La Perugina

On Wednesday I went with my “class” to visit the Chocolate Factory “Perugina”. It was bought by Nestle a few years ago , due to the fact that the employees where asking for raises and the previous owner ( and founder) the Spagnoli family could not afford. So Nestle (the international sweets company) bought it. We all packed like sardines into a city bus and went to the Perugina, as we entered the factory we were given free baci and other Perugina chocolate.. Pictures were taken throughout the small “museum” ( I would call it a display room..) where the history of the baci was explain to us. Which was basically what I wrote in my previous blog.. Then we were shown a few old commercials for Baci. Such as this one

:-) We saw a gigantic Baci which won the Guinness World record in 2003, And then we were told that cameras or cell phones were not allowed within the actually factory… so I don’t have any more pictures … But I got to see the whole production of the baci ( La Perugina is the only factory in the world that produces the Baci, they produce something like 1200 baci per min. It’s ridiculous.. ) We also saw the production of the famous Easter eggs (that have a surprise inside :-) ) and then there was the Rossana, which is a chocolate with the flavor of rum ( I’m not sure if their actual rum liquid in it… I can’t remember.. But if you’re familiar with Rossana, please enlighten me by leaving a comment bellow.. ) There was also a whole bunch of other chocolate they make… like banana flavored, coffee flavored, baci with a cherry inside instead of a hazel nut , etc… It was a fun experience! Pictures are up in my photobucket under Italy> La Perugina
I finished Atlas Shrugged… so now I need another book… got any ideas ?

An update

I haven’t posted in a while.. So I figured that I’d give you guys all an update….
The EuroChocolate festival ended yesterday (Sunday) but like all the “true” Perugians say… EuroChocolate is a whole bunch of traffic.. By the 2rd day of the festival I had seen every exhibit and passed by every stand… it isn’t all that big… but it causes a WHOLE bunch of unnecessary traffic throughout the center of the city… One can’t even walk through main street without being shoulder to shoulder with someone else.. It made it a bit difficult to walk back from the grocery story with two heavy bags…. I think the greatest thing about it was all the free sample of chocolate.. And their version of Hot Chocolate (which is literally hot melted chocolate.. in a liquid from.. Thick and creamy its delicious.. but I don’t know how anyone could finish more than 5oz of it… it’s so rich..)
But I don’t mean to sound pessimistic..
I spend the rest of we week in and out of classes and becoming more and more independent :-)
On Tuesday I “fast walked” (the action in between walking.. and jogging.. …it’s kind of like walking with a purpose.. is there a better way to word it ? Leave a comment telling me what it is.. if there is.. ) through the upper side of my town.. and I figured out an hour long path through some hills, around the medieval wall and the country side. It’s beautiful.. And it‘s kind of a fun work out.. (I’ve been doing it every other day ..to get in some type of better shape.. :-) )
Then…Every Thursday and Friday my school have projections of random Italian movie.. This Thursday film that I attended was called “Recordati de mi”. It was a pretty decent movie… I think watching movies in Italian and listening to Italian music is the second best way of learning Italian and the culture of Italy. (This best of course is going to Italy and living it! ) So I think I’m pretty fortunate to be living all that I’m living.
As for my weekend…it was pretty relax.. I read 500 pages or so.. of “Atlas Shrugged” ( I’m almost done.. Ayn Rand has an amazing mind. I’m eager to read more of her work) I “cooked” for myself… (I think I’ve figured out how to make a decent pasta sauce.. with very limited supplies.. ) I walked around my town..etc nothing to interesting to blog about.. ((What did you guys do ? leave a comment… ))

Some things I’m looking forward too:
* Going to visit the Perugina ( the chocolate factory I talked about in one of my last post ) on October 28th
* Next Thursday.. or Fridays film ( I haven’t seen the posters for what they are yet.. but its always a fun way to better my italian..)
* Moving out .. And into an apartment ill be sharing with three other girls.. ( yay new experiences! )
* Having the internet in the new apartment
* A trip to Venice and the surrounding island on November 14th-15th
* I’m also planning to go to Piza ( to see the tour of Piza ) its like 2 hours or so.. from Perugia..

EURO CHOCOLATE / Mediaeval Stone Wall of Perugia

Euro Chocolate is a festival that started in Perugia because just about every other town has a festival of their own cibo (food) like.. a nearby town has a celery festival.. Because they produce some special celery that no other part of Italy produces… so on that note… Perugia decided to have a chocolate festival.. because through Perugina factory, chocolate was/is their biggest profit. Euro chocolate started out small.. But now it’s evolved into a ten day festival (that brings thousands of people to Perugia), with chocolate from all around Europe.. and even from Central America… theirs exhibits that explain how chocolate is made from the plant which becomes a tree..That creates “fruits” which they break, take out the seeds and dry them… they later grind them up… and it becomes cacao… (Wow that was a very short and simple.. description of the process.. lol.. I took pictures of the whole exhibition.. Their up on my photobucket under italia>eurochocolate ) at the festival they also have booth… upon booth.. That sells all sorts of chocolate.. and this past Sunday they had a chocolate sculpture contest.. (That was fun to see.. because of the chocolate that breaks off.. in order to form the masterpiece.. is given away to the public… ;-) I caught a little piece! ) I heard from my Italian culture teacher.. that at the end of the festival.. they give away a whole bunch of chocolate… I hope it’s true… id be set (as far as chocolate goes.. ) for the year !

When I wasn’t at EuroChocolate this weekend, I decided to explore my town some more.. I walked around my future neighborhood ( I can’t wait to move.. ) I found this beautiful park that has a gorgeous view of the valley that surrounds Perugia ( I didn’t take that much pictures.. because I figured ya’ll were a bit bored of the “countryside” pictures..but nevertheless there’s some of the park.. ) I also found this temple… and one of the gates of the city… Perugia was built in ... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perugia) around the mediaeval period… it has this stone wall that surrounds the historical center of the city… and today I decided to walk around the entire wall ! it took about four hours… but the views… and the history that radiated of the old buildings.. and the arc doors of the city were definitely worth it ! I’m hoping to learn more about the history of Perugia.. so that I can share with you guys.. and enhance my experience abroad in Italy !

La Storia Dei Baci

This is a word for word translation of a short little assignment I had in class last Friday in regarded to the Chocolate festival that started that same day. What’s in (parenthesis) is information I thought was essential and/or interesting to know in order for the story to make sense.. I thought you guys might enjoy it…

but first here’s a little background info… the “Bacio” aka “Baci” is a little chocolate that is extremely famous in Italy… especially in my town… due to the fact that it was invented here in Perugia , and that the Perugina chocolate factory is and was one of the biggest money maker of Perugia… it keeps the town running.. it kind of taste like a “Rocher”( you know the chocolate with a brown and gold wrapper) but without the wafer part…

L’Italia è famosa nel mondo anche per I suoi “Baci”…quelli Perugina, naturalmente! Il delizioso impasto di cioccolato e nocciole naque per caso, nel 1922, dalle sapienti mani di Luisa Spagnoli che trovò cosi il modo di utilizzare le briciole delle nocciole legandole con il cioccolato fondente.
Italy is famous throughtout the world for its “baci” which is from the Perugina company.. obviously. The delicious mixture of chocolate and the hazel nut were born (invented ) in 1922 from the hands of Luisa Spagnoli, who found a way to use the excess chocolate (she owned another type of sweet candy chocolate factory before she opened up the Perugina due to the baci)and the hazel nut (which went to waste in the candy chocolate recipe) by covering them with dark chocolate.

La novità dolciaria, in commercio, per la prima volta nel negozio di Corzo Vannucci a Perugia, si chiamò “Cazzotti”. Ma subito si passò dalla violenza all’amore, ed ecco il “Bacio”
The new sweet ,started, for the first time in a pastry on the street name Corso Vannucci in Perugia ( it’s kind of like.. the main street of Perugia , there’s a bunch of high fashion stores, and restaurants on it now a day.. but I can only imagine that it was a very important street back then.) It was called “Cazzotti”. ( Cazzotti means fist in perugian slang for the Italian word “puno”( I’m not a hundred percent sure of the spelling ) Baci was first called like this because of its shape. Luisa said that its shape resembled a fist...) But rapidly it went from violence to love, hence the name “baccio” (which means kiss in Italian.)

Fu il grafico pubblicitario Federico Seneca, invece, che fece inserire nel cioccolatino il minuscolo foglietto con le più belle frasi d’amore di tutti i tenpi e che ideò il disegno sulla scatola; i due innamorati sotto le stelle, dal celebre dipinto di Hayez.
It was the a publicity grafic designer Federico Seneca who came up with the idea of inserting a small piece of paper ( wax paper ) with the most beautiful love phrases of all time, inside with the chocolate. On the box (which the chocolate back then use to come in.. ( now it just comes wrap in a silver and blue wrapping with the love note inside the wraping..)) there was a picture taking from one of the paintings of Hayez. ( I was told in class that it was one of his paintings of Romeo and Juliet )

Persino il duce, Benito Mussolini, venne sedotto da quel “baccio” quando, nel e subito esclamò “Vi dico, e vi autorizzo a ripeterlo, che i vostri baci sono veramente squisiti!” Nel 1934 la Perugina legò il suo nome ad un famoso concorso di figurine: “I quattro moschettieri”. E il primo premio era una Fiat Toplino.
Even the duke, Benito Mussolini, came to try the “baccio”, he quickly exclaimed “I say and I autorized one to repeat this, that your “baci” is truly exquisite” In 1934 the Perugina started a contest regarding the “four musketeers” collectable figurines. The grand prize was a Fiat car.

Poi arrivò la guerra e anche i baci dovettero aspettare tempi migliori. Il grande successo giunse negli anni ’60, gli anni del boom economico, quando la produzione ebbe uno sviluppo enorme.
Once the war ( World War II) started , the baci needed to way for better times to come. Its big success came in the 60’s, in the years of the economic boom, when its production became huge.

FIRENZE !! (Florence)

So what did you do this weekend ? (Leave your weekend in the comment section) I went to Florence! No wait.. Technically the weekend starts after work/school on Friday right ? ..Alright , well first thing fist, on Friday I got out of class at 10 am, and decided to go explore Perugia some more..I was on a mission to find a office or art supply store ,so that I could finally start my scrapbook that I’ve been collect things for… bus tickets, plane tickets, trains tickets, menus, business cards, random pictures..Maps…. you know.. The stuff a travelers “souvenir book” would consist of… On my way to find this store… I passed by one of the museums in my town that was exhibiting “Andy Warhol… in the city” without hesitation I walked in ( got the student discount ) and went to see some Pop art. The museum had some original prints of “The Gold Book” among many others.. it was pretty awesome ! after an hour or so I was back on my mission, walking around the streets of Perugia.. I found a mini groceries store (which is going to be very practical, when I don’t have time to catch the bus to go to the big groceries store ) I found one of the MINI metro stations ( the mini metro is like a subway that’s above ground that goes through and around Perugia .. it has little tiny wagons that can only fit like.. 8-10 people max. its really cute. ) and then.. I found an art supply store, which had stationary stuff in it.. :) goal accomplish! Nothing else happened Friday.. except that I went out with the same people I went out with last weekend.. to this .. traditional cooking Italian restaurant. Good food, but I couldn’t finish any of the courses… Italian.. I think eat way to much…. Maybe.. I haven’t made up my mind yet..
But anyways back to the original topic.. FIRENZE! On Saturday my future roommate (Carolina) and I caught a train up to Florence for less than 10€ (sweet! ) there we meet up with one of her friends (Vivi) who was also from chili ..And with the aid of a map and Vivi’s memory (from the previous time she had been to Florence as a family trip) we managed to find an Youth hostel (for way cheaper than any hotel) where we drop of our bags and went out to see the art and historical beauty of Florence. From Santa Maria del Fiore -Duomo, to Ponte Vecchio we walk around and took so many pictures that by the end of the night.. I was exhausted.
Sunday morning, we left the hostel at 8 in the morning to go stand in line at the Uffizi Museum . We took turns waiting in line while the other two would go around taking pictures of and with statues like Michelangelo’s “David”
after about two hours of waiting in line …We finally got it. I wasn’t prepared for all the works of art that I saw… paintings and sculptures..that must of taken a life time to accomplish… I saw Leonardo de Vinci’s
,,Michelangelo’s
, Boticelli‘s “Birth of Venus” and "Primavera" And so many others.. I wish I could of taken pictures… some were breath taking and then others were repetitive.. The Jesus theme honestly kind of got old.. After the 15th room or so that had the same images.. But by different painters..( ok ok.. maybe I’m exaggerating.. but there was a bunch of “Mary with baby Jesus, Jesus and the 3 kings, Mary and the angel, Jesus on the cross etc … paintings..) but I get it.. I’m in the country where the pope lives.. Of course it’s going to be very religious.
After the Uffizi Museum we walked around some more, we even tried to go inside the dome… but we missed visiting hours.. since it was Sunday.. and it was only open like 3 hours.. We went to Palazo Piti ,Palazo Vecchio, San Lorenzo, Piazza della S.S. Annunziata , Porta San Galzo…. Santa Maria Novella was our last stop before we had to catch the last train back to Perugia .. It was an great new experience… ! next I think I want to go to Venice .. Where do you think I should go in italy ?

Classes

So I'm almost done with my first full week of classes....
its interesting.. we haven't really gotten deep into any particular thing yet.. were more like reviewing.. tenses .. and grammar.... but my culture class is a lot of fun!!.. I've been able to connect some dots with what my teacher is telling me.. and what I learn last year in my international classes ( the world as a total system, geopolitics..etc ) It makes me smile that some things make sense!

Theirs a whole variety of nationality in my group, Chinese, Japanese, American, Irish ,Swedish , a guy from Switzerland , Mexicans , British , Australians , Russians ... and i know I'm forgetting some.. I'm hopping to leach onto a few of them.. and learn their cultures....

I feel like I'm in "L'auberge Espanol"

First Weekend part II

I figured my entry was getting a bit long.. so I made a part two :)
Sunday was a pretty slow/relaxing day.. I didn’t particularly have to wake up for anything.. I wasn’t sure what I was going to end up doing…. So I slept in.. ( I think.. im finally not jet-lagged.. and almost caught up on sleep.. ) Once I woke up.. I did some budgeting figuring out part of my money$$$$ situation… then I read some more of this little blue book I got.. ( it’s “the stranger’s guide to Perugia” I got it at the agency who is helping me out with a place to stay.. ) this little blue book is filled with everything.. from how to find a room , where to eat, what to do in your free time, to every bus and train schedule to get out of Perugia and visit Italy! I’m quite fond of it…
I got to this part where it mapped out a path for a walk where I could find the best view.. of Perugia.. Curious , I decided to try a go follow it… but.. I ended up making up my own path… I took some Wonderful pictures for you guys!! Be existed . hopefully they will be up at the same time this is.. (Click on the link ------------ :) want a closer look? Login in lola2314 password lorriana )
I found a beautiful church… called the “Oratory of San Berbardino” took some more pictures.. and continued walking around..up hill .. down hill.. through an alley, found some more eateries.. im excited to try out.. some Greek and Lebanon restaurants… some more Pizzarias … then onto the main road .. where to my surprise I saw a whole bunch of people lined up on the side of the street awaiting……. I wasn’t sure… then through the crowd I heard a band start playing.. and some flag twirlers.. funny looking guards..marching.. and a bunch of cars approaching in the distance.. I blended into the crowd and looked around for clues.. to what might be the cause of.. this parade…. After 15 mins.. or so.. all these photographers appeared. They were surrounding these two little short old man, dressed in bright fuchsia … priest they seem to be…
They made their way up to the center of the town, where a small stage had been erected.. joining then men suits and other black robe priest…. I finally asked someone next to me.. in broken down Italian.. what the commotion was all about.. and she told me that one of the two men in fuchsia was the bishop of Umbria.. ( or something.. like that.. I didn’t really understand.. but he was some important Christian figure.. ) I took some pictures… .. I stayed for a bit.. and listen to him talk… but didn’t really understand anything more than what im writing now..maybe I’ll google him.. and give you guys some more information!

Well until next time dear readers..

by the next time I blog.. I hope to have move.. and obtain wifi in my room! Keep you all posted.

-Lorriana

Ps. I miss you much <3

First Weekend part I

This blog entry is going to be a little bit different because I’m writing it while I’m off-line due to the fact that today is Sunday and everything ( well almost everything..there’s a few places open.. like the gelaterria ! (Italian Ice Cream Shop) )in Perugia .. is closed and I haven’t moved yet.. so my room still has no internet..

…So much to write I don’t really know where to start…
well I guess I can start by catching you guys up with what happened before my last post that I didn’t think to include while rushing to post at the cyber Café…
On Saturday a group of foreigners and I got on a bus for about 45mins and arrived at a small version of a mall where there was a store that resembled Stop & Shop ( Provigo ou IGA pour mes Quebecois! ) So you can guess that I went grocery shopping! Lol probably the only kind of shopping I almost like.. * Anyways.. So I bought the essential you know.. wine, cheese, bread , cereal, crackers, grapes, yogurt, lettuce and apples… that’s what ill be living on for a while.. when I’m not out discovering Italian cuisine :-)
Once I got back to my “room” my elderly landlady insisted on bringing me to her other house out in the country side where I could possibly move too… but first she brought me to the cemetery where her parents, her brother, her husband , and one of her daughters in buried… A bit emotionally awkward it was since I’ve only known this lady.. 3.5 days ?? Italian cemeteries are a different than American cemeteries.. Most people (that can afford it ) are I think? Cremated and placed inside a wall? That is erected in the middle of a gated wall… my landlady had a whole section dedicated to her family.. It’s hard to explain.. but .. to put it in simple words.. People in Italy are “buried” above ground. Those that can afford it however are actually buried underground with a simply cross at the top of the designated area.. I didn’t take pictures.. Because I didn’t think id be appropriate… with the whole… soul can be captivated by a lenses thing.. I don’t really need any spirits following me around…
My little old lady’s house was located at least a few miles away from my school ( not exactly what id want to walk at 6.30 in the morning .. to get to class at 8. Am ….) In a apartment looking neighborhood…like projects.. or condos… all on top of each other. With your neighbor’s window 20 feet away from yours… I don’t mean to make it sound… horrible ? but .. I was a bit disappointed.. as it looked like something.. id seen a million times before… I wont be staying there..
My Saturday ended with me meeting up with a few Sweden exchange students, and going out to eat..at this.. semi-facy Italian restaurant.. they all had seafood based pasta**.. I stuck with gelato..

*for those of you that care to know more about me and shopping.. ask and ill tell.. lol
** for those that know how fond of seafood I am….especially the smell…. You understand..

I Found a Cyber Cafe!

!!the computer didnt have spell check.. and im a horrible speller.. so beware! !!


So... sorry readers..
I didnt have internet access, but now I do.. well kinda Im in a cyber cafe place.. ( which is basicly a room.. with a bunch of computer and.. some phone booths )

So where did I leave off ?

Oh yes..
my living situation ... umm well im in the process of changing it... this little elderly women is adorable.. but.. I dont want to become her personal aid.. and worry about her all the time .... Im here to EXPLORE and absorb the culture ... (do you blame me ? ) So.. I decided.. Im moving out..
the Agency that works with my school.. is in the process of finding me somewhere else to live...(but in the mean time.. I met some other exchange student (chiniese,latino, english, italian, german) .. and they have a free bed.. in their apartment so I think im gonna move in with them.. if the agency cant find better.... )

And now regarding school, I passed my placement exam... Im in B2 which is the ..3rd highest course I could get in.. so im content.. but I have to make sure.. my credits will transfer over and all that fun stuff...

Other than that.. Im discovering the city were I now live... walking around taking pictures.. life is pretty sweet.. actualy..

I just miss my <3

*pictures to come once.. I get wifi in my new apt (fingers cross?) Stay posted.