Interview at Vatican Radio

Tuesday, I was interviewed at Vatican Radio by Sean Patrick Lovett! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sean really made it seem as though we were actually being interviewed for a position at Vatican Radio, so not only did we get good experience talking about our resumes and preparing for actual interviews, but we got a first-hand look at the inner workings of a radio station. One of the hardest aspects of communication is often talking about oneself, and I think I got a better look at who I am through this experience.



 

The Studio

Radio Star!?




Sunday, I went for a nice long run in the Olympic village, and I absolutely loved it. The houses have very diverse and funky shapes, but they all have ample courtyard and green space and ample pedestrian space perfect for fostering community. The stadium and Sport house are still in use, and a school for sports of all kinds has been developed. It's good to see that the neighborhood has not lost its vitality. Today, it is still a thriving community, even though its days of hosting the Olympics are long gone.

Apartments with large courtyards

Stairway shaft

Green Courtyard

Each stairway has its own name

Long straight apartments

Curved apartments

Plus-shaped apartments

Afterwards, I spent the afternoon in the Aqueduct Park! I had heard that this was a place I had to see, especially as an architecture student, and I can see why. Remnants of the aqueducts are strewn throughout the park like monuments, and all around them are flowing streams of water, trees, green grass, gardens, and endless fields. I was lucky that I went on an absolutely gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, a slight breeze was blowing, the birds were chirping, and the first buds of spring were just beginning to bloom. Apparently, I wasn't the only one drawn it by the beautiful day and the treasures of the park. It was packed with people, yet somehow, the park was so large that it didn't feel too crowded. Many people brought blankets and had picnics. Others brought portable grills, some played Frisbee. There was even a sort of rock concert going on in the distance with a bunch of college-aged kids smoking weed and getting drunk. It definitely seems to be the hip place to hang out on a nice spring afternoon in Rome. I brought my book and read under a tree for the duration of the afternoon, and I felt thoroughly refreshed afterwards.

Wednesday, for Sustainable Foods, we visited Eataly! This place is amazing. It is like the Mall of Italy for food, and not just any food--slow food. Sponsored by the Slow Food movement, Eataly is sourced by a range of producers, all of which support local, fair, humane, and ecologically conscious production and consumption. There are restaurants, cafes, specialty Italian products (wine, olive oil, balsamic, meats, seafood, coffee, cookies, chocolate, fruits, etc...), a brewery, a cheese stand where they will make fresh mozerella in front of you, cooking classes, a book store, and more! Not only do they promote sustainable food production and consumption, but they educate consumers about where their food comes from, how it was produced, how it was prepared, and how that affects the people and environment involved. I wish I could shop here every week. However, I do miss Seward Co-op back home, and there are Eataly stores in Chicago and New York!

Espresso cup chandelier

Pastries!

 Every section of the store from cheese to meat to seafood to wine to olive oil has a map of Italy showing where each of the products comes from.

Meat map

This map shows which season is best for each type of fish 

Seafood

Not only is the food good quality, but so is the furniture. Many of the tables and chairs and signs are all specially designed. 

Special mosaic table

Saturday, I went to Tuscany for a wine tour! This is one of the activities I've been dying to do ever since I arrived, so I had high expectations, and I am happy to say that I was more than satisfied with the trip. It was a Bus2Alps trip, so everything is planned for us. In this case, this was nice because we got to tour two of the most famous vinyards in Tuscany: Multipuciano and Montalcino. First, we stopped in Multipuciano at Taverno Gattevecchi (Old Cat). We got to see the cellars where they store all of their wine casks for aging. They age the wine in large wooden barrels specially made for wine. The longer they are aged, the more expensive they are, and usually the fuller the body of the wine.

We tried three wines, and they served them with fresh Peccorino (sheep) cheese from the region, a variety of cold cuts including fantastic prosciutto, and a wonderful lunch of what's called Pischi Pasta. This is a pasta served with lamb ragu, and boy was it delicious. The first wine we tried was the Vino Rosso, the youngest wine of only about a year. The next was the Vino Nobile from 2012, and the last was the Vino Riserva of 2009. The owner gave us a little background in what to look for as far as color, smell, and taste of the wines and how they differ based on age and region. My favorite was definitely the Vino Nobile. It was very rich and smooth in taste.

The group

Pischi Pasta

 After lunch, we had some time to wander the gorgeous little town. The main square is actually the one where "New Moon" the second movie in the Twilight saga was filmed, so it's quite famous. I loved it for the spectacular view of the rolling hills. People don't lie when they say that Tuscany is gorgeous. The shops in the town are also very small and authentic. They seemed to specialize in ceramic crafts.

 

Shoe pots

 

Piazza where New Moon was shot

View from the top!

Next, we headed to Montalcino vineyard, slightly further north. This vineyard had stunning views. It was also slightly bigger than the first one--a medium sized operation by vineyard standards. Again, we got a tour of the grounds. This time, we also got to see their bottling operation. Then, we tried three wines. Again, the first was a younger Vino Rosso. The next was a slightly older version, and the last was the Brunello, the wine they are famous for. In order for the wine to legally be classified as a Brunello, there are many strict rules and guidelines that must be followed, which is why it is the most expensive of the three wines. If you want to get really fancy, there is a bottle of gold standard Brunello with even stricter rules to follow. However, it is worth the money, because this wine was delicious--I detected a lot of apricot flavor in it. (Yes, I got a bottle...)

The stainless steel barrels

The wooden barrels

The bottling facility

The tasting

Brunello!