Oct | 08
Frescoes are everpresent in Italy, and practically everyone gets to the point that they wouldn't cross a street to see another "early work of a minor Tuscan master." But who wouldn't cross a room to make a fresco? Like the... Read MoreOct | 02
In Italian the word for tongue and language, is one and the same: lingua. That's why, in addition to the week of Intensive Italian and the obligatory Italian classes, the Umbra Institute sponsors the Tandem program. Run by staff members Mauro... Read MoreOct | 01
The obvious translation of this sentence is, “A coffee, please,” but if you’re expecting a Starbucks-size jug o’ Joe, you’ll be surprised in Italy. The standard coffee here is the espresso, made with hot steam (no drips!) and a very... Read MoreSep | 23
Anyone who speaks English can finish this phrase: "Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffit, ..." but what are curds and whey? Students who participated in last night's Cheese Workshop learned just that. The first part of the workshop was the nerdy,... Read MoreSep | 22
Summer is over, and the next season is here. Italian uses autunno, from earlier Latin autumnus, a word probably of Etruscan origin. In American English the word for this season is Fall, while Brits use Autumn (though "Harvest" was the... Read MoreSep | 16
Did you know that some of the best dessert wines come from a special kind of mold growing on the grape vines? A group of twenty Umbra students learned this and some of the basics of wine making and tasting... Read More