…it’s l-a f-i-n-e!

(la fine = the end)

Ciao tutti (for the last time),

Time for some final thoughts. Feel free to listen to this song while reading.

Yes, the time has come. It is indeed “time to say goodbye.” The end is here, and I will be returning to the U.S. tomorrow. My semester abroad here in Bologna has been absolutely fantastic, and I have become so used to living here, so it is very strange and bittersweet to be leaving.

I am certainly excited to come home, to see all my family and friends, and to eat American food J However, I can’t deny the fact that Bologna has been my home for the past five months, and as such, it is hard to say goodbye to it.

I will miss studying firsthand Italian culture, history, art, food, and politics through my classes this semester.
I will miss being able to go to my favorite pizzeria or trattoria whenever I want.

I will miss strolling around the city at sunset (which Italians refer to as “la passeggiata”)

I will miss sitting in one of the many piazzas, enjoying some wine with friends.

I will miss my roommates, and being able to speak Italian with them.

Etc, etc… I could go on and on.

Obviously, I will miss a lot about Bologna, but the thing I may just miss the most is the food!  One thing you should all know about Italy is that it is the food capital of Europe. And one thing you should know about Bologna is that it is the food capital of Italy. Q.E.D.: I live in the greatest city on earth (food-wise).

Therefore, travelling around I was able to eat some great food across Italy and Europe; however, it was always great coming back to Bologna for the best food on earth J

PASTA

Learning how to make hand-made pasta back in January as part of a BCSP excursion:

Ricotta-filled ravioli al ragù in Siena

noodles in chickpea soup in Tuscany

Fusili PPP (panna, piselli, pancetta)

Spaghetti alla carbonara

Tortelloni di ricotta al ragù

making some tortellini in brodo

Artichoke lasagna

Spaghetti with mussels

PIZZA

Gorgonzola and pear pizza in Torino

Pizza parmiggiana in Padova

The classics: pizza in Naples!

una pizza Margherita at my favorite pizzeria in Bologna,
Pizzeria Aldrovandi

A delicious asparagus pizza from my other
favorite pizzeria in Bologna, Spacca Napoli

una pizza sfiziosa at Pizzeria Aldrovandi

OTHER

the BEST salad

Pecorino and pear

aperitivi

Italian coffee :)

piadina with tuna and grilled onions in Ravenna

Some Greek food. (because we all need
a break from Italian fare once in a while)

The perfect combination (?)

DESSERT

panna cotta

tiramisù

chocolate tortellini!

gelato from Sorbetteria, one of my
favorite gelaterias in Bologna

Mascarpone, chocolate, and raspberry
gelato from Funivia, another favorite.

MARIPOSA

My all-time favorite restaurant in Bologna has to be Trattoria Mariposa. Not only does the menu consist of delicious Bolognese specialities, but the service is amazing and the ambiance is quaint and friendly. We loved this restaurant so much that we kept coming back regularly throughout the semester. We also made sure to always bring friends/family who were visiting, so they could experience some great food at our favorite spot!

Earlier today, as part of our last day in Bologna, Adrienne and I made sure to go to Mariposa for lunch. We didn't order much - just the tagliatelle al ragù (the speciality of Bologna) and some water. Afterwards, Miki (the woman who runs the restaurant with her boyfriend) gave both Adrienne and I huge pieces of her famous chocolate cake for free! (She told us to eat it for breakfast the next morning before our flight). As if that wasn't nice enough, when we went to pay for our meals, Miki wouldn't have it - she refused our money and told us that it was her pleasure serving us all semester and especially for our "ultima cena" (Last Supper). It was the nicest thing, and we were incredibly grateful.

So please, if you are ever in Bologna, stop by the Trattoria Mariposa. You will not regret it. I'm so glad I got to experience dining there so much during this semester.

the AMAZING torta cioccolata topped
with fresh mascarpone at Mariposa

Tagliatelle al ragù from Mariposa. In a word: Bologna.

Myself, Miki, and Adrienne at Mariposa

Anyway, back to my final reflections of the semester. (Cue Andrea Bocelli again). Yes, the food in Bologna was amazing. But overall, what I will miss most is this city being my home. This experience has made me become so much more independent and I can truly say I have grown a ton from living and studying here.

I’m glad I took advantage of travelling while I was in Europe (namely to fulfill my Olympic obsession by seeing all those Olympic stadiums and host cities).

I’m also glad to have gotten to visit with some old friends as well as make some new ones. Not only did this experience allow me to meet Italians, but I also became very close with other Americans in the BCSP program – friendships which I plan on continuing back in the U.S.

This process of reflection has been bittersweet, yes, but the one fact I keep coming back to is that this has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will never get to see Europe like I have this semester. That much is true. So thankfully, I’m glad I took advantage of all that this experience has to offer – studying, eating, travelling, speaking Italian, making friends, living independently, etc.

And most importantly…

I think now after 5 months living here, we can all agree…

That Augie Bossu has a way with B-o-l-o-g-n-a!

Ciao for now,

Augusto

…it’s V-i-c-o-l-o P-o-s-t-e-r-l-a!

Ciao tutti,

Well, I did it. I have finally found my favorite street in Bologna. Actually, let me clarify: I stumbled upon this street back in January, during my first or second week here. But after living in Bologna for five months, and seeing many many other streets, nothing compares to this one (in my opinion). I can now say that my favorite street in this great city is Vicolo Posterla. Vicolo is a word for a small street or an alley, and Posterla as far as I know refers to a back entrance, like “postern.”

Anyway, Vicolo Posterla is not grand or extravagant: it’s a very simple, small street, but I love it. It’s quiet, quaint, and beautiful in a peaceful way. During my first few weeks here, as I was moving into my new apartment, I would walk down this street every day to go to my pre-session class, which was like a crash course in Italian to strengthen our language skills and cultural knowledge. There was obviously a lot of stress during those first few weeks (having to find an apartment, beginning this experience living in a foreign country, etc…) but I truly think that being able to explore the city and all its simple beauties (like Vicolo Posterla) helped me appreciate where I was and the experience upon which I was embarking.

It’s the little things like this that I think I’m going to miss the most about Bologna. I know that’s corny to say, but it’s true.

Bittersweet is the operative word to describe my feelings now that I only have three more days left here in Bologna before I return to the U.S. This is has been such a great and momentous experience for me, so it’s hard to believe that the end is so near.

The semester has FLOWN by, I can say that much for sure. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll report back soon with some final thoughts before departing.

Ciao for now,

Augusto

…it’s c-a-n-t-a-r-e!

(cantare = to sing)

Ciao tutti,

A few weeks ago, after the BCSP trip to Toscana, I got to do something I love in a place I love – I got to sing in Italy! I was blessed with the opportunity to sing at the Ferrara cathedral for Mother’s Day (la Festa della Mamma)!

Long story short: Maria, a fellow BCSP student who also sings at her university, met one of the priests at the Ferrara cathedral earlier in the semester. He invited her to sing at the Palm Sunday Mass, and she did such a great job that she was invited back for the Mother’s Day Mass (this time she was asked to bring fellow BCSP singers!) So myself, Adrienne, Caitlin, and James (all of us singers back at our home universities) were invited to come sing with Maria. A bunch of other BCSP students came with us for support. It was great to have a big group of us all together J

We sang through the whole Mass, providing harmonies to Maria’s beautiful solos. Because it was Mother’s Day, Maria closed the Mass with Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” It was very moving, and made us all miss our mothers!!

(What’s more is that Maria was blessed to have her mother in attendance! She was visiting Maria here in Italy at the time. Maria’s mother along with John’s mother – John is another BCSP student – brought up the Host during Communion).

Here is a short compilation video of the Mass. Enjoy!

The singers at Ferrara! (from left: Adrienne, Caitlin, Maria,
Don Franco, myself, and James)

Ciao for now,

Augusto

…it’s B-e-r-l-i-n-o!

Ciao tutti,

My final international trip of the semester happened last weekend when I went to the German capital city of Berlin! (Berlino, in italiano).  My good friend who sings with me in the ND Glee Club, Michael, is currently studying abroad there, so it was important for me to get to see him this semester (plus, Berlin is an Olympic host city with a fantastic Olympic park, so that was an extra incentive for me to make the trip!)

The first thing we did in Berlin was, of course, to see the Olympic park. Out of all the Olympic parks I’ve visited in Europe this semester (except Athens – "where it all began"), this one is probably my favorite. The Germans have done a great job keeping it renovated and relevant to today, offering guided tours of the entire facility. Furthermore, there is an extreme amount of history attached to these Games: briefly, these were known as the “Nazi Olympics,” as Hitler’s Third Reich was at its height of power during 1936, when these Games were held. Therefore, they were largely used as a propaganda scheme for Hitler to promote his doctrine of Aryan racial superiority. Probably the most famous and decorated athlete of these Games, however, was African-American track star Jesse Owens, who won 4 gold medals in 1936 (and thus making a mockery of Hitler’s doctrine). And that’s just the beginning. I could write a book (and I’m sure others already have) about all the politics and history that went into these Games. Needless to say, it was fascinating touring the facility, getting a feel for what these Olympics were truly like.

the Olympic stadium

inside the stadium, which has been modernized to
serve as the home of Hertha BSC, the Berlin soccer team 

the Olympic bell (the Nazi symbols
on it have since been removed)

a list of all the gold medal winners. If you look closely,
you can see "Owens" at the top of the left column

At the back of the stadium

the Olympic torch

Me at the (outdoor!) Olympic pool

Where the Führer, Hitler, would stand to
watch the ceremonies. He infamously
walked out when Owens was receiving
his gold medals. (It should also be
mentioned that President Franklin 
Roosevelt also snubbed Owens, refusing 
to meet with him after his return, which 
shows the strong racial tensions felt
also at home in the U.S.)

in the Olympic bell tower

the stadium as seen from atop the bell tower. Notice the
slick architecture and the focus on the continuous line
from the street, through the gates, through the stadium,
and finally back to the bell tower. This architectural scheme
is Nazi-inspired, made to make the individual feel small
and powerless when compared to the grand structure and
unity of the facility.

After checking the Olympic park off my list, Michael became tour guide for the rest of the weekend, taking us to all the big sites in Berlin.

the TV tower (left). This tower was built
by the East German government as a way
to control what information went in and
out of East Berlin (a strong tactic to keep
East Berliners from knowing about the
better life on the other side of the wall).

"Museum Island." The Altes Museum (left) and the
Berliner Dom (right)

These crosswalk figures were all over Berlin. They are unique to the city, and I have not seen them anywhere else. Apparently, they began in East Berlin as a way to further culturally separate East and West Berlin, but they have since caught on throughout the city, and you can see them on many stoplights:

Continuing our tour...

Michael and I at the Brandenburg Gate

the Reichstag building, home of German parliament

inside the Tiergarten

inside the Tiergarten

statue of Mozart and Beethoven at the
Tiergarten

One of the things I enjoyed the most was visiting the Holocaust Memorial. It surprised me how much I appreciated it because the Memorial itself is nothing architecturally special - only a couple thousand concrete slabs that are ordered in layout but vary in height as the ground slopes downward. However, there is deep significance attached to this Memorial. When you venture into the maze and get lost in its order, a strange feeling comes over you: you start to feel the pulse of the city coming in through the tall concrete slabs that surround you. At the same time you feel isolated and alone. This juxtaposition is supposed to represent the Holocaust - specifically, the victims - who each felt alone and powerless to the powerful, ordered structure around them (the Third Reich). There is a lot of symbolism there and it can be a very moving experience visiting this Memorial.

Michael then showed us the site of the Berlin Wall and all the history attached to it:

where the wall once stood

site of the Wall (right). In the background is the location
of a church which was meaninglessly destroyed by the
East Germans in order to build the wall.

"Reconciliation"

candles at the Reconciliation Chapel, a memorial built
on the site of where the church once stood

a view of the "Death strip" between the inner and outer walls

We then visited the East Side Gallery, which was installed in 1990 following the reunification of Germany. This art exhibit/memorial stands for international peace and represents a new chapter in Berlin's history.

Continuing our tour...

the sign at Checkpoint Charlie, the checkpoint between
the American sector and the Soviet sector (dividing
East and West Berlin)

Gendarmenmarkt

St. Hedwig's Cathedral, where I attended
my first German Mass!

Look what street I stumbled upon! August straße!

What I loved about Berlin was all the history you can feel while walking through the city. Sure, every European city has a ton of history; but this history in Berlin is especially powerful, meaningful, emotional, and most importantly modern. It all feels very recent, and it was (in the grand scheme of things) – the Nazi reign, WWII, the Holocaust, and divided Germany all happened within the past 80 years or so. Furthermore, there isn’t much pre-WWII architecture still standing, which also reinforces that this city is filled with modern, powerful history.

It was a great trip, and I learned a ton. Thanks to Michael for being a great tour guide!

Tschüß! (I’m glad I get to use that word again)

Ciao for now,

Augusto