Italy: Elliana King (Learning on excursions)

During my first week abroad, the program took an excursion to Castello di Verrazzano – a castle and winery. To start the tour, we took a walk through the castle’s wine cellars that date back to the 16th century. Following the tour, we were served a traditional Tuscan lunch in which they paired each course with a glass of wine. The courses included an appetizer of meat and cheese accompanied by bread and extra virgin olive oil, pasta with tomato sauce and herbs, and a dessert of apple cake. The tour guide explained what each wine was and why it was paired with the specific course. This excursion has related extremely close to two classes I am taking in Florence: Food and Culture in Italy and Wine Studies: History and Culture of Italian Wine. On the tour of the wine cellars, we were given a brief history about Italian wine and more specifically the wine that is made at Castello di Verrazzano. This knowledge of a nearby winery made learning about the topic in my Wine Studies class more interesting and easier to understand since I had seen it firsthand. The traditional lunch also made my Food and Culture class more exciting since I had already tasted some items being taught about. The excursion was a fantastic way to jump into Italian culture and provided some great introductions to my classes.

 

Elliana King 

Hometown: Neenah, Wisconsin

Major: Nutritional Sciences

Program: UW in Florence