Author: Toni Ketrenos

Today we went to the ruins of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was covered in Todaysash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Since the city was buried in volcanic ash, it was hidden and therefore preserved for centuries. The city Today we went to the ruins of Pompeii, theToday we went to the ruins of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was covered in ash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Since the city was buried in volcanic ash, it was hidden and therefore preserved for centuries. The city wasn’t unearthed until the 1700s and then it’s historical value was revealed. The ruins provided historians with an accurate picture of what life was like in the Roman empire. It showed that the Romans were a sophisticated society with things like amphitheater’s, markets and extravagant villas. Pompeii is also home to a significant number of ancient skeleton replicas from those who perished in the volcanic eruption. The originals reside in the national museum of Naples so they can be properly preserved. These remains give us even more clues about the lives these ancient people lead. From what they ate, to their social status and physical biology.

The entrance of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.
ancient Roman city that was covered in ash by the 79 CE eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Since the city was buried in volcanic ash, it was hidden and therefore preserved for centuries. The city wasn’t unearthed until the 1700s and then it’s historical value was revealed. The ruins provided historians with an accurate picture of what life was like in the Roman empire. It showed that the Romans were a sophisticated society with things like amphitheater’s, markets and extravagant villas. Pompeii is also home to a significant number of ancient skeleton replicas from those who perished in the volcanic eruption. The originals reside in the national museum of Naples so they can be properly preserved. These remains give us even more clues about the lives these ancient people lead. From what they ate, to their social status and physical biology.

The entrance of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.
wasn’t unearthed until the 1700s and then it’s historical value was revealed. The ruins provided historians with an accurate picture of what life was like in the Roman empire. It showed that the Romans were a sophisticated society with things like amphitheater’s, markets and extravagant villas. Pompeii is also home to a significant number of ancient skeleton replicas from those who perished in the volcanic eruption. The originals reside in the national museum of Naples so they can be properly preserved. These remains give us even more clues about the lives these ancient people lead. From what they ate, to their social status and physical biology.

The entrance of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background.

Today’s post was written by Senior Daisy Tapia-Gonzalez, a Management major minoring in Wine Studies.

We started off the day with a visit to Tenuta Rapitalà, a winery located in Eastern Sicily and (to our surprise) run by a Count named Laurent Bernard de la Getanais! We learned that the qualities of the area, the landscape, the weather conditions, and other natural elements are significant in producing high- quality wines. We also learned the appreciation and importance of increasing organic farming techniques at both the vineyard and the cellar.

We began our visit with a tour of the vineyard and learning a few viticulture facts shared by Professor Antonino Pisciotta from the University of Palermo Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Science. The winery had approximately 544 acres of land, of which 396 was dedicated for grape growing and the rest for olive trees and uncultivated land. We learned that thevineyards were characterized by having two prominent types of soils: clay and sand. These soils help both red and white varietals thrive in Mediterranean climate conditions and in the uniquelandscape where the vineyards are located. As we were walking, Professor Pisciotta also explained the double cordon as a vine training system and the use of manual and machine labor for harvest.

After we visited the vineyard, we moved to the cellar to learn more about the winemaking process at Tenuta Rapitalà. Prof. Professor Antonino Pisciotta explained that the winery not only uses grapes collected from the vineyard (60% red and 40% white), but also buys grapes from other local vineyards. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks where the must (grape skins)is left for 46 hours. After, the wine is either stored in those tanks or aged in French oak barrels.

The process of making wine requires hard-work, effort, and analysis. We visited the wine lab located inside the cellar, where we observed technicians’ examples of their experiments and blending samples. This part was emphasized as essential in order to explore the different needs ofthe consumers and choose the kind of wine to create.

After the tour of the different facilities of Tenuta Rapitalà, we were welcomed to the tasting room by Count Laurent, to taste some wines! We tasted eight wines, all with their unique smell and taste characteristics. As we were tasting, Count Laurent guided us with a few historical facts and tasting notes, making the experience pleasant and complete. He even surprised us all by gifting everyone a bottle of red wine. What an experience!

Chloe McDaniel, a senior majoring in Exercise Science wrote today’s post.

Because we had arrived at our new hotel in San Guiseppe Jato late last night, it was too dark to see much of it. This morning, we all emerged from our rooms and were delighted to see a gorgeous view of green hills blanketed by the glowing orange sun. After being awoken by the blindingly beautiful view, we made our way into the dining room for warm croissants and cappuccinos for breakfast. On the agenda today, was a day trip to the nearby city of Palermo. We were all excited, as it was our last day to visit a big city and just be tourists for the day.

The bus ride to Palermo was about 40 minutes. For tonight, we had planned to do a big group antipasti dinner in true Italian style. Each person volunteered to contribute something. For this to happen, our first priority in Palermo was to go to a market.

We went to Mercato di Ballaro, one of the two famous markets in the city. “Ballaro” was likely named after the city “Ballhara,”where Arab merchants lived when they occupied Sicily. The merchants would go to what is now called Palermo to sell their goods, similar to what Mercato di Ballaro is known for today. It was overwhelmingly loud, with stand owners shouting bargains at you. It was lively, crowded, and especially colorful. Fruits and vegetables were the star of the show, but there was also bread, clothing, flowers, street food, and more. After a stroll through the market and purchasing things for dinner, we split up into smaller groups to explore the city of Palermo.

My group and I walked just under a mile to a street with lots of cute shops and cafes. Many of us purchased some souvenirs, clothing, and jewelry to take home. The city was gorgeous, with colorful buildings and cobblestone streets. It seemed that each new street we walked had a different feel than the previous. We sat down for lunch and, before we knew it, it was time to head back to the bus. I was sad to leave Palermo, as it seemed there was so much of the city I didn’t get to see.

After returning to the hotel, we all met up again for our group dinner with foods we gathered from the market. We feasted on bread, crackers, an assortment of meats and cheeses, olives, fruit salad, and sauteed vegetables. The market food did not disappoint. We all enjoyed trying the array of yummy foods, and then finished with a small pastry. I can’t believe our trip is nearing the end!

Hello everyone!

My name is Giselle, I am  a sophomore majoring in psychology and minoring in communications and neuroscience, and I am in Sicily.

I am currently abroad on a wine studies Jan Term program about volcanic vineyards, and I am here to talk to y’all about what we did today (being January 17th, 2021).

Real quick though, I wanted to address the following:  for those who are thinking about doing a jan term or studying abroad but feel like you don’t have the pre-reqs or the “right major”, what it takes is passion!  I care about wine, I love Italy, and I love traveling.  While on paper it may seem like my major does not fit the syllabus, but let me tell you, it doesn’t matter if you are invested in the subject.  So, if the person reading this has heard about a program that sounds interesting, and you care, and let’s say you have no experiences with the affiliated classes (like me), let me be the first to say, do not let that stop you from applying. I have never taken a wine class but this has been the best adventure and I am enjoying learning everything I have been given the opportunity to experience, and I am an aspiring personality neuroscientist loving learning about volcanoes and grape varieties.

So, onto the point of this blog post. We are in Italy (Sicily specifically) and today was our day to be immersed in Sicilan culture by first hand walking the Catanian fish market. A little background information:

This fish market is located in the Alonzo Piazza by the Ameanno Fountain built in the 1800s. This historical fountain was dedicated to the Ameano river that once flowed beneath the city before the Etna explosion of 1669. and happens every Monday-Saturday from morning to afternoon. While it is called the fish market, seafood galore is not only what is being sold. Cheese cashiers, spice sellers, and vegetable vendors alike line the streets to sell their wares. Let me just tell you, you have never seen such fresh food. The fruits and such had been picked that day, and were every color of the rainbow. And most of the seafood was so fresh, it was still alive. 

Wandering around the streets of Catania and stocking up on the best food I have had the privilege to buy, was awesome. We also had a sense of the culture of the fish market. You could tell who sold the best foods, and for the best prices by the size of their lines. The more people, the better the food. Everybody there was also the nicest people I have met. All they wanted to do was talk and feed you, not a bad situation if you ask me. I especially loved it because I am Sicilian and it felt like I was finally experiencing first hand what my mother would always describe her grandmother’s house to be like:  full of life, good food, and good people.

So overall, this little day trip held more genuine cultural experience in three hours than most full day guided tours or sightseeing bus rides. So, 10/10, I would recommend, and for me, all it took was taking the chance to apply. Me, a psych major in a wine studies course!

Sincerely,
Giselle G

This post was written by Caitlyn Connely, a senior accounting major.

I never thought that one day I would be able to say that I hiked up a volcano, nor did I think I would want to, but here I am! My name is Caitlyn Connely, I am a senior accounting major with a love for wine. On our first full day on the island of Sicily, Italy, we got to hike up Mt. Etna and learn all about the volcano and its surroundings. For some background, this volcano is located on the east coast of Sicily and is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Just this last year, it erupted fifty times, the most recent one being this past December.

We started off today’s adventures by grabbing some gear that was needed to head up to the top of the mountain. Luckily, it was blue skies and sunny all day which made the day even better. We hopped into some cable cars that took us to the top which was about a thirty-minute ride and let me just say, the views were incredible, you could see the whole city! From there, we drove some sort of a tank to the most active crater on the volcano, which had been smoking all day. The smoke is typically white which is a good sign, once it shifts to a greyish black, that can be a sign of an upcoming eruption. The tank (snowcat) we rode in was very interesting as I had never seen anything like it, it was definitely prepared for any and all weather conditions. When we made it to our destination, we met with a volcanologist who shared all about the volcano and the crater we were stopped at.

I learned that Mt. Etna, unlike other volcanoes, is a mix between windy and cold desert environments that allows for many plants to grow and creates very fertile soil, which is especially good for wine grapes. There are more than three hundred craters on the mountain but only four of them are active. One thing I found particularly interesting is that even though there are eruptions every few weeks with emergency plans set in place, the eruptions really aren’t something the citizens are worried about. The eruptions are typically very controlled and if there is any lava flow, they can create a path for it so the surrounding villages are safe. My favorite part was playing in some Italian snow, which is surprisingly different than our stubborn Oregon snow!

Ciao,

Caitlyn

Today’s post is written by Jakob Longbottom, a senior majoring in applied physics and math, and minoring in wine studies

With the jet lag finally getting towards the end of its course, it was set to be a perfect Monday. To start the day off we took a short stroll down the road to theUniversity of Napoli Federico II, here we were able to listen to a couple of lectures given by professors as well as members of the Department of Agriculture. Weheard about research into different tressling systems and how they affected vines at a cellular level, how they were looking back in time to how vines were adapting in the past, how they were using 3D imaging of seeds to predict their effectiveness, as well as information about Mount Vesuvius, the great volcano that destroyed Pompeii.

The university is the oldest public university in the world and is housed in an old palace, so it had amazing architecture with wonderful views. The grounds housed at least 12 cats (we had a short walk, so I am sure there are many more) that roamed freely around. We then proceeded across the street to the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Agriculture of Naples. This was home to plants from allover the world and allowed for a beautiful walk. Inside the greenhouse, there were more cacti than I think knew existed.

For lunch we had some delicious food at a pizzeria that was life changing. I think everyone was able to leave both happy and full. Our perfect first Monday of the trip was finished off with a beautiful sunset that we all enjoyed.

This post was written by sophomore Kate Stamper,  who is majoring in Wine Studies and minoring in Studio Art

Today was a gorgeous day in Ercolano. For me, the day started with a delicious Italian cappuccino and cornetti pastries. Our first stop: The Archeological Museum of Italy in Naples.The entrance was a gorgeous ornate wooden door, followed by rows upon rows of ancient Greekand Roman sculptures. Every room had anoverwhelming amount of works, eachsculpture more life-like than the next. The ethereal beauty started to fade after a couplerooms and the sculptures actually started tocreep me out a bit.

A nice break from the sculptures was a modern art exhibit comparing ancient roman children’s toys to Barbies and Disney characters throughout the past couple decades. I spent a solid half hour in that room because of an interactive art piece that used pegs to create a pointillism style art piece.

Many of the sculptures and artifacts depicted vessels like amphorae which were used to store wine. It was interesting to see them outside of a textbook and see the pottery up close and in person. Many of our winemaking techniques and technologies have evolved from Greek and Roman winemaking. The process is largely the same, but the materials we use are a bit more refined now.

After the museum, we stopped for lunch at a pizzeria with a stunning view of the sea in Ercolano. This was only a short walk from our next destination:  Herculaneum. This ancient city was preserved by the same eruption which coated Pompeii in pyroclastic material. The key difference between the sites is the nature of the materials which coated each city. Herculaneum contains many wooden objects like doors and furniture, which did not survive in Pompeii. The structure of the city is very different as well. Herculaneum used a brick-laying method involving diamond-shaped stones which were much sturdier and more earthquake-resistant than the architecture in Pompeii.

Walking through Herculaneum felt like taking a walk through the past. The grooves in the roads from ancient chariots are still visible in the cobblestone streets. Ancient paintings and mosaics help mark important buildings and give hints about their purposes. It was fun to imagine the streets bustling with life thousands of years ago.

Between the sculptures at the museum and the ruins at Herculaneum, I was able to understand the purpose and role wine played in Roman life. Wine was important, and it was consumed by everyone in Roman society. In American society less than half of us drink wine, but that isn’t truein many European countries. Wine is much more than a beverage, it is a product of culture and holds an incredible amount of traditions in cultures across Italy and the world. Wine is a way of life for many Italians today, just as it was for many Romans and Greeks.