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blending newsletter 31 studentservicesnov 2 2 2 0 1 0 upcoming event masqueradeball by albert trifone iii the masquerade ball on dec.9 at 8.30pm is the event of the semester that encompasses and renaissance style modern fashion academic responsibility for an evening of enjoyment and is the final blast of italian culture before the students head back to their countries a renaissance style mask and costume if one prefers is required for entry to make the event unique the fashion design students will be displaying their collection in a runway show at the event the school is hosting the final party as a save the date!thurs.dec.9 farewell and culmination of a wonderful and productive semester at palazzi we welcome all to enjoy this event and are looking forward to your time breaking news at our event contemporaryartfindsanewhomeinflorence shistoriccenter november 13th 2010 a brand-new space dedicated to contemporary art has entered the florentine landscape with the opening of f_air fua s new headquarters of fine arts and the home of an artist in residency program and art gallery the closing of squola s 2-day annual conference in conjunction with suny stony brook featuring the 2010 theme of cultural integration culminated at the f_air location in via san gallo with a special photo exhibition and silent auction to raise funds for photography scholarships f_air is conceived to be lived and experienced by all students faculty and the italian community fine arts courses for fua students will take place in the new san gallo space where they will interact with the resident artists exhibitions will be a regularly occurring happening there breathing new life into a city often contextualized too often with the art of the past guests such as artists curators educators art managers and speakers will be invited for open art talks demonstrations and event in order to expand the boundaries of the renaissance city of florence stay tuned with the world around and experience the contemporary in person.

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newsletter 31 student services -november 2 ,2010 2 event prunetioliveoiltrip by laura wussow on saturday november 13th i went with a group of students to the pruneti brothers olive farm and mill elaine trigiani our guide made the trip enjoyable and informative for us she and her enthusiasm and thorough explanations along with her vast knowledge and fluent english made this trip very rewarding the pruneti brothers are the fifth generation on the farm but they established the mill only one year ago they produce the best oil possible from their olives by treating their olives well elaine took us out to the olive grove and explained to us how the olives are handpicked so the fruit is not damaged this careful handling of the olives keeps them from spoiling before they are pressed after the olives are picked they are brought to the mill and pressed the mill is a completely closed process the olives are washed and ground then the olive puree is kneaded in chilled tanks to collect the oil particles together the puree is then sent through two centrifuges to separate the oil water and solids after this the oil is ready to be blended with other olive oils and shipped out.the treat of the day was when elaine taught us how to properly taste olive oil this is done by putting a little oil on the tip of the tongue and dispersing it in one s mouth by inhaling with a funny little noise we all self consciously slurped the five olive oils including three that were made solely from one type of olive which was quite unique i learned a lot about olive oil on this trip and had a really nice time i am really glad that we were lucky enough to have such a great guide elaine was so willing to answer any questions and knew so much about the whole process thanks to her we all enjoyed the trip and left the farm knowing much more about olive oil than we had at the start of the day field trips t he mak in g of ag r ee k by alexandra lalos i leaned forward a touch and stared down the table at the three americans who were clearly out of place their glossy-eyed stares to an undetermined point in front of them were empty of any thought or emotion all three of them exactly the same but life around them had not paused just because they were restricted of any movement at the table greeks were used to eating like this i whispered to get their attention and snap them out of their unwavering stares at that moment the three of them turned their heads toward me but only one had the strength to speak she uttered that was the best meal i have ever had i leaned back satisfied and confident that my friends were on their way to becoming real greeks.fall break seemed like the week we had been talking about since the beginning after extensive searching for the cheapest deals booking inconveniently-timed flights and organizing the logistics of the week we had finally settled upon athens and mykonos in greece ­ the land of my people my grandmother grew up in athens and when her childhood home was knocked down about ten years ago to make room for the more modern style apartment buildings my family was lucky to receive one of those apartments in a fair trade since then someone in my family has gone to greece about once a year to slowly furnish the apartment this year would be my time to fulfill the familial duty i admit i had worked hard to plan our trip using my own past experiences as an outline to our fall break itinerary but i was still nervous to bring my friends to greece and into my greek family feeling responsible for providing a good time i debriefed them on my family and hoped for the best uncle bob came to pick us up and dropped us off in front of an open-air tavern when handed menus my peers laid them down and stared up nervously at me for a cue as to what to do or order i motioned them toward bobby and kostas who were already furiously marking on the order form food for everything to be eaten tapas style then it began plate after plate of food ­ doubles of nearly everything ­ began arriving at the table we served ourselves with the exception of bobby who made us all eat first and passed the dishes along every came to the table from feta prepared four different ways to four different types of meat because we had answered the which type of meat question as oh any kind is fine which somehow got translated as every kind of meat we feasted.in the aftermath of the meal was when i leaned forward to look at my friends and their empty plates i was proud of them for trying everything and liking it ­ including the pork wrapped in lamb liver i couldn t help thinking of my papou at this time and how everything he did in his life coming to america building a life for his son and eventually his granddaughters had culminated in this point where i was back in greece sharing a meal with my cousins and my american roommates fall break meant a lot more to me than any other trip to a new city it was my first trip to greece on my own and i know now that it won t be my last and someday my own kids may be bringing their friends to athens scary.

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3 thefloatingcity by nicholas landry imagine a city without roads instead of boulevards there are rivers instead of city busses there are ferries and the taxi stands are piers lined with numbered motor boats this is venice a city built atop a few small islands and the water between them the piazza di san marco is a picturesque if not more than as it is featured in the 2003 film the italian job in basilica di san marco is the most adorned church that i have yet to whiteness each inch of its massive facade is a single work of art cumulating in a structure that embodies art in architecture it was in venice that i had my most interesting italian dish i ordered seppie nere con polenta for two reasons firstly i could pronounce it and more importantly i knew what student services -november 2 ,2010 newsletter 31 polenta was what i did not know is what seppie meant the waiter placed in front of me a dish of squid pieces and polenta covered in a black substance only after eating half of my meal and expressing that i enjoyed the mystery sauce was i informed that it was the ink from the squid that i was eating apparently seppie is not squid but the ink of the squid all too soon it was time to board the ferry-bus and leave the floating city foodies thefruitstore downtheblock b y zachary ehrlich professional food writing i ciao luca i call as i enter the store ciao my friend he responds with a smile and four yellow apples in hand he knows they re my favorite i actually bite one there on the spot and savor it i look around at the familiar displays deciding what i want it s so fresh every day a kilo of clementines a bunch of bananas three juicy pears and tomatoes from sardinia a purple onion a head of romaine lettuce along with the four yellow apples ­ three still shiny and spotless cucumbers carrots and a jar of olives my bag is filling up it is getting quite massive varietà oggi he comments please 5 euro and 46 cents best produce best prices always the best stock that s why i always go to the fruit store down the block anodetoq ua ttroleoniby francesca coviello professional food writing i fiochette pasta was stuffed with cheese pear served in a creamy cheese sauce with tiny bits of asparagus tiny pouches delicately folded and sealed the edges curved collected together in their own unique way dressed in the same cream color inside they are full of sustenance a pale fluffy filling asparagus tips swim between the bite sized purses coated in richness aroma engulfs the air stuffed with cheese and pear combination of flavour melted in the mouth elegant yet dignified.

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newsletter 31 student services -november 2 ,2010 4 foodies lapassione vegetariana ganzo by erika drolet a few weeks ago we decided that time had come to get a taste of passion passion through food is the only one that is really tangible and ganzo s cook made me fall for it for meat lovers vegetarian food sounds boring for me it sounds green and more likely to appeal originality and surprising combinations i m the kind of person that is more impress by the new wave of fusion food than by traditional food and i got served no better way to start that evening than with a prossecco and peach drink and some tempura vegetables the night continued with some amazing ricotta and spinach cannelloni the perfect italian twist to the menu that was followed by a surprising quinoa burger and they finally wrapped the night with a pecorino fresco and pear cheese cake with great food and even greater company i had an amazing night that really filled my expectations it is worth giving a try to those special dinner nights you might fall in love as well la passione vegetariana ganzo via dei macci 85/r thursday november 4 8.00pm fritto misto di verdure dell orto e salsa tartara beer battered fried vegetables with tartar sauce paccheri ripieni con ricotta e spinaci in salsa al pomodoro piccante paccheri filled with spinach and fresh ricotta cheese with spicy tomato sauce burger di quinoa insalata iceberg e vinaigrette alla senape quinoa burger iceberg salad and mustard vinaigrette cheese cake al pecorino fresco pere cotte e miele di acacia fresh pecorino cheese cake with pears compote and honey wine news capannelle by maryam ahmed from wine certificate class capannelle is located on the top of a hill in gaiole in chianti the produce about 70,000 bottles of wine per year in addition to being a producer of four quality wines the property makes 2000 bottles of olive oil and is a destination resort for wine geeks and those that truly appreciate italian hospitality the property is owned by prominent american businessman james sherwood as a result of a production of quality wines and an american owner seventy percent of the product is shipped overseas while thirty percent is consumed domestically the property spans fortyfive panoramic acres that guests can observe from either the infinity pool or the picturesque garden the real gem of the place however is the wine capannelle produces a total of four wines chardonnay chianti classico riserva and two super tuscans solare and 50&50 salare is a blend of 80 sangiovese and 20 malvasia nera the 50&50 is a blend of 50 capannelle s sangiovese and 50 avignonesi s merlot we were given a tour of the cellar and storage rooms so that we might know what production at this type of property is like because it is a relatively small property everything is done in house specifically aging bottling and labeling are done at capannelle instead of using a high-tech system capannelle lets fermentation happen naturally the entire room of steel tanks and barrels is temperature controlled as opposed to each machine where the wines are aged the room is naturally controlled by a large wall of galestro rock and soil the wall lends consistent temperature and humidity to the aging room the solare 2004 a blend of 80 sangiovese and 20 malvasia nera ferments in austrian oak and the is transferred to french oak 6 months of which is spent in brand new barrels the wine spends at least one year bottle aging the wine represents a more modern approach to blending super tuscans in fact they liked to call it a super chianti because the wine is more reminiscent of chianti due to the absence of international grape varieties.visually solare is deep ruby with garnet reflections the nose is complex with dark ruites slight earth and vanilla on the palate solare presents balance and a smooth round mouth feel solare is full-bodied with good acidity and tannic structure that proves it is a wine to be aged along with our wine tasting we were presented with delicious bruschetta and crostini fresh tomatoes sausage and sprachino tuna spread and liver pate we also enjoyed fresh meat and frittata with peppers cheese and artichoke to finish everyone had a slice of apple tart this is the kind of hospitality that small devoted properties can provide every time they host visitors bellissimo!

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5 tignanello 2007tastingby maryam ahmed eddie meyers chase renton ann samuelson nicole marian ulhoa valentino contributed by table and wine grapes of italy class wine tignanello 2007 igt toscana antinori production the wine is unfiltered the wine is aged in small barrels and then in the bottle alcohol 14 by volume varietals piccolo sangiovese and in 80 parte cabernet student services -november 2 ,2010 newsletter 31 1 2 sangiovese 15 cabernet sauvignon 5 cabernet franc observations we decanted the wine for about an hour before the first tasting at 10pm we did a second tasting at 10:30pm and found more complexity in the wine s aromas as well as a rating of quite soft to soft for poly-alcohols the wine has the ability to age and should be decanted prior to enjoying 3 with that being said most of us who are studying here took a while to do some of the touristy stuff around town however the first weekend of october most of my friends were out of town so we decided to take advantage of some of the nice weather and enjoyed the sights 4 well climbing the duomo was very refreshing there was also a really cool international festival in piazza santa croce right behind where we live that had all sorts of german and norwegian stuff sausages beer clothes spices mini-crepes with nutella and even some spanish paella student voice touristy florence-some picturesaround town by james byrne this city is crawling with tourists everywhere you look the guy that cut my hair the other day said somewhere between 8-9 million tourists come here a year and its obvious every business is catered towards them everyone speaks english its definitely a huge industry for the florentines they drive me crazy on my walk to class and always get in the way trying to take pictures jump on saturday we climbed the basilica di santa maria del fiore or as we all call it the duomo its a cathedral that took around 150 years to build and is the trademark landmark in florence in addition to the ponte vecchio it was something around 438 steps to climb but the view from up there is gorgeous since we are always surrounded by buildings in the city we forget that the city is wrapped in foothills the next day on sanday we did a quick trip to the boboli gardens it s pretty much the only place in the city where there is grass and trees so i have to share a couple of those pictures as well take a look at james byrne s blog www.justjamo.com

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newsletter 31 student services -november 2 ,2010 aren t we warned of this with stalkers aren t we just fueling it 6 if you don t use it what will you really lose by kathryn mueller one fua student ponders upon the usage of mobile applications to track city life just how disconnected have you been during your stay in florence whether with or without the aid of technology have you made the most out of the city where you are living until mid-december just because you can doesn t mean you always should recently i learned about the application foursquare which is a mobile application that makes cities easier to use and more interesting to explore it is a friend-finder a social city guide and a game that challenges users to experience new things and rewards them for doing so foursquare lets users check in to a place when they re there tell friends where they are and track the history of where they ve been and who they ve been there with creepy or cool let s look at both it is very innovative to know where your friends are at all times people often hop from location to location making it hard for others to meet up with them in due time i can understand the logic behind it being able to check your phone to see where your friends last checked in and when it gives you the freedom to show up in your own time and at the right place without having to scramble around to get the latest location or rely on others to answer your calls but is it best personally i don t really want people to know where i am at all times i also don t want to jump to let others know as soon as i get somewhere can t i just go somewhere with friends if someone wants to join me they could always call i would not be comfortable with having my proximity mapped out all day every day on the latest episode of gossip girl season 4 episode 8 one of the characters locates another s house by checking foursquare to see the coffee place she frequented every morning and then found the apartment nearest to it after all of this she paid the doorman to tell her which apartment belonged to said girl and broke in to wait for her though this is farfetched and obviously fiction it is a little preview of how this easy application could easily be abused and cause people to cross boundaries they are not aware of one of my favorite ideas about social media is from the movie he s just not that into you when talking about a recent communication effort a girl complains about how it is now almost impossible to meet people organically anymore she says i had this guy leave me a voicemail at work so i called him at home and then he emailed me to my blackberry and so i texted to his cell and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies it s exhausting if we learn to rely on technologies that skip all the steps will we come to a point where we don t even converse but just show up who knows what all of this will bring whatever happens i am not sure i am ready to get in the game just yet i ve never been good at foursquare anyways take a look at kathryn mueller s blog http kmueller27.wordpress.com events 22 nov mon wine club 6.00pm frome the town of romeo and juliet the lovely amarone wines bertani 2004 bertani old vintage amarone is a timeless winefrom the town of romeo and juliet verona three unique gapes variety corvin rondinella molinara are part of this incredible wine symbol ofthe oenological research and innovation that are the hallmarks of the entire verona area rich complex fruity smooth 24 nov wed ganzo art massimo quadrelli 6.00pm aperiganzo 25 nov thur dinner event thanksgiving ganzo 8.00pm old world mees the new world in this culinary spectaular dedicated to thanksgiving come celebrate this american tradition through ganzo s take on both the classic and innovative culinary delights that symbolize this event 29 nov mon wine club 6.00 international throwdown part ii bubbles italy vs champagne wines franciacorta cavalleri blanc de blanc 2004 fleury blanc de blanc 2004 we adore sparkling wine so to celebrate our last meeting we ll finish things off with a pop a champagne vs franciacorta side by side tasting 2 dec thur dinner event wine dine 8.00pm 10 dec fri dinner event gala-xy gaanzo 8.00pm sparkling is not a wine color but an effect come join us for this celebratory culinary extravaganza where our students will sparkle in both the kitchen and dining room featuring wines by the apicis friends wine producers antinori castello di volognano and rocca bernarda castello di magione villa giustiniani 15 dec wed ganzo art final artshow diva 2010 6.00pm aperiganzo

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7 student services -november 2 ,2010 newsletter 31 student services student life and development has organized some fabulous end of the semester activities for fall 2010 join us and explore what student services has to offer most of the activities are free as the semester comes to an end and we will soon bid our farewells we would like to offer you some more tid bits and fun filled activities to unite and get the last bits of little treasures from your florence study abroad experience so don t be shy step out and be active sign-up is mandatory to sign-up please write studentservices@florencecampus.it provide full name email address and cell number sports night every monday night we have soccer and don t miss our basketball finale 6 december for more details see the student services activity calendar cibo vision ii 23 november back by popular demand test out your culinary talents after a brief and interesting clip of a famous chef it will make your mouth water and get your interest burning to fire it up in the kitchen discovery italy check out the exciting events planned for fashion and travel bologna only 15 saturday 27 november prato s textile district only 10 3 december farewell masquerade ball 9 december it will be a fabulous event and we will be decked out in costumes and masks there will also be at best costume competition and a special prize will be awarded for best costume kindly wear a carnevale mask editing by cory west photos p 2 laura wussow p 3 nicholas landry

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www.palazziflorence.com pa lazz florence association for international education

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