Photos taken by Taylor Cameron (University of Virginia), Student Correspondent for CET Siena, Summer 2023
I’ve started making it a part of my routine to go on a walk in the streets of Siena each evening after dinner. I stumbled upon a breathtaking sunset at the Fortress (Fortezza Medicea) this past week on one of these walks.
For our weekly activity through CET, we did a cooking class at Fonte Giusta! We made three types of pasta: pici (this a thick, rolled pasta that originates in Siena), gnocchi, and ravioli with a spinach and ricotta filling. On the right is our pasta once it was cooked! It was so fun (and delicious) not just to make the pasta from scratch but get to eat it too.
For my art history course, we took a field trip to San Gimignano. We climbed to the top of Torre Grossa for a stunning view, analyzed Renaissance works, and learned about the town’s history. On the right, is a photograph of my CET friends and I during our time in San Gimignano. On our breaks, we tried an amazing gelato place, shopped, and ate delicious sandwiches.
After my Italian class, our professor took us to the Piazza del Campo where the 1000 Miglia took place, meaning “1000 miles.” This is a multi-day event where historic cars drive from Brescia to Rome stop in Italian cities (such as Siena) on the way. One night, my CET friends and I went on a late-night walk around the streets of Siena. We ended up in the Piazza del Campo and decided to sit, watch people, and look at the sky.
Along with other CET students, we took an overnight trip to Venice. We rode in a gondola, ate on the water, and visited famous historical sites such as St. Peter’s Basilica.
I spent a weekend in Zurich, Switzerland. At a café, I had a slice of Swiss apple pie alongside a delicious cappuccino, different from the cappuccinos I’ve been enjoying in Italy. While in Switzerland, my CET roommate and I traveled to Lucerne for a day and journeyed to the top of Mt. Pilatus. We reached the peak through a combination of boat, cogwheel train, and cable car—the views were absolutely breathtaking (pictured on the right).