Good Wine and Good Company

More days have passed in this beautiful Tuscan town of Sansepolcro. Things have calmed down with exams completed and the trustees preparing to leave. This leaves me with mixed emotions as an amazing art history class ends and new friends from the Meredith college community are made. The guests will be gone upon my return from Venice and Ferrara for the weekend, which will be strange. It seems they have had a way of teaching me many things while they were here that I didn’t know about Meredith.

Important guests mean fun activities, and one of these which we were invited to was a wine tasting. Yes, I had a wine tasting with the president of my college and some of the most important faculty, trustees, and alumnae. I felt like a professional of wine after these few hours of counting “legs” on a wine glass to see how much wine content it contained along with smelling it for certain fruits and flowers. Call me crazy but I always connected grapes with wine, not pears and other fruits or flowers. Italy as most people know is known for their wine, but it is no wonder because Italy has over 300 kinds of grapes. This blew my mind, but also made it possible for me to realize how people can compare wines and actually taste many differences. Rose wine alone can be made in many ways. You can mix different types of grapes, only use the flesh of the grape, or use red grapes to create your desired red wine. My dad made beer while I was growing up and the process has always fascinated me. After the wine tasting I am fascinated with the way the thousands of different wines in Italy are made. It’s not just some smashed grapes in a wooden barrel. The barrels are of certain wood, the grapes of certain vines and locations, and the “smashing” of a certain art. The location of the wine tasting and the detail explained for such things began to fascinate me. I assume I will have to continue tasting them while I am legally allowed, then when I return to the states I can show people how to properly open their wine bottles and teach them about their wine.

The company of the people at the wine tasting added to its amazing atmosphere. The arrival of these important Meredith faculty and friends has brought with it amazingly long lunches that include some great conversation. I feel lucky to get to talk to women who graduated from Meredith in 1946 and still love the college so much that they would come for the opening of the Palazzo Alberti. Also, having president Hartford here along with the trustees reminded me of how important this was to them also. This place has become like a home and knowing that I have made one of the best decisions of my life by coming to Sansepolcro is something I cannot describe to anyone. I believe the only other people that can truly understand it are the other 8 girls studying here with me. If I think about December 6th ill just break down into tears. For now I must sleep because there is a long weekend ahead after a busy week with little sleep included!

Can’t wait to tell about the next adventure CIAO AMICI
:)