Studying in Perugia, Italy, you are surrounded by traces of the city’s millenia old history. Defensive walls from the Roman period still surround the city, and inscriptions of wheat or pigs depict which buildings were the old bread market or butchery. It’s the perfect place for my course of study, which explores the history of food in Italy and what it can teach us about contemporary culture.

My first day of class was really quite interesting. Different in the best way. Now with it being a few weeks into class, I’m accustomed to Professor Clelia’s teaching style. We split the 3.5 hour class into a lecture and a co-curricular activity. Among other things we’ve tasted gelato, climbed hilly cobblestone alleyways, and even gone to a chocolate workshop! Professor Clelia is clearly passionate about her work. Apart from teaching, she is a sommelier, trekker, and anthropologist, and her experience as each funnel into her teaching style. I always look forward to going to class!

Flashing back to my first day of class is especially fun. We began by discussing food, identity, and the timeline of Italian cuisine, before picking up and moving to an urban garden to pick herbs for an ancient Roman salt recipe. The garden was luscious with plants and perched just high enough to overlook the Umbrian Countryside. It makes you completely forget that you’re in the center of the city… and in class. After harvesting our sage and thyme, we returned to the kitchen and used a mortar and pestle to grind our herbs into an aromatic salt. It was a direct look into an ancient practice in the exact place the practice took place. I’m fascinated every day walking the very streets the Romans built.