May 28: The Final Day

I hiked one last time up to Corciano. Though I knew that there would be no cappuccino waiting for me at the top, I was truthfully happy to get the exercise in.

After breakfast at the villa, we departed for Colle San Paolo. I took my laptop on the bus with me, because even though I had been spending every free moment on homework, I found that I still was falling behind. That could be self inflicted considering that I don't know how to be brief. I think these blog posts are a wonderful demonstration of that, as well. 

Nevertheless, we arrived at the Fattoria Fontemanna to observe cheese production. This store is a little ma and pa establishment that prides itself on its' pecorino cheese (sheep milk cheese). Cheese made from sheep's milk actually contains more lactose than cow or goat milk and double the amount of butterfat. This fat content is what makes the cheese so creamy. The good news is that it is less prone to contamination, but the bad news is that that is due to the low calcium content. It seems that this type of cheese may be less nutritionally beneficial than other forms of cheese. It was tasty without a doubt though! You have to live a little, right? 

The owner explained how there are different forms of pecorino cheese. He led us downstairs where the cheese is kept. Before we even opened the door I could smell the mold. It was crazy to see mold casually growing on food and it being considered normal. There were cloths that blocked the cheese from the light and outside air. I asked if exposure could increase the mold production making the cheese inedible, but the owner said no. 

I did a food safety presentation for my community nutrition rotation and went over all the different microorganisms and foodborne illnesses and know that mold can grow if moisture and oxygen are present, so I'd like to dive deeper into that. 

We had a nice little appetizer plate with the cheese. It was very tasty. We also had some delicious homemade yogurt. There were a couple of different flavors, but I chose cherry. Some people purchased the cheese and even sealed the truffles they won from a couple of days prior. Every vender we visited during our time there was so hospitable and generous. It really was touching to witness. 

We then left for the town of Panicale. There wasn't a lot to do at that town, but we did stop for a nice piece of pizza. I enjoyed my spicy salami pizza from the pizzeria the first week, so I ordered it again (though this unfortunately was not at the same level though it was still tasty in its' own right). 

We then came home and prepared for the gala. We were presented with an array of fried vegetables. We snacked on those as we listened to everyone giving their oral report. 

At the gala, I had the absolute honor of singing with the MAYOR of Corciano, Italy (Francesco) accompanying me. We barely spoke each other's language but whenever he played a chord, I was able to follow. We were speaking the same language!!!!

We had so much fun sharing our love and passion for music with everyone and it was so nice to be able to perform. He played every American song he knew, and it was honestly one of the coolest experiences. I guess I can check off "sing with an Italian politician" off my list! 

To kind of encapsulate what I learned from this trip it's that you may not always understand what someone is trying to tell you, what they need or exactly what their issues are, but you can try to figure it out. 

Francesco and I tried to communicate with one another, we were educating ourselves on one another's language and certain cues the other person was giving off. It took work. 

There will be days where things will not come easy to me in my field and that's okay. I can't let my ego get the best of me. I need to take a step back and just try to learn, educate myself on the material and do the best that I can. 

Bringing my best self and working hard will help more people than I realize. Being a perfectionist it can be hard to feel that you've 'done enough'. I need to assure myself that as long as I'm giving my best effort, that that is all I can do and that it will be enough.