 16, 23
Jazz and Lounge Music Thursdays at the Oblate Library Cafe www.caffetteriadelleoblate it

Sunday Sept 19
Market in Piazza Santo Spirito (all day crafts and more)




Featured Restaurants:

Da Giorgio http://www.trattoriadagiorgio.it/ Via Palazzuolo 100R (across the street from Space Electronic)

Il Contadino Via Palazzuolo 69-71

Two local restaurants located on the same street –both accept Day Tickets and offer full menus (first dish, second dish, side, wine and water) for €12.




Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:

San Gimignano:
"San Gimignano delle belle Torri" is a UNESCO world heritage site that begin as a 3rd century B.C. Etruscan settlement. The Tuscan town developed between the 9th and the 12th centuries and became home of a flourishing market embellished by beautiful palaces and by its famous towers, symbols of the wealth of the mercantile class. San Gimignano can be easily reached from the SITA bus station in Florence (Bus line Firenze-S.Gimignano, which a quick bus change in Poggibonsi).




Italian phrase of the week

Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani
(Better an egg today than a chicken tomorrow)

A Ride on the Aroma Wheel: Wine Tasting September 10-11 2010

We are on our way to becoming wine experts. Today, with the help of two professors from the University of Florence, we learned a little bit about the economy of wine production, the Italian classification system, and the steps to evaluating and tasting wine!

Jill checks the Super Tuscan for color and clarity. It's a pretty intense ruby red
thanks to the blend of San Giovese and Merlot ...

Kelsey checks for color and clarity; this bianco IGT is "straw yellow" with some hints of green...

 Meredith inspects a chianti classico made by students at the University of Florence.
Made from 100% San Giovese grapes, this one's quite dry and darker than Chianti made from a San Giovese blend.

Dr. Alampi Sottini and Dr. Scozzafava from the University of Florence explain the basics behind wine production and classifcation while guiding us through the tasting.

On Saturday, during our trip to the Rassegna del Chianti in the town of Greve, we had to remember to follow these steps without the help of two professionals. Dr. Alampi Sottini recommended we bring an aroma wheel with us as a guide:

Alex, Chiara and Denny

At the 40th Annual Wine Festival in Greve in Chianti

Student Correspondent News: Arrival Day, or "I may have actually partcipated in the Grand Prix"

After getting off the plane, I schlepped my two enormous bags into the Florence airport. Looking around fervently, I quickly saw the CET representative waiting for me. Following a quick encounter with the study abroad representative, I hopped in a cab and said in a shaky voice for the driver to bring me to my new address.

Right about now you’re probably thinking “Dang, Sarah is quite the cosmopolitan traveler filled with sophistication and world knowledge.” First thing, I was instructed to get a cab to take me to my apartment. Alone. Yeah, that’s when the visions of “Taken” began to cloud my vision. Thus, I was that American girl who would only ride in a taxi with a female driver. After holding up the taxi line for way too long, I finally got in a cab with a very motherly looking driver. Gave her my address and said a little prayer in hopes of making it to this unknown location. I’ll be the first one to say I’m all for creating ideas based on interactions with people rather than relying on stereotypes but …believe the stereotypes you have about Italian drivers. I think I may have actually participated in the Grand Prix. However, within the blur of the world flashing by me I was still able to absorb a little of Italy. Scenes of this new city flew by my window and I just sat with my face pressed up against the glass taking it all in.

Screeching to a halt outside a crowded lane, my dear female cab driver (let’s call her Maria) helped to unload my baggage on the curb and then impatiently stood watching me fumble through my bags for the correct amount of Euros. Due to the maintenance of my mortality in the drive, I thought a 5-euro tip would be appropriate. Upon receiving her payment, Maria scooped me into a hug engulfing me with her Versace perfume (I know my scents). Feeling a little better, I picked up my bags, squared my shoulders and marched into the place I would call home for the next four months.

La nostra cucina!

View from my aparment

(Later I learned that Italians don’t really tip at all. Maria probably thought I was wacko…hopefully just benevolent)

After hauling my bags up four flights of stairs, I reached out a quite pathetic-looking fist and knocked … the ancient looking door slowly opened inwards revealing a smiling face. Chiara, my Italian roommate, welcomed me into her home. Not much language was shared but the warmth of her hospitality could not be mistaken. Immediately, I felt at ease and knew that this was my destination - this is why I came to Italy, to experience life as an Italian (at least for a little while). After meeting up with the three other girls from Vanderbilt who I’m living with, my feelings were confirmed. This is going to be alright. In fact, it’s going to be really good.

With my roommates (L-R): Kelsey, me, Chiara, Mary Lamar and Hayley in Fiesole.

Sarah Estopinal

CET Academic Programs
Fall 2010

Student Correspondent News: Pizza-Making Lesson, or "No Carb Left Behind"

Christine, Jill and Sarah with their creations

I'll admit, when I first chose to go to Italy I believed my experience was going to be a combination of Eat, Pray,Love and Roman Holiday rolled into one. So sticking with the mantra of Eat, Pray, Love, I am engaging in a no carb left behind diet during my time in Italy! Luckily, I was able to continue this on Tuesday night as CET had planned for us a pizza-making class! Our entire program, plus our Italian roommates, were able to go make some delicious pizzas!

After an insanely long walk, typical of Florence, where they walk everywhere! We arrived at this cute little restaurant where we got to go back to the kitchen and make our own pizza. We rolled our own dough, added our own sauce and then picked from tons of delicious toppings (prosciutto and mushrooms anyone?) Sadly I was kinda a failure at pizza making, and the guy helping us had to do all the work of taking it in and out of the oven for me! It appears my future career as a pizza chef is over! Other people had a lot more success, such as my partner in pizza making Mary Lamar!

Mary Lamar and I rolling out our pizza dough

In the end though the pizza was absolutely delicious, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I ate the whole thing (and then stopped for gelato...) It was a great dinner with our entire group too and made me feel a little more Italian. Maybe someday I'll be able to replicate my pizza along with my other Italian recipes back home in the states! (minus the wood burning oven!) Next up will be understanding wine thanks to our wine-tasting class and vineyard trip!
Ciao!

Jennifer MacLean
CET Academic Programs
Fall 2010

Our group at the restaurant

Fiesole! Festa del Pane!

Our first Sunday in Florence: Antique Market in Fiesole and the Festa del Pane in Florence!

Piazza Mino, Fiesole

Florence from the top ...

festa del pane, ss annunziata