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

Fall Semester 2010: Benvenuti to all new students!

WELCOME FALL 2010 STUDENTS! BENVENUTI A TUTTI!!!

Italian phrase of the week
                 “In bocca al lupo”


(Good luck! Literally, “In the wolf’s mouth”. When someone says this to you, the appropriate response is “Crepi il lupo” or simply, “crepi”, may the wolf die!)


Events this Semester

Thursday, Sept. 2
WELCOME DINNER



Sunday, Sept. 5
Antique Market in Fiesole and Bread Festival


Tuesday, Sept. 7
PIZZAIOLO Pizza-Making COURSE


Friday, Sept. 10
Wine Tasting Lecture (Univ. of Florence GUESTS), CET Center


Saturday, Sept. 11
Day trip to Greve in Chianti


Sunday, Sept. 12
Day trip to the Virgin pool


Thurs, Sept 16
Belltower CLIMB and APERITIVO


Wednesday, Sept. 22
Welcome Reception for International Students. Palazzo Vecchio. Time TBA.


Saturday, Sept. 25
Day trip to the hotsprings in Monsummano.


Sunday, Sept 26
Corri la vita: Run for Life
Traditional Florentine Cancer Society fundraiser – 5 km walk through Florence with cultural stops along the way. Join us at 9:30 AM for the walk and receive a Ferragamo t-shirt!


September 27- October 13
Fiorenza Soccer Tournament. Schedule TBA. Traditional ‘calcetto’ (5-on-5) two-week soccer tournament with other university students (Cal State, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Uconn, Florida, etc.).


Tuesday, November 9
8 pm Opera: The Marriage of Figaro


Thursday, Dec. 2
8 pm Ice-skating in Piazza della Libertà


Wednesday, Dec. 8
Holiday Festival; No Class! Join us on a day trip to the Tuscan hillside town of Palazzuolo Sul Senio, home of the “1000 Nativity Scenes” and annual holiday festival.

Traveling Seminar to Catania, Sicily

Day One: Walking Tour of Catania

We saw several of the the city's Baroque churches, the University of Catania, the famous fish market, the Ursino Castle, and the Roman amphitheatre.

Day Two: Climbing Mount Etna

With renowned geologist Sandro Privitera, we hiked on Mt. Sartorius. 

Pizza-making Course at "Il Teatro" Restaurant

We worked with a professional "pizzaiolo" (pizza-maker) to create and devour our own pizzas! Ali worked with chefs in the kitchen to make a homemade fresh pasta sauce.

On Top of Florence: Climbing Giotto's Bell Tower

On June 17th, we climbed the 400-plus steps to the top of the Duomo's bell tower. After enjoying a view of the city, we headed to the "Casa della Creativita'" for an aperitivo.

Welcome, Summer Students!

Announcements / CET Events

Welcome to Firenze! Ponte Vecchio awaits!

Wednesday, June 9
Summer 2010 Orientation begins!
Happy Birthday, Sophia!
Pizza dinner in Viale Belfiore, 58 at 7:30 pm. Aria will pick up 5 Giornate Residents at 7:00 pm.

Thursday, June 10
First day of Orientation. Welcome Dinner

Tuesday, June 15
Pizza-making Class 5:30 pm

Thursday, June 17
Duomo/Belltower Climb

ready to climb the 414 steps to the top?

This week in Florence
Sunday Brunch:
Every Sunday at Angels Bar (Via del Proconsolo 29/31r) 10 Euro. Reservations http://www.florenceforfun.org/

Galleria dell’Accademica:
Renaissance Brides: fifteenth century paintings from prestigious museums tell the story about married life during the Renaissance period. The roles in the couple and in particular the role of the woman in the house. Free entrance with museum pass. Via Ricasoli, 58-60 - Tue-Sun 8.15am-6.50pm closed Mondays.

Hiking and Wine Tasting:
Every Saturday in June and July in the Chianti.
http://www.florenceforfun.org/index.php?lng=1&id=922 for
details about cost, departure from Florence, and reservations.



Featured Restaurant of the Week :

Pizzeria Spera (Via della Cernaia, 9).
Off the beaten path, this pizzeria is often hailed as boasting Florence’s best pizza. Around the corner from CET’s Cinque Giornate apartment, don’t miss this neighborhood jewel!

Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:

Take Bus 7's new express line from Piazza San Marco to Fiesole for a quick escape into the hills. The trip takes 15 minutes and the view from the
hillside town is fantastic!

Or … Bus 12 (or make the 30 minute walk up from the city center) to Piazzale Michelangelo for a breathtaking view of Florence or a picnic in the Rose Garden.

                                         Spectacular view from the Piazzale Michelangelo.

Suggested Websites for life a Firenze:

For more information about daily life and events in Florence, check out The Florentine newspaper, A Friend in Florence’s list of resources, Florence's tourism board (APT Firenze) and Florence For Fun.