Castles, Chocolate, and Coriandoli

Between my last post and this one there were three major highlights: the rescheduled Carnival celebration in Macerata, a tour of a local chocolate factory, and a visit to a castle (where I did not meet a Prince Charming).

Coriandoli: The Carnival festival consisted mainly of a parade and vendors selling food and trinkets. All the little kids came dressed up and there were lots of princesses and Spidermans. Like everything in Italy, the parade, which was supposed to start at 2, began at 2:45. Still, it was worth it - the floats were pretty intense and very well-done. At Carnival, the big thing is to throw confetti (though in Italian, the word is coriandoli) and when the parade was done I was completely covered in little pieces of old magazines and newspapers - I'm actually still finding it in my boots. The interesting thing about the parade was that they just kept going around in a circle. After we saw most of the parade, we went to get crepes (with strawberries, nutella, and cream - delicious) and walked around for a bit. Two hours later, when we wandered back to where the parade was, it was still going on. They were still walking in a large circle. Italians are champs about walking everywhere!

Floats.

Floats.

Parade.

I ate the whole thing.

Chocolate: As anyone who's ever met me knows, I really like chocolate. A lot. So I was excited when I found out that this week instead of Cross-Cultural Communications we were heading to a local chocolate factory, Marangoni Cioccolato, for a tour. The factories around this region are typically small, locally owned, and located in the neighborhoods where their workers live. It's a more sustainable way of life, and if the quality of the chocolate is any indication, a good way to make better products. Everyone keeps asking me about the chocolate in Europe, but this was my first real experience with quality chocolate, and I have to say, it put Hershey's to shame. Our tour guide educated us on the origins of chocolate (historical, geographical, and cultural implications) and then walked us through the process for making chocolate. This particular factory produces chocolates for their store in town, and they were in the middle of making chocolate Easter Eggs for the Easter season (food in Italy is seasonal, to a much greater extent than in the US, for example, I can't find any more Frappe now that Carnival season is over). Their first specialty was chocolate covered fruits (and the chocolate covered raspberry was simply to die for). We got to try a lot of different kinds of the fruit chocolates and some other traditional and regional chocolates, then the guide made an egg for us, then he made white chocolate vanilla for us, then crispy white chocolate for us.... I couldn't eat dinner until eleven that night, I was so full. And so happy. Mmm. He was also very entertained by my pronunciation of "Louisville" - he recognized the city when I wrote it down, but made me say it about 1,000 times. And this coming from a language that  pronounces "gli" as "yleeeee"(go to translate.google.com and type it in, then listen, you will understand).

Big Easter eggs!

Their specialty!

The factory.

Castles: One of the things the epic snowstorm managed to cancel earlier this semester was a trip to Castello Pallotta, a local castle. We went Wednesday afternoon instead, and I was glad we got to go when the weather was nice because the view and the gardens were gorgeous in the spring weather. The castle was a medieval castle, built on top of a hill with the city developing down below it, the traditional way all medieval towns in Italy developed. Some pretty swanky people have stayed there over the times - Popes, Queens, and the family who (still) owns it has had four Cardinals in their family (sadly for them, not the University of Louisville kind). They were pretty tight with the Pope, who gave them the castle after the original owners died out without heirs. Now, it's part museum, part monastery, and part restaurant, while still being able to host important guests if they are headed to Caldova, Italy. To be honest, it was gorgeous on the outside and some rooms were really cool, but I also kind of felt like I was back at Graceland with Elvis' ghost. It almost felt too decorated to be classy. But, it was a castle!

Looking over the town.

What a view!

Part of the gardens.

Graceland or the castle?

Castle.

It's now the part of the program where my travels are picking up in speed and frequency  - in the next month and a half, I'll be headed to: Siena, Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome, Sicily, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, the Amalfi Coast, and then back to Rome for my flight home! It's all going by so incredibly fast!