Photos by Grace Mackesey, (University of Wisconsin), Student Correspondent for CET Florence, Summer 2022
As a part of the CET Florence Summer Program, we were given the option to tour the Duomo. We were guided by a priest who taught us about the history and architecture of the famous building. We were able to tour parts of the Cathedral most people are not.
To celebrate July 4th, we did a boat tour on the Arno River. CET booked two barchetti, the traditional boats in Florence, to take us from campus to Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge over the river.
CET knows that you can’t stay in Italy without learning how to make pasta. They coordinated a cooking class for us where we learned how to make a zucchini and tomato antipasti, fettuccine with ragu, and tiramisu. Making pasta from scratch was the most interesting and challenging part of the class. Eating what we made was the best part.
Once a week, wine studies students visit an enoteca for class to taste wine. Recently, we went to La Divina Enoteca and tried a few different red wines.
During one of last week’s food and culture classes, we went to Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio. We spent some time exploring what the outdoor vendors were selling. Then, we headed inside to try some classic Italian foods.
For one of the food and culture classes, we went to Mercato Centrale. We tasted different kinds of cured meats and looked around at all of the fresh food.
I was able to see the parade of Calcio Storico, the historic parade of the Republic of Florence, that began near my apartment and ended at Piazza Santa Croce.
My roomates and I travelled to Sorrento for the weekend. We took a boat tour around the coast and Capri. We got to swim in the beautiful, blue water.
When we were in Sorrento, I had the best seafood of my life. We went to a family run restaurant recommended to us by a local sommelier. We tasted everything from anchovies to lobster.
Last week, CET offered beach volleyball followed by a dinner near the river at sunset.