Il Re dei Formaggi

"The King of Cheese"

Yesterday we went on a day trip with our program to Reggio-Emilia, a town in the same region of Italy as Bologna, about an hour away. In addition to being the home of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Balsamic Vinegar, it's also the home of our program director and Italian professor, Simona. Turns out Simona's father is a cheese-maker, and he owns a caseificio, or dairy, and has been making cheese the way it's been made in this region for hundreds of years. (And by the way, if it's not made in Reggio-Emilia, it's technically not Parmigiano Regiano.) We got to go to this caseficio and see them firing up a huge vat of fresh milk to then turn into cheese, and ate some delicious cheese, of course. Then we went to a different location a few minutes away where the rounds of cheese are immersed in barrels of salt for several weeks, then placed on shelves to age for 24-30 months. The more aged, the better. To determine whether or not a cheese is of top quality, they take a rubber hammer and listen to the sound the hammer makes against the outside of the round. If the sound is uniform all over, it's perfect.

Then we went to an osteria where Balsamic Vinegar is produced. It seemed to be like a bed and breakfast/restaurant type place. We were served an absolutely delicious lunch, and then were told about the process of making Balsamic Vinegar. We got to see the upstairs room where vats of vinegar are aged, and then walked out behind the farm to see an utterly amazing view of the countryside. The sun was bright, and there was beautiful foliage, rolling hills, a small lake, and little villages in the distance. I took some beautiful pictures, but alas, until my computer is released from the clutches of hell (aka customs), descriptions will have to suffice!

I'll have to wrap this up, since Nicole's laptop is running out of battery power. (She really deserves a gold medal for letting me use her laptop so often!) I've had a cold this past week, which has put a bit of a damper on things, but otherwise I'm settling in and looking forward to the start of regular classes next week. The weather has been pretty chilly, so we're bundling up earlier than we expected to, but it's still beautiful when the sun is shining. Still no roommate, but we've been talking to lots of Italians in our dorm. Everyone is very friendly, and even though they're used to seeing a lot of Americans come and go within a few months, we're hoping to make lasting friends!