Tuscany
Tuscany was probably one of my favorite places that I’ve visited since I’ve been abroad. I learned a lot about what it was like to experience Italy in a place other than Venice. It allowed me to appreciate how peaceful small towns can be. I found out that it was a lot more difficult to communicate with the citizens of Siena, Montichiello, Pienza, Montalcino, and San Giminiano than with the citizens of Venice. Because most of them were very small towns and some of them being very difficult to get to using public transportation, the need for them to learn how to speak English is not as great as someone who was living in bigger tourist cities such as Venice or Florence.
Two of the key characteristic of citizenship in Tuscany would be openness and patience. Because most of these towns were really small, the locals could definitely tell when there were tourists around. Especially in Montichiello, I feel like everyone we saw knew that we were tourists, mostly because we were speaking English and not Italian. But instead of them being rude about us invading their precious, little town, they were open to us being there and willing to share their town with them. All of the citizens we interacted with while in Tuscany were very patient with us. I know for me, I really appreciated this patience when it came time for me to try to hold a conversation with them. I know how frustrating it can be when you are trying to talk to someone who does not know the same language as you. However, everyone I talked to was very patient and helpful when it came to me trying to learn their language.
The most memorable part of the trip in my opinion was the wine and olive oil tasting we did on Friday night in Siena. I had never noticed the difference between olive oils, nor have I ever just tasted the olive oil, most of the time I just use it to cook with, and occasionally eat it with some bread. However, now I able to appreciate the different kinds and the different qualities of olive oil. I think the most unexpected moment of the trip was when the police on the way from San Giminiano to Florence stopped the bus. Although it was a very interesting experience, it was a little nerve wrecking at first, although any experience where I have to interact with the police is nerve wrecking, it is more nerve wrecking dealing with foreign police than the police in America. It was very unexpected just driving along the highway and having the police make us pull over on the side of the road. I thought for a second that our bus driver was going to be some sort of criminal, but everything turned out to be fine, which is good. The most troubling part of the trip was definitely trying to communicate with the locals. As I said before, very few citizens of these cities knew English. It was very difficult to communicate with them with the amount of Italian that I know. However, they appreciated the fact that I was trying as hard as I was to speak in Italian, and I think they understood the basics of what I was trying to say.
I think this trip was very valuable because it allowed me to see what it was like to interact with Italian, and Tuscan, citizens. In Venice, it is pretty easy to figure out whom the Venetians are and who the tourists are. However, the only time I interact with Venetians is at the grocery store and in the house with the professors. During our time in Tuscany, the majority of the people we were fortunate enough to interact with were locals. I think this is very important because it allows you to experience what life like a local is like. Whereas in Venice, I feel like we have come up with our own definition as to what it is to live like a local.
The two questions I would ask a citizen from one of the towns we visited would be how often to tourists visit and how they view the tourists, whether they invite them in, or if they see them as a nuisance. The two questions I would ask my classmates about their experience in Tuscany would be if they had any difficulty communicating with locals and the advantages and disadvantages of a small Italian town versus a bigger Italian town.
Two of the key characteristic of citizenship in Tuscany would be openness and patience. Because most of these towns were really small, the locals could definitely tell when there were tourists around. Especially in Montichiello, I feel like everyone we saw knew that we were tourists, mostly because we were speaking English and not Italian. But instead of them being rude about us invading their precious, little town, they were open to us being there and willing to share their town with them. All of the citizens we interacted with while in Tuscany were very patient with us. I know for me, I really appreciated this patience when it came time for me to try to hold a conversation with them. I know how frustrating it can be when you are trying to talk to someone who does not know the same language as you. However, everyone I talked to was very patient and helpful when it came to me trying to learn their language.
The most memorable part of the trip in my opinion was the wine and olive oil tasting we did on Friday night in Siena. I had never noticed the difference between olive oils, nor have I ever just tasted the olive oil, most of the time I just use it to cook with, and occasionally eat it with some bread. However, now I able to appreciate the different kinds and the different qualities of olive oil. I think the most unexpected moment of the trip was when the police on the way from San Giminiano to Florence stopped the bus. Although it was a very interesting experience, it was a little nerve wrecking at first, although any experience where I have to interact with the police is nerve wrecking, it is more nerve wrecking dealing with foreign police than the police in America. It was very unexpected just driving along the highway and having the police make us pull over on the side of the road. I thought for a second that our bus driver was going to be some sort of criminal, but everything turned out to be fine, which is good. The most troubling part of the trip was definitely trying to communicate with the locals. As I said before, very few citizens of these cities knew English. It was very difficult to communicate with them with the amount of Italian that I know. However, they appreciated the fact that I was trying as hard as I was to speak in Italian, and I think they understood the basics of what I was trying to say.
I think this trip was very valuable because it allowed me to see what it was like to interact with Italian, and Tuscan, citizens. In Venice, it is pretty easy to figure out whom the Venetians are and who the tourists are. However, the only time I interact with Venetians is at the grocery store and in the house with the professors. During our time in Tuscany, the majority of the people we were fortunate enough to interact with were locals. I think this is very important because it allows you to experience what life like a local is like. Whereas in Venice, I feel like we have come up with our own definition as to what it is to live like a local.
The two questions I would ask a citizen from one of the towns we visited would be how often to tourists visit and how they view the tourists, whether they invite them in, or if they see them as a nuisance. The two questions I would ask my classmates about their experience in Tuscany would be if they had any difficulty communicating with locals and the advantages and disadvantages of a small Italian town versus a bigger Italian town.