Student Bloggers

I traveled to one of the most stunning places I have been in Italy last Sunday. The Arcadia students went as a group to the Orsini Family Farm today. It is a completely sustainable farm that has several kinds of livestock, olives, grapes and the fagiolina bean. The Fagiolina del Lago Trasimeno bean is special because Flavio, the current head of the farm, rediscovered the once ancient Italian bean himself. Therefore it is only available on that farm, on that hillside, in all of Italy.

However, that is not the only connection between the times. This family has owned this farm for generations, and it looks like it will continue to do so with the assistance of the two youngest daughters. The whole family is involved, youngest to oldest and are all the nicest people you will probably ever meet. Their commitment to upholding traditional values and preserving their heritage comes out in everything they do. Flavio was one of the first in Italy to bring back the slow food movement and is the president of the slow food movement in Umbria. It was truly an honor to get to volunteer my time on the farm today.

We rode by bus through the Tuscan terrain until we approached Lake Trasimeno. A few short roads later and the roads became too steep to travel by bus, so we continued uphill on foot. At the peak of the hill at their casa, everyone stopped and stared. The foreground of hibernating olive trees, livestock surrounded by hills with the lake gently shining with the most beautiful blue colors was breathtaking. Everyone took several photos, although none can capture that quality of beauty. We were introduced to Flavio, and nibbled on bread and olive oil they had made themselves. The bread in Perugia is unsalted and so it’s generally pretty bland, but it was mouthwatering with the addition of the olive oil. Everything tastes better in Italy.

We were given safety talks and divided into groups. In the first one we talked about culture shock, and what we hoped to gain from this trip abroad. I found out that only 9-20% of students elect to go abroad, and it gave me pause for thought as I wrote a letter to my future self, describing what I wanted to gain. In the second group we got our chance to give back. The women of the household brought out eggs and flour on tables set outside, so we could make pasta. At first I was surprised, only eggs and flour seemed so simple. We gently mixed, kneaded and rolled the dough as smooth and flat as we could, as we watched and received advice from the ladies. All in Italian of course. Carefully we cut the folded dough into small strips, and viola, pasta!

Then we were given time to explore the grounds, looking at the goats, sheep and peacocks. Yes, on this farm were several bright and proud peacocks and peahens sheltered in a cage. We rallied inside by the fire as the winds started to bite and were served probably the best food in my life. It was simple, yet even serving the fifty some of us everything was executed so perfectly. We started with bruschetta with an egg and cream topping, with a chicken liver and anchovy pate, pumpkin and pancetta, prosciutto and a flatbread, and another one that I didn’t learn the name of, but was equally as delicious. Following that was the fresh pasta we made and a red meat sauce with pork and game. Simple as egg and flour may be it was a true treat to dine on, and I had seconds. After was pork with a delicious sauce, simple cooked spinach and more homemade bread. The pork was juicy and succulent in a way I had tried to prepare many times before, but failed. To finish, a simple lemon loaf slice and locally made chocolate with rice cereal (like a chocolate Rice Krispy treat). So simple, but so satisfying.

We were told different products we could buy like olive oil, fagolina beans and a dried soup with the fagolina beans. The oil was a rare boon because most of Italy’s olive trees were hit with disease this year, so there was almost no oil in the country produced. Thankfully Flavio’s sustainable system helped keep the disease at bay and was one of the few farms to produce any oil. With that in mind, I bought a small container to stock up on. Filing outside, puppies came to greet us and ran underfoot looking for belly rubs. The entire Orsini family came out and we gave them a hearty thank you. One person from each apartment walked up to receive a final parting gift, more fresh made pasta for our own home to cook. With a last look out past the lake, we began trudging back down the hill, with full bellies and happy hearts.