Giovedì , 10 luglio

Today was the first day of class. All the students were enthusiastic about starting Italian class. Our two instructors are Jenny and Giovanni. Class today was held in the park of the Montagnola. After one day, the beginners have already learned some basic Italian and are practicing with each other and the staff. Class each day lasts about two and a half hours. The students learn new vocabulary and then are asked to perform real life tasks in the city, for example, asking for directions, ordering at the market, and or meeting people in the square.

Today was also the first day of cooking class at the Vecchia Scuola. The students met Alessandro, Alessandra, and her daughter Stefania. The students were greeted with an official t-shirt and hat, which they wear while they cook for sanitary reasons. The students were divided into groups.16 of the students were assigned to make fresh pasta, while the other six made the sauces for the pasta, the bread and dessert. On the menu was Strozzapreti with zucchini, tagliatelli with prosciutto, piadine (a type of flat bread) stuffed tomatoes with cheese and ciambella (a lemon cake). Once the students were done cooking (they cooked for about 2 hours), they all went outside on the terrace of the cooking school and ate what they had made. As an official taster, I have to say that the food they made was excellent…. Expect to eat well when the students come home!