First Impressions: First Two Weeks in Siena, Italy

I’ve only been in Italy for two weeks so far, but I feel like I could publish a book about my experiences and observations of Italian culture. Perhaps I could even take it to a series by describing my awkward American run-ins with Italians. But before I get into those, I’ll set up some context. I applied to the CET Siena program after examining the list of study abroad locations on the University of Virginia’s website. The Siena program was under the programs offered by UVA whose students would receive direct credit, which I was all about. Also, I had been taking French at UVA for about six semesters now, but I was really looking to learn a new language and culture from scratch. The town of Siena sounded like a perfect choice: small town with beautiful architecture and a strong sense of pride amongst its inhabitants. And so far, the town has not disappointed.

My first night in Siena on June 2nd was a whirlwind, mostly because I was tired beyond belief from travelling for so long (I came from Morocco, then to Spain, and took a three-hour train up from Rome). Our program director Anna helped us settled in, and then our Italian roommates prepared our first of many amazing meals in Siena. They introduced us to this delicious dish, rustico, which was a pizza-like creation but slightly more amazing. It’s been two weeks, and I’m definitely still dreaming about it. Also equally important, when we first settled into our rooms, there was a chocolate filled with espresso on our sheets. It too was absolutely delicious, and now thinking about it, it’s an accurate representation of what I’ve been eating here: sweets & coffee. And pasta.

We (my fellow UVA classmates in Siena) had a few days to orient ourselves with the academic policies and expectations of CET, and of course, with Siena. This included a really beneficial seminar on the negative aspects of studying abroad. We discussed a lot of things that I didn’t have time to think of during my packing-and-preparing-for-Siena mayhem, like what one would do if one feels extremely homesick. The homesickness/culture shock aspect was mentioned in pre-departure documents, but I think it was necessary to touch base with it again now that we could see our environment for the next eight weeks. So far, culture shock has not hit me yet; I suppose that still means I’m in the romantic phase of living in a foreign culture where everything is still wonderful and exciting. I’m definitely okay with that.

So what exactly has been wonderful and exciting? I can certainly highlight a few of my experiences and my favorite things about living in Siena. While I do love gelato shops on every corner, city-wide nap time, and breathtaking Gothic architecture, my favorite thing/aspect/bit about Siena is this restaurant called Trattoria Fonte Giusta. I’ve been there three times in two weeks, so my love for this restaurant is obvious. The first outing to the Trattoria was during our orientation where we dined with our Italian roommates and program director. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt with all of my new roommates and friends, and I was able to enjoy the delicious food and conversations with new friends. Crucial to the memory of this dinner was the four different types of pasta that they served family-style. I just can’t even describe it, but it was literally the best food I’ve ever had. I may be biased because at UVA, I am accustomed to eating plain bagels and pop tarts; however, I think I can still express my opinion that it was the best food I’ve ever eaten. We later took a cooking class at the restaurant where we watched the chef handcraft every pasta shell. After the course, we were served another amazing meal. This time, I enjoyed some sort of spinach-pumpkin-pasta-deliciousness way beyond the holding capacity of my stomach. And then I had a plate of three different desserts, which I of course had to eat all of. I didn’t want to be rude the chef/couldn’t help myself in the face of such artwork. We went back to the restaurant a third time, where I relived the memory of eating the pumpkin pasta. My roommates would argue that I only like the restaurant because of its rather handsome staff (which does add to its charm), but I like to think that it’s the food and the effort that the chef puts into his dishes.

Siena has improved my life exponentially with the quality of its food. Even the yogurt at the grocery store tastes better than American yogurt (I can confirm this, I’ve had three yogurts a day since I’ve been here, it’s that good, I’m not some crazy-yogurt girl). But while the food has been delicious and the people have been ridiculously friendly, charming, and fabulously good-looking, I haven’t avoided awkward I’m-from-a-different-culture moments. I’m really a fan of my panicked, deer-in-headlights look whenever someone speaks to me in Italian that is followed by some sort of non English phrase like “Ummmm ahhh urghhh, sorry!” I go to the same cashier every time I go to the grocery store because I know that he knows I can’t speak Italian and won’t ask me complicated questions. But I think it could be a good summer-long project to work up the courage to speak to him in Italian instead of smiling awkwardly, who knows. Until then, I think I will fill the time with some Italian flashcards, outings to fabulous restaurants, and lazy afternoons in the Piazza del Campo. I think that makes for my kind of summer.

Melissa Mitchem

CET Siena Student Correspondent, Summer '10