Once my skin was scrubbed clean of the excruciating twenty hour travel day, it finally clicked in my jet-lag muddled brain that instead of being in the familiar territory of the states, I was, in fact, in the beautiful Umbrian town of Spoleto, Italy.
Spoleto, rich in its mountainous landscape and history, serves as the perfect spot for experiencing true Italian culture as opposed to tourist towns such as Florence or Rome. Whether it’s stopping by a bar for a morning cappuccino (bar really means cafe for any confused Americans such as myself) or simply walking around the main square, you are bound to learn a thing or two about average day to day life in Italy.
My day in Spoleto didn’t really start until after a much needed good night’s sleep. When I woke up and realized I was not in the comfort of my own home, panic set in, until I looked out the window and saw the green of the mountains on the horizon. A tour around the historic side of the city was like nothing I have ever experienced before. I couldn’t help but touch every stone wall I passed, thrilled by the idea that someone once touched the same spot as me thousands of years ago.
After the tour, I saw a line forming outside the dark chestnut door of a shop that looked more like a closet. If there is one thing I believe, it’s that there is almost always a reason, something worth waiting for. And I was correct because it was a gelato shop. Crispini’s, I later learned, also just so happened to be home to the winner of Conde Nast’s 2017 “Gelato World Tour ” for their pistachio flavor. Navigating a menu in Italian, as someone who knows little to no Italian besides ciao! and grazie!, was just as difficult as you would imagine. Nevertheless, I was able to make an educated guess that ‘pistacchio’ meant pistachio. I was correct. And again, I was correct about the line because it might’ve been the best dessert I have ever had in my twenty years of life. Or at least a close second (I still think about the Andes Mint pie from a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia I ate at when I was nine). It was the perfect balance of salty and sweet, creamy and condense.
Later in the afternoon, our travel group made our way to an Italian language class that was incredibly humbling. The classroom sat above a lovely cafe, where later we would order aperol spritz on our ten minute break in order to try and make the last hour a little less painful (our teacher was absolutely lovely, I just have a thing about being put on the spot). We were all shocked when we were brought a tray full of all sorts of bread based finger foods, free of charge, which is apparently not uncommon here. Tuna pate served on crostini, small squares of pizza, circular bread filled with mayonnaise and tomato, and focaccia. The plate was huge and we were unable to finish it, but what we did eat served as a nice base for the spritz which was stronger than any drink I have ever had and half the price.
The food culture here is something I wish was similar back in the states. Here, you enjoy your meal over the course of a few hours. Back home in the states, when you sit down to eat, you get in and out as quickly as you can, signaling for the check the second you finish your meal. Our first group dinner was held in a restaurant in the main piazza. Four courses were served alongside many glasses of wine and good conversation. There, we got to try two Spoleto specialties. An egg dish with truffle and Crescionda di Spoleto, their dessert which resembled a flan and tasted of amaretto and chocolate. It was unlike any desert I had ever had.
Breakfasts at bars consist of pastries and cappuccinos and maybe a cigarette if you’re up for it. Lunch is a spread of prosciutto and salami, cheeses, and breads of all different kinds. Dinner, the same, but served with pasta and vegetables, chicken or steak, and a dessert.
There is a fascinating culture that exists in the small city of Spoleto and the Umbria region, fascinating in that it is so different from anything I have experienced. Food and drinks alone reveal such an important part of their culture, thrilling and terrifying.
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