Elmira College Italy 2018

May 20, 2018 - Rome Gabrielle Higgins & Isabela Gonzalez Today we traveled to Rome, where we viewed some of Italy's most famous and ancient structures. Among them were the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Roman Pantheon, and the Colosseum. Along the way we discussed the lives of the competing artists Bernini and Borromini, whose unique artistic styles have had a lasting effect on the aesthetics of Roman architecture. The highlight of the trip was the visit to the Colosseum, where we learned many interesting facts about the building itself, as well as the fights that took place within it before it fell out of use and became a quarry. We discovered that most of the famous "gladiators" did not, in fact, fight to the death as is now popularly believed. The majority of the gladiators were purchased slaves, who were too valuable for their owners to allow for deaths in every fight. 

Liam Mason '19, Victoria Giglia '19 Today, we took a train to Venice, where we experienced even more of Italy's culture. Upon arrival, we wandered the streets of the city, during which we saw churches, canals, and shops. After lunch, we took a gondola tour of the canals. As exciting as it was, many of us were worried that we'd tip over, since neither gondola seemed well-balanced. When we attempted to take group photos, it often would have required one person to lean out and further unbalance the gondola, but the tour provided a good opportunity to take individual photos of the scenery. After the gondola tours, we split up into groups to further explore the city. Some of us went shopping for Venetian glass and masquerade masks, while others went to Piazza San Marco. The piazza was a giant square surrounded by structures such as Saint Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. The architecture was gorgeous and massive. In the piazza, it

May 17th, 2018 Ejoerger '20, Sjenkins '20 Today we made an hour and a half trip to visit 4 Madonne Caseificio Dell’Emilia, producers of Parmigiano Reggiano as well as Mirco Casari, maker of balsamic vinegar. We started the day with a tour of the factory where the cheese is made.         Throughout the tour of the cheese factory, we were able to observe the production and packaging of over 33,000 aging wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. At the end of the tour, we were able to watch the cheese master cut one wheel of the cheese using his specific, by hand, technique.           They also mentioned how their factory was affected by the 2012 6.1 magnitude earthquake, and they explained how devastating it was to their factory. Following this, they explained how they restored and improved their stock room to prevent future damage from earthquakes. To end the tour we were able to try the cheese that was cut in fount of us. Several students choose to purcha

Today (5/15) we took a bus ride out to Casa Baccichetto, a vineyard that produces many different kinds of wine including the up and coming sparking white wine Prosecco. Over the last handful of years, Prosecco has become an extremely popular champagne in America because of the taste and because it is a relatively inexpensive wine to purchase. Casa Baccichetto is a family run winery with the three sons stepping up and taking charge of the business (economically and biologically). The most interesting part of the tour was seeing the giant system used for fermenting the wine once the juice was compressed out of the grapes. Another interesting fact about the vineyard is that they still use an old technique of tying the grape vines up using branches from the Mulberry tree. Learning how each winery has individual techniques to growing and fermenting their grapes to even how they bottle the wine was really cool. After the tour we got to sample some of the wine that they produce including Pros

Today we had the opportunity to meet Mayor Maurizio Rasero at the Municipio di Asti. With the help of our tour guide, Matteo, we were able to have a brief conversation with him about the history and importance of the city, such as the fact that Asti was recently recognized by UNESCO. Next we visited the food market where Matteo informed us about the variety of cheeses, meats, and produce available. The most expensive cheese (selling at 29 euros per kilogram) was il castelmagno, which is made from cows who are grass-fed in the Alps, at least 2,000 feet above the ground. Fruits at the market were extremely fresh. Unlike in the United States, they were not grown with the aid of chemical preservatives. We all enjoyed eating the fruit, with strawberries seeming to be the most popular amongst the group. In the afternoon, we went to a farm that raised cows, pigs, bunnies, sheep, peacocks, horses, ox, a goat, and more. Some of us were surprised to learn that peacocks are eate

05/10/2018 Samantha Jenkins '20, Destiny Decker '21    Today we went on a tour of two pastry and chocolate shops in Asti. At the first shop we visited, we were able to watch the preparation of the samples we were eating. The shop focused on open preparation where its patrons are able to view the making of their food. The second shop was of historical significance in Asti. It was one of the oldest shops in the city and has maintained its Victorian style throughout the years.          Later we embarked on a cultural tour of Asti where we observed many historical places. One of note is the large cathedral that happens to hold the remains of an Italian soldier in a tomb below.   To put a cap on our eventful day, we were invited to attend an event put on by the local cooking school. While socializing in the courtyard, we were served sangria and appetizers by the students. Our dinner consisted of four courses was symbolic of the students’ trips to Ger

Wine Cellar & Farm-To-Table Dinner Victoria Giglia '19 & Baily Thomas '18 May 08, 2018 Today we visited the UNESCO wine cellar, Contratto Winery. There we explored the  catacombs of the castle that contained millions of aging wine bottles that are  specific to the region. After a quick tour of the facility and the methods used to make the wine, we tried four different types of wine produced. Each was paired with a different antipasta. Following the tasting we loaded the bus and drove further into the countryside where we were served a seven course meal by a professional chef. The meal prepared was unique because all the produce and meat used were harvested from the farm across the street. The first course was a hazelnut ricotta with a bread crisp. The second course was prosciutto, salami, and baskets of various bread. The third course was raw meat smothered in various dressings served with a vegetable salsa. The fourth course was spinach quiche with

Ecovillage at Ithaca - May 2nd Gabrielle Higgins '18 & Isabela Gonzalez '18 As part of our on-campus investigation of sustainable agriculture, we traveled to Ithaca to tour an ecovillage that has been operating outside of the city since 1991. While we were there, we learned about their system of sharing the financial burden of the three farms that provide food for the village. Each person who wishes to receive fresh produce from any one of the three farms has to pay a yearly fee, which guarantees them a cut of the farmer's crop. This system appears to work very well because the consumers get plentiful fresh food, and the farmer is insured in the case of a poor harvest. This spirit of community is carried throughout the village, especially in the form of the community-wide dinners that are served several times a week. Not only are these meals unifying, but there are also eco-friendly; much of the food comes from the sustainable farms and the innovative greenhouse, w

 GMO Lab - May 1, 2018 Rachael Allis '21 & Baily Thomas '18 In class for the Italy trip we studied GMO's or genetically modified organisms. We completed a three day lab which analyzed our favorite snack foods including popcorn, pretzels, and potato chips. During the first day the class prepped and extracted the DNA from the snacks. The second day of the lab we prepped the PCR (polymerase chain reaction), which mass produces selected DNA using scientific equipment. The third day we prepped and ran a gel electrophoresis procedure to observe wether GMO's were present in the snack foods. A majority of the snack foods were found to have GMO's. In the first picture to the right Dr. Bezotte is showing us how to prepare our gels and in the picture to the left Emily Joerger '20 is seen pouring the gel into the electrophoresis apparatus.