Cooking with Chef Lorenzo!

Last week we had the opportunity to learn how to cook Italian food with Chef Lorenzo.  Chef is a very famous culinary artist who has even been invited to cook at the White House!

We started our day at 8 AM at Zepplin (his restaurant).  From there we marched our way over to the market for some fresh food lessons (It was Thursday after all).  We bought pumpkin, artichokes, some different cheeses, turnips, carrots, and black cabbage.

After that we headed to a bar for some Cappicino's! We were allowed to sample some of the pastries that they make there, some with alcohol and some that tasted liked fruit loops (I was confused too).
With warm stomachs and full grocery bags we headed back to Zepplin.  We all put on our aprons and it was into the kitchen!

Chef started by splitting us into groups. Some were bakers, some were choppers, others were stirrers, etc.  The bakers were in charge of making pizza dough.  Berta and I were put in charge of cutting Artichokes (which I had never done before, but now I know how).  

The menu to be made was:

4 different kinds of pizza

Fried Artichokes

Pumpkin Risotto

Pan fried Chicken 

Sauteed Black Cabbage

Salad with Mozzarella balls

And for Dessert:

Chocolate Mousse with wild berry Gelato!  

(I know. We were excited too)

We cooked and chopped and cooked and drank and cooked and drank and drank and cooked for a long time.  

At long last the time had come!! Lunch time! OMG! I have never been so full in my life!

The 4 different kinds of pizza came out very well.  The Artichokes (of course) were delicious!! The Chicken (thank you Nathan) was amazing!! and Dessert was to die for!!

At the end we were presented with certificates of completion and full recipes of Chef Lorenzo's classics!

Thank you Sam for some of the pictures!!

Roma!

Our first field trip was to the Glorious town of Rome! We started our day at 7 AM at the train station in Orvieto.  Our group boarded the train at 7:31 and we headed on our way. About an hour later we arrived at Termini Station in Rome!

From Termini Station we followed our Professor, Marco,  To the Metro Station below and caught the Subway to the Colosseo Stop.  When exiting the Metro station, we were met with an awe inspiring view of the Coliseum.  This gorgeous historical building simply doesn't seem real when you see it for the first time.  I simply could not believe I was standing in front of something that I had studied time and time again in my history classes.  

From there our group walked down the Via del Fori Imperiali toward the Victor Emmanuelle Monument. On the way we passed the Roman Forum.  It is amazing to see all of those ruins just laying there, where they have been for years and years.  The Monument, known as the Wedding cake stands out in its surroundings but is astonishing to behold.  The size of this monument is massive!

After we finished admiring, we moved around the corner to Capital Hill.  We ascended the stairs, designed by Michelangelo, and explored the buildings and views at the top.

After leaving Capital Hill, we meandered through the old Jewish Ghetto, which is filled which such amazing buildings.  Even though it is yards from the Corso, there is such a silence there that you almost feel as if you have to whisper.  We wandered to the Fountain of the Turtles and perused the old Italian Mansions.  Just when I thought we were lost, I looked to my left and there was the Pantheon.  There are few words that can describe the feeling you get standing in this amazing creation. And pictures could never do it justice. 

After the Pantheon, we were dismissed to explore on our own. Some of our group had decided to spend the weekend in Rome, but my small group had elected to come back another weekend.  From the Pantheon we walked through the winding street and ended up at the Trevi Fountain.  Jessica, Berta and I all threw coins in the fountain and made a wish.  After that we walked in the direction of the Vatican in hopes of making it there at back to the station before our train left. We came across the best Gelatto in Rome and of course had to partake.  Then we came upon Piazza Navono, which has a beautiful fountain and an even prettier church.  After that we walked to the Ponte Sant Angelo, which is lined with statues and leads to the Castel Sant Angelo.  I of course took a picture in the middle of the road to get the full effect.  From there we walked the  Via del Conciliazione which leads to the Vatican.  Once in the Piazza San Pietro, we marveled at the colonnade and beautiful facade of St. Peter's.  I cannot wait to go inside the next time we go!

From there we took the Metro to the Spagna exit and sat on the Spanish Steps to recount our day.

After walking the expensive shops on Via Condotti, we got on the Metro again and went back to Termini Station. We ran the platform in true train catching style, validated our tickets and grabbed a seat back to Orvieto.

It was a wonderful day! Can't wait for the next trip to Assisi!

M

Discovering District 2

For our first assignment in Studio, we were split into 5 groups. These 5 groups, which were assigned based on where our apartments were located within the city, were given a district to document and analyze.  Our group was assigned District 2, which is the Southwestern part of the city.  This includes some of the oldest buildings in town, as well as a connection to the road which leads out of town from the west side.

Our district is in purple.

For our final presentation we will be giving a walking tour of our district.  We are required to create a map which contains the tour route, major and minor piazzas, Important monuments, and useful places for our fellow students.  We are also supposed to take note of the age of the buildings in our district, as well as the edge conditions of the stone walls on the outskirts of town.

To begin our assignment, Our group split into 3 smaller groups in order to cover more ground.  We split our district into 3 areas as to not duplicate buildings.  Rachel and I covered the outside of our district all the way inward to the Via Ranieri.  

Rupe!

The Rupe is a 5 km path which encircles the oldest part of Orvieto.  The path has 5 different connections to the city, and is located about 200 feet below the city.

Berta and I walked the Rupe for the first time today.  It is a beautiful walk.  At times it can be intense, with some serious ups and downs, but the overall experience is enjoyable.  There is gorgeous scenery surrounding the path, with spectacular views of the surrounding areas.

I have been told I need to start putting more pictures on here :-) so I will try and update this more often with more pictures!

M

Ciao from Italia!

Bonjourno! We all made it to Orvieto safe and sound!

We started out with an early (7:50) flight out of KCI. After a delay of about 45 minutes (someone broke the monitor in the cockpit), we took off headed for Washington D.C. Once we landed, we were faced with an entirely different issue: Boredom. We all survived our 5 hour layover (Wendy's helps a lot!) and headed on our way to Rome. The 8.5 hour flight was very long, but with small cat naps and constant movies in front of me, I was able to keep my spirits up. I wish I could sleep on flights.....it would have made that SO much easier!

We arrived in Rome at 7:15 on Wednesday. We were met with a Bus to Orvieto outside the airport. I heard the drive was lovely. I did not see it. My eyes closed the second we hit the Highway :-) (I said I could not sleep on airplanes. Automobiles are a completely different story.)

When we got to Orvieto, we were taken by car to our apartment. Berta and I share a small one bedroom, with a large bathroom (but small shower). The living room has a couch and smaller chair with cable tv and our kitchen is adorable! I will take pictures and post later.

Orientation was today, and we got all of the information we needed to start classes tomorrow!

Berta and I have been exploring the city between the different appointments we have had with the Centro Studi Staff.  It is absolutely gorgeous!  

     

Tonight we had dinner at Zeppelin Restaurant with Chef Lorenzo! He is the one who will be teaching our cooking class on Monday. :-)