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Italian Culinary Program Produces Taste for Culture

I spent the summer in Florence, Italy attending culinary school with the Italy: Food and Wine program. Florence was at one point considered the cultural center of the universe, and in my opinion, it still is. It is the perfect city to explore the culinary arts. The San Lorenzo Market, which is in the very center of Florence, is world famous for its fresh ingredients. The produce found there tastes better than any you will ever taste in you life, and you won’t understand what I mean until you try it yourself.

My days were filled with class, which I didn’t mind because my classes were Italian Language, Traditional Italian Cooking, and Wine Tasting! In the afternoon I would explore the city with the other students. We saw Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, climb the stairs of the famous Duomo, then stop off for some gelato on the way home. At night I would walk along the Arno River to the Ponte Vecchio, where I sat and listened to the free concerts they offer during the summer.

After a month of cooking class I got a job as a prep cook for a local artist’s club away from the tourist part of town. Because my restaurant catered to locals who did not speak English, I was forced to really utilize my Italian, which was coming along… slowly. My coworkers taught me a lot of Italian, and by the time I left, I was pretty good.
Having been back for months now, I still think about going back to Florence every day. I didn’t realize until I came back how much I really learned abroad. Not only did I learn about food and wine, but of another culture much more in touch with its own culture. The emphasis Italians put on art and beauty is something I admire, and I am glad that I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of it.

This story submitted by Christy Caldwell who studied abroad in Italy.