La Dolce Vita

I would like to start by saying that Italy has been sweet so far, literally and figuratively.

The sweetness began three hours after landing at the Rome airport when I had my first gelato (chocolate and tiramisu flavored, of course). From this moment, the Italian version of ice cream has taken on a food group of its own. It generally follows most meals and continues to make delightful snacks that give me energy on our long walking tours. Here's the best part: gelato seems to be everywhere. Every city we have visited has had a gelateria. Most of the time, there are so many vendors that it is hard to choose which one to visit. Picking a gelateria isn't a problem for most people, but I am not able to turn down a cup of delicious and perfectly crafted creamy goodness.

Gelato isn't just a food for me…it is a strategically devised plan to help me learn Italian words and phrases. After all, this is a Study Abroad trip with high educational standards. You might be thinking I am just rationalizing my food cravings, but let me explain. 

I have had a total of 23 scoops of gelato in a variety of flavors since arriving in Italy (I could use a return trip to the confessional at St. Peters). 11 of these scoops were consumed yesterday after a record breaking attempt to eat more than 10 scoops of gelato in one day. Why 10 scoops? Back to my language tool example...Perhaps it allows me to learn how to count from uno to due to tre and all the way to dieci. As the number of scoops increased throughout the day, the more I was able to practice the numbers in my head. This also gave me the opportunity to practice my manners: “Per favore” and “Grazie”.

The 11-scoop day started with 2 scoops of gelato in the town of Pietrasanta where I practiced saying “Buongiorno”. I then consumed 4 scoops in the town of Viareggio, saying “Buonasera” as I entered the shop. I finished dinner with another 3 scoops before realizing that I was at scoop 9. I knew I could not stop. After contemplating this decision with my peers, I went for 2 more scoops and felt a sense of gelato pride, with a slight hint of guilt.  It was a once in a lifetime experience, just like this first week visting Italian cities and learning their history and culture.

While exploring the cities of Cinque Terre (English translation: “Five Lands”) today, I “only” had 3 scoops from a quaint gelateria in the town of Manarola (sandwiched between the towns of Riomaggiore and Corniglia). This gelato was some of the best of the trip, with a perfect ratio of richness and tartness from the mango, strawberry, and lemon flavors. The lemon scoop was especially refreshing and was just what I needed after our treacherous 1.5 hour hike between the small coastal towns. It was not surprising that lemon was the tastiest flavor, since the cities of Cinque Terre are known for their lemon products grown along the steep hillsides.

I imagine I will eventually limit my gelato intake, but for now I am going to enjoy my last night on the coast of Italy before arriving in Florence.

This post was written by Chandler Dykstra (pictured below on the left), a sophomore studying Nutrition Science. She intends to go to medical school and specialize in endocrinology.