That’s so Italian…

I began this blog posting as a break from speaking with the incredibly sweet, but talkative Florentine next to me. Communicating in pseudo Italian-French-Charades is incredibly exhausting. However, after countless hours of learning Italian in the classroom withy my aptly named Professor, Imperatrice di Passio (translated as Empress of Passion), I was able to have a fruitful conversation. We gave small backgrounds on our lives, and bonded over the fact that we were both starving and running on less than four hours of sleep. Most importantly, I learned that he was going to an international belly dancing competition in Ukraine (really?), while I was on my way to Krakow, Poland. Therefore, in terms of airplane chit-chat, I am approaching fluency.

I am more than half-way done with the semester, however I feel surprisingly satisfied with the things I have done in Florence. Among my favorite things include: Palazzo Strozzi, Palazzo Medici, climbing the Campanile, the Boboli Gardens, and the Baptistry. The Villa has also provided the students with many cultural activities. Last week, we took a bus to a “Slow Food” farm, traversing on the same road the Romans used to get from Rome to Paris). With our ex-professional chef, we learned how to make gnocchi, ravioli, and roasted pork. It is a good thing I am not pursuing a career in food because one hour in, I was bored of making each individual piece by hand (we made 900 gnocchi), and was simply starving. The next day, we visited the delightful town of Lucca, and rented bikes to view the city from the ancient Roman walls. Back at the Villa in Fiesole, we had the pleasure of meeting Fra Dominique, a French monk who does Gregorian chanting. In addition to telling us about his life, he taught us the basics of Gregorian chanting, including two cantos. Another career path that I most likely will not follow, but who doesn’t love chanting with a monk on a loggia overlooking the Florentine skyline?

We also have been able to see two operas at the Florence Municipal Theater. The first was “La Tosca”, which was a wonderful introduction to Italian operas, even though everyone died… The second was “Anna Bolena” (Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII), which was visually beautiful and had an amazing mezzo soprano. However, the only musical accompaniment was a piano because the entire orchestra decided to go on strike. It was certainly a classic Italian experience, especially watching disgruntled patrons leave the theater mumbling to themselves, but the simplicity also made the performances that much more technically impressive.

Classes at the Villa continue to be very interesting, and one conversation has stood out to me from the past weeks. In my Government class “European Identity and Globalization”, we discussed a history of Italian reproductive policies. Abortion is legal in Italy for the first trimester, and this right has been continually reaffirmed and legally protected even after considerable Papal pressure in the 1980’s. However, this legalization on paper does not necessarily translate to actual access to abortions. Abortions can only be administered in a public hospital because the government does not want any private clinics to benefit financially from abortion. This is a problem for many women seeking the procedure because any member of the medical staff can be a “conscientious objector” to the abortion, often making it impossible to complete. This discussion transitioned into a discussion of maternal rights. An example of one of the inequalities Italian women experience is how some companies force their female employers to sign a date-less letter of resignation. If she informs her boss that she is pregnant, all the employer has to do is date the letter, and she is out of work. Although this is completely illegal, it is especially present in southern Italy where unemployment rates often reach up to 20% for those under 35. Obviously Italy is not unique in having female reproductive right issues, and the Villa has been closely following the Sandra Fluke controversy, and discussing some of Rick Santorum’s most ridiculous statements. I really liked this article on the issue by Nicholas Kristoff: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/opinion/sunday/kristof-when-states-abuse-women.html?_r=2

And finally, two things that are so Italian:

1. The man sitting next to me has his wife’s name saved as “amore” on his I-phone

2. On the plane, while making general announcements, the flight attendant happily and nonchalantly said, “If you are celebrating a special occasion on board today, champagne is available for purchase.” Grazie Alitalia…