Musings from “Cristoforo Columbo”

This week was great! We took a few days off from cycling due to the weather turning a little cold and wet. We did, however, pass the contagious cycling addiction on to another rookie enthusiast classmate, Russell. Ron had one more bike left to rent, so we got Russell all fitted up and ready. It was very rewarding to see his excitement and interest grow, as I was in his shoes just 4 weeks ago. (Seems impossible) It seems only natural to entertain the thought that a CIMBA cycling team is forming. We would not be opposed to a sponsorship, if any of you staff members are reading We will call ourselves “The Lions” and sport blue and white CIMBA cycling spandex…promise!

The program organized a panel of expatriates to come speak to us this week. These people all had diverse backgrounds from the US and UK and now live/work in Italy. The forum was wide-open to student questions, so for a couple hours we got some juicy insight on what life is like in Italy for an outsider coming in. Everyone’s interest and curiosity in Italy has definitely sparked in the last two months, making this a timely event. The stories and insights shared by these dynamic individuals were fascinating. I could have listened long into the night. It was one of the most valuable extracurricular activities we’ve had yet.

Due to busy school schedules, the interest level in the rental bikes was not as high as it was the first week. We did just one group ride, but it was super sweet! Kupe chatted it up with a local cheese man at the market the other day, and the guy was all about us bringing students to the cheese farm for tours and tastes. After a short 10km ride, we almost rode right by the place it was so discreet. We were introduced to Michaela, the son of the original cheese man, and for 15 minutes he enthusiastically rambled in Italian all about the operation; how the cheese is made, where the cows come from, where the family came from. The mother and sister of Michaela were in the barnyard doing what looked to be pretty intense labor, and their muscular forearms and shoulders told the story well. It never seizes to amaze me how the people here subside with such a balance between hard work and grace. Their quality of life is not measured in dollars, but in God, family, work, and play (In that order!) My communication skills in Italian are improving the more I am immersed in the culture. I am often surprised, as vocab words and phrases seem to come out of nowhere and I understand what they’re talking about a majority of the time. Italain tip #1: Learn some language and historical background before coming over. It truly multiplies the enjoyment of being here tenfold. After receiving free tastes of numerous cheeses, we bought a block of “Bastardo” cheese “from the mountains”, as Michaela said. It had been aged for 12 months! Now THAT’s a stinky block of heaven.

I signed up for a program called “Add A Seat To The Table” and it was well worth it. Local Italian families invite American students to a night of supper and hanging out in their homes. My experience was unique, because 4 of us got grouped with one family instead of one-on-one. It basically turned into the 4 of us and 5 Italian teenagers eating, drinking, and being merry. The parents simply cooked and stayed out of the way. They even left us on our own in the house (which was magnificent in decor). The teens in Italy are very sophisticated, so it felt like we were hanging with college kids. There was the family’s daughter, Vittoria (who had studied in the US, so she spoke English) her 3 girlfriends, and her brother, Leo. It appeared that the parents (being the sweethearts they were) figured we had been missing American food, so they cooked us steak, potatoes, and palenta (basically corn) all to die for. We had tasty Italian beer, wine, amaretto, Grappa in our after-dinner coffe! FYI: Grappa is like the most intense liquor in Italy, made from the remains of the used wine grapes. Italians drink it after meals to “help with digestion”, but it’s pretty much equivalent to a Tequila shot to the head. By the end of the meal, the 9 of us were a big group of new friends, so we headed to the local bar to watch the end of the soccer match between Milan and Madrid. We all had an amazing night, practiced speaking Italian, made friends, and got invited to a walled-in city named Cittadella for a weekend festival.

To follow that night up, we had the second formal dinner at a beautiful ristorante called Barbasine. Everyone loves formal dinner night! I think it reminds the girls of prom, as they all enjoy looking lovely. Of course, the guys have no complaints about this whatsoever, but our entertainment value comes more in the form of ALL YOU CAN EAT!! We feasted to say the least. Everyone would agree with me when I say, the best food in the world is in Italy, hands down. They know how to eat really well while also keeping it light and proportioned. It’s not like the American gorge-fests you see at home. (No offense American friends!) We had some spectacular wine, and nice toasts were exchanged throughout the evening. I made much deserved toast to Dr. Al Ringleb, the founder of CIMBA as well as our Law professor. He’s originally an Iowa boy from south of Carroll, IA with an amazing life story of successful business, travel, and helping people; quite inspiring for a fellow small-town Iowan.

This was an extended travel weekend, so most people were out and about traveling. I chose to stay in Paderno to rest/study/cycle/party with new Italian friends. 10 others stayed as well. A group of us jumped in a taxi and headed to the festival in Cittadella, the walled-in city I mentioned before. We found a tasty pizzeria for supper, and walked the streets to browse the open-air market. All the produce in Italian markets just pop with color and freshness; 100% organic, and all coming from within 30 km. Very environmentally cool. Out of nowhere, a huge group of Italian students formed to follow the “fiesta leader!” who was yelling and wildly waving a flag in celebration. Our natural curiosity landed us right in the middle of this maniac mob, and the night really took off from there! Being the only Americans in the entire city, we were soon discovered and graciously received by this group who called themselves the “Torbolino Toura”. Torbolino is a very cheap, sweet wine made from the leftovers of the “good” white wine. The idea of the tour was to bounce from bar to bar and have 1 euro glasses of Torbolino and good times. The overwhelming hospitality and acceptance from the Italians was an eye-opener for me. They are never judgmental, even within their own ranks, and they are completely fascinated with Americans and our way of life. One thing that stuck out to me was the fact that there was no music playing throughout the entire night. The party was all based on the people and conversation. I started introducing myself as “Christoforo” (the Italian version of my name) and the kids just loved it. Their reply every time was “AHHH Christoforo Columbo!!!!” accompanied with hugs and high-fives. It’s both hilarious and beneficial to share the name of an Italian hero. Much fun was had by all, and we made many friends.

The weekend weather was unbelievable, sunny and 70 deg., allowing us to cycle Saturday and Sunday. Kupe, Ron, and I put on 130 km between the two days. We are all really coming into form! Sunday we headed east on a scenic route to a town called Nervesa. In the entire time we’ve been here riding, Ron has never repeated a route. He always shows us cool uncharted territory every time out. Bikes outnumbered cars on the road 5 to 1, and we saw draft lines of 50+ riders! We hooked in with two strong local riders and drafted with them for 10 km, average speed was almost 40 km/hr. We were screaming down the road as one unit. Awesome!

Life is good, people are starting to return from the travel weekend, and studying must commence. Until next time…

One Love