Italia 2010

So I haven't really updated all summer, but there's a good reason behind that. This summer, I went to Italia with eleven other people, all whom I had never met before. My group began with a three-day orientation in Roma (Rome). Then we all stayed with a different Italian family for two weeks in Napoli (Napels). After my group and I went to a culinary school to work with a chef in small northern towns (Canelli and Asti). And finally we spent three days in Venezia (Venice). It was a life changing experience, I made and ate some incredibly delicious food and I made some friends for life. Below are some pictures.

A beautiful view of all the vineyards in Italia on the way to our culinary school.

My first gelato (in Roma)! Lemon and mango flavored.

My group and I made our own pizzas from scratch in Napoli!

In Napoli, we visted a buffalo mozzarella factory, where we ate fresh mozzarella.

My group and I made a dessert very special to Asti, bonet. It is like a hazelnut chocolate flan.

This is one of the many plates of pasta we had while in Italia. This is goat cheese gnocchi with lavender.

My group, the chef and some of his assistants in the kitchen.

The view from a gondola in Venezia. Absolutely gorgeous.

On our trip, we focused on a special program, the Slow Food Movement. Their mission is to "counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." As a result of partnering with this program, we really learned to appreciate the ingredients and process that goes into making our food.