Submitted by Courtney Marino on the 2019 summer session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition…
After spending a week in Italy, I can easily say I have never felt more at home. The food is so comforting as well as the many kind people I have met abroad. For the second week of the program, we stayed in Casabianca, Italy, where we took part in a pasta making course. The head chef showed us how to create the dough, knead it, and hand roll it into long, thin pieces. As I hand rolled my pasta, I felt a great admiration for the chefs in Italy who do this on a daily basis. Pasta is such a staple in the Italian culture, so to take part in something so significant was very exciting and humbling. It also made me feel more connected to my Italian heritage. This class was something I will always remember and share with my family when I return home.
On the weekend, we took a trip to the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast exceeded my expectations beyond belief. The view of the water, the architecture, and the beauty of the cliffs was something I never imagined I would see in my lifetime. We were able to visit a lemon farm, which we had to climb up the side of a cliff to get to. The view from the top made everything worth it. You could see over the water, and I could have stayed there all day and taken in that view. We learned about the lemons and how significant the peel of the lemon is in Italian culture. We were even able to eat the peel of the lemon, which is cherished in Amalfi. It was definitely not like any American lemon. This week was full of great experiences and unforgettable memories. I want to thank the University of Delaware for making this experience possible.
