Category Archives: Fall 2018

I Believe in Ariccia and Love It

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Ariccia, Italy is the town we are staying in for the duration of this program. Ariccia is famous for a type of boneless-tender-roasted-pork called porchetta. Our first weekend here, the town hosted the annual Porchetta Festival. The festival is a 3-day-long event celebrating a sense of community here in Ariccia. The town square is filled with different food carts, jewelry stands, and carnival games.  Families and couples from all over Italy travel to Ariccia on this weekend to taste the delicious porchetta and experience the charm of the town.
On the second night of the festival, I left the palace with my friend, Stephanie, to explore all that this celebration had to offer. Walking down the main road alone was absolutely thrilling! The beauty of all the different smells, sounds, and sights surrounding us was almost overwhelming. Stephanie and I decide to walk towards the ‘look-out point’ at the end of the main road in Ariccia. At the end of the road there was a band playing and singing incredible Italian music! In front of their stage, people were happily dancing together. It was a lot like an American wedding! It was obvious that these people did not all know each other; they were simply all Italian, filled with joy, and wanted to move with the music!
Looking closer at the dance floor, I discovered a group of four older women doing a sort of ‘line dance’ together. I watched them for a few moments and then decided to go join! My dancing was not perfect, I could not understand the Italian words in the song, and I knew I stuck out like a sore thumb. However, this was the moment I understood why I am here. ‘Human Development and Family Studies,’ (HDFS, my major) does not seem to mean a whole lot to the Italian people who have asked me what I study. Perhaps this is because the people of Italy embody what HDFS is at the very core of who they are. The Italians are a people of joy, community, and celebration – and I cannot tell you how thankful I am to be here experiencing their beautiful culture.
When Stephanie and I began our walk back to the palace, we turned toward the town and saw the breath-taking sunset taking place behind us. Words fail when attempting to describe the beauty of sunsets here in Ariccia. What I can tell you is this: seeing the gorgeous, rich ‘War Eagle’ orange color the entire sky embodies just before the sun dips below sea level explains why Auburn University sends students like me here. I have been saying “I believe in Auburn and love it!” for years, but after only 2 weeks in Italy, I can now tell you that I believe in Ariccia and love it, also.
Grazie mille (thank you so much),

This photo captures part of the Porchetta Festival with the Chigi Palace in the background.


Katharina Smith

The Chigi Classroom

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It is crazy to think that we’ve been living at the palace for a full week! The time spent here so far has been so surreal. This week has been full of field trips, late nights planning trips, early morning cappuccino runs and now, classes. Last week was an orientation to what this semester is going to look like.
This week we started with our first class of Survival Italian Lessons taught by Sandra. We will be meeting with her twice a week for the next four weeks. Due to the limited time, Sandra will be teaching us Italian skills that will help with basic Italian living. These basic skills include:

  • Meeting and greeting people
  • Requests at cafes, restaurants, stores of all kind
  • Travelling and asking directions
  • Shopping any paying for items
  • Eating at restaurants
  • Visiting Italian homes
  • The related vocabulary to these topics.

We have only had two classes and have already learned how to greet people and ask directions. These phrases will be super helpful for the coming weeks.
In addition, we have started cooking classes with Mary Lou, the sweetest lady. Throughout the semester she will come give lessons on Italian food – pasta, vegetable, and meat dishes and dessert! The group is separated into two groups and will rotate taking turns each time Mary Lou visits.

Mary Lou prepping the sauce for our lunch!


Speaking on behalf of the Chigi Babies, I think it is safe to say that we have learned so much about the Italian lifestyle and culture within one week. This past week has been an experience of a lifetime so far, and I cannot wait for the next 11 weeks here.
Ciao, Belli (Bye, Beauties)!
Annie Finan
 

Exploring Our New Home

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Buonasera (good afternoon) from Ariccia, Italy!
The Chigi Babies are officially halfway through our second week here at the Chigi Palace in Ariccia, and we are finally settling into a semi-normal routine, or as normal of a routine that we can get into, being in a foreign country and all. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how breathtakingly beautiful the town of Ariccia is. On our first evening here we took a walking tour of the town, and as Maurizio, our Ariccia-born Resident Director, guided us around, it was very clear his love and passion lies in this historic city. As the tour ended so did our first day here, and we all watched our new town turn a soft pink, as the sun began to set over Ariccia.
One of my favorite parts about Ariccia is how fresh all the produce is here. Being a vegan, I was nervous to venture into a country famous for it’s meats and cheeses, but thankfully it has been incredibly easy and cheap to find the freshest veggies and fruits I have ever eaten. Every Monday there is a market, with booths set up, where locals sell fruits and vegetables straight from the valley in Ariccia, including mangos, giant sweet peppers, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, apples, and more! There are also booths that sell clothes and other reasonably priced goods.
Albano, the town adjacent to Ariccia, has a restaurant named Fustock Birreria, and it has quickly become one of our favorite go-to pizza spots. The menu even has pizza marinara, so the vegano (vegan) can eat too! I am excited to continue exploring all of the various restaurants and shops that Ariccia and Albano have to offer over the upcoming weeks.
Last night a couple of us were looking at what the next ten and a half weeks are going to bring, and we realized just how fast this all is going to fly by, so to my fellow Chigi Babies, as we explore and uncover all the wonders of Italy and its neighboring countries, lets make these next few months absolutely unforgettable, and to the readers at home, I hope you all enjoy experiencing Europe through our words and pictures!
Arrivederci (goodbye) for now!
Rebecca Price

Our First Sunset in Ariccia!


 

Dear Chigi Babies

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I signed up for the Joseph S. Bruno program my freshman year and I can’t believe the time has finally come to spend three months in Italy! We are starting our second week in Ariccia and I have loved getting familiar with all that this quaint town has to offer.
Our first night in the palace we read letters from last semester’s students addressed to us, the “Chigi Babies.” They were filled with advice, encouragement, and a glimpse of all that is to come. It didn’t take long to see their words manifest into our reality. From going to Rita’s before our first day of class and drinking cappuccinos in the square to trying to soak up all of Cinzia’s Italian wisdom on our tours around town, I think we can all say that this semester is going to be one to remember!
On Friday we ventured outside of Ariccia city limits to Rome for a full day of sightseeing. We saw the ancient Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Capitoline Hill, the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Via Condotti, Antico Caffè Greco, and the Spanish Steps! In between all of our sightseeing we walked the streets of Rome (about 11 miles worth). Most of us headed back to Rome on Sunday to do more sightseeing and complete our first assignment, a scavenger hunt around Rome!
To end our first week in Ariccia, the porchetta festival took place Friday to Sunday. Porchetta is a type of pork that Ariccia is known for. The festival had the streets and bridge into Ariccia lined with tents selling candy, food, drinks, toys, and clothes. There was also live music playing late into the night. I couldn’t have asked for a better week to start out our semester in Italy!
Ciao Ciao!
Annika Kieper

The first stop on our tour of Rome, the ancient Roman Forum!