Category Archives: Language Schools

Wagging School in Italy

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Italian Language, Language Schools, Macerata, Pievebovigliana, Wagging School

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While we were attending the school in Castelraimondo, we cut class on Wednesdays to go to the markets in Macerata.  First thing Wednesday morning we would walk into the town and take the train to Macerata. The train ride takes about an hour, then from the train station in Macerata we walked up the hill to the markets. It is quite a tough climb up the hill to the centre and to the markets.  You may find it easier to take a taxi.

mappa province of macerata

When we were renting the house in Pievebogliana we drove our rental car to Macerata which took about 40 minutes.  We found parking to be quite easy although it was a bit of a walk to the markets. Macerta is about 30 k’s from the Adriatic coast.

Panorama - Wikimedia

Panorama – Wikimedia

Macerata - Wikipedia

Macerata – Wikipedia

These street markets are one of the largest markets that I have been to in Italy, and I have been to many.  They fill up many up the streets which are terraced up the centre of the town to the top with stalls and punters . You  can easily make it a  full day outing.  Here in these markets or street fairs you will find antiques, bric-a-brac, the not-so-old stuff that’s known in Italy as modernariato, and leatherwear, shoes, clothing and handbags, and of course many of the vendors selling lots of delicious foods.

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Late morning, we always stopped for coffee and cornetto at the top of the markets in a little café where we could relax, drink our coffee, look at our purchases and check our emails using the free WIFI.

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Later in the day we would choose another café or restaurant for a local lunch.

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Macerata is a little-known provincial capital surrounded by Marche’s loveliest countryside. Its ancient university was founded in 1290 and has about 13,000 students. There is also an art school.

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And if you’re the slightest bit interested in contemporary art, Macerata has a gallery that alone is reason enough for visiting the town.

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This town is easy-paced and unpretentious, it’s an ideal place to wind down in the evenings after exploring the province.

Ascoli Piceno – Le Marche

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Ascoli Piceno, Castelraimondo, Italy on Budget, Language Schools, Monti Sibillini - Sibillini Mountains, Pievebovigliana, Rent a house in Italy, The Road Trip

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I have visited Ascoli Piceno twice.  The first time was on the road trip with Liane after we left the school in Castelraimondo.

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Ascoli Piceno is a town and a commune in Le Marche region of Italy.

The town lies at the confluence of the Tronto River and the small river Castellano and is surrounded on three sides by mountains. Two natural parks border the town, one on the northwestern flank Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini and the other on the southern  Parco Nazionale dei Monti della Laga.

Piazza del Popolo

We stopped for coffee in Piazza del Popolo (“Square of the People”) . Piazza del Popolo is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Italy. It is a pleasure to sit in one of the many cafes around the square and people watch.

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The central historical part of the city is built in marble called travertine,  a grey-hued stone extracted from the surrounding mountains.

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Ascoli has good rail connections to the Adriatic coast and the city of San Benedetto del Tronto, by highway to Porto d’Ascoli and by the Italian National Road 4 Salaria  to Rome.

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Everything inside the fortified town can be reached on foot.  There is a tourist office on the ground floor of the Palazzo dei capitani in the Piazza del Popolo where they will explain to you where to walk to and what to see.

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One year later, while staying  in the house in Pievebovigliana, our friends Malcolm and Maureen took us to Caldorola, Sarnano, Amondola and then Ascoli Piceno. We arrived in time for an hour or so of exploring and then lunch at the Café Vittoria where I enjoyed the most superb salmon pasta.

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Then for some more exploring till early evening before driving back to Sarnano.

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Ascoli Piceno is a small town, well worth seeing as it is lovely! We had a great time here,  we enjoyed the magic of the place and the architecture is amazing.  There are many chic restaurants and cafes.

Truffle “Tartufi” Hunting – Pievebovigliana

18 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Language Schools, Pievebovigliana, Rent a house in Italy, Truffle Hunting

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 While staying at the house we actually went truffle hunting .

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We were just leaving to go out early one evening when Mario, the local truffle hunter, arrived with his 3 dogs

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We dropped everything and joined them running through the woods.

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Those dogs were just amazing how quickly they found the truffles. It was important that  Mario took the truffles from the dogs immediately before they enjoyed eating them.  They were so excited

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In the world of gourmet foods, there is one treasure that is literally and figuratively worth its weight in gold. Truffles, usually too expensive for most consumers

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What are Truffles?

All types of truffles are related to mushrooms but unlike mushrooms, truffles never emerge from the surface. Instead truffles are formed below the soil close to a tree’s root system, truffles are the “fruit” of another fungus/tree relationship. The fungus that makes truffles can only survive in certain soil conditions such as those created in stands of oak, willow and linden trees. Once attached to a root, the fungus will produce one truffle per year, with each type of tree lending a distinctive aroma and flavour to the truffle.

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Italian Truffles

Truffle hunting with Mario and the 3 dogs – One of the most fun things I have done.

Later we prepared a pasta dish using these delicacies.

Spaghetti with truffle

10 minutes preparation + 12 minutes cooking Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 3 oz black truffle
  • clove of garlic
  • 1 salted anchovy
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Spaghetti

Clean the truffle by brushing it carefully.  Slice then put it into the oil with some basil leaves.
In a pan with little oil sauté the garlic.  Add the desalted chopped anchovy and allow to dissolve. Remove the garlic and add a ladle of pasta cooking liquid.

In a large casserole, cook the pasta in boiling salted water.  Drain the spaghetti while still “al dente”. Toss in the anchovy sauce and then add a little of the truffle crushed in oil. Flavor with the basil, sprinkle with a little oil and decorate with slivers of black truffle and fresh basil.

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ps I apologise for the quality of some on these photos, but the actual hunting was so so fast.

Pievebovigliana – Renting a house in Italy

28 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Castelraimondo, Language Schools, Rent a house in Italy

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On one of our trips we rented a house for a month in Le Marche area of Italy in a village called Pievebovigliana.   

Pievebovigliana is located within the Monti Sibillini National Park. It is a such  a beautiful and peaceful area.

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We have friends, we met at the language school in Castelraimondo who live in this area and know the owners of the house, so they helped us to rent it from the owners.

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The house was a few kilometers from the local village which necessitated the rental of a car.

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It worked well as having the facilities to prepare many of our meals at home more than paid for the cost of the car rental. This house was fully equipped and stocked with everything that we could possibly need.  The agreement was, if we used any of the consumables we replaced them.

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It was very easy to drive into the village to the local bar, Varnelli bar, for a café and dolce for breakfast or morning snack or a gelato or a vino any other time.

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Also, staying in such a small village we found eating out to be very reasonable. With the car, we could go wherever we wanted to.

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We were certainly not limited with our destinations. We quickly became part of the local scene, attending the weekly football matches both at home games and away games.  After the games we were always invited to the local bar or café for a gelato or coffee or even a wine. Being Aussies, we always had a vino.

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It did not take long for the locals to accept us and within days we would come home to gifts left on our outdoor table, almost daily, including home made wine, home grown vegetables and fruits, fresh eggs and the local truffles.

We were invited to many of the festivities, of which there were lots, in the local and surrounding areas.

One day, by chance we went truffle hunting. Tell you about this in another post.

One evening, we prepared and hosted a successful Italian dinner party for 12 – more another time on this one.

This was living La Dolce Vita. 

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International Dinner Night

15 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in Castelraimondo, Italian Language, Italy on Budget, Language Schools

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One of the many exciting evenings while at the Language school was Cena internazionale (International dinner). This is where students from each country got together,  to prepare, cook and present traditional cuisine from their country. Following is just a snap shot of the entire presentation.

The Aussie’s presentation

We spent the afternoon in each others apartments preparing our meals and posters.

The judging panel

The States presentation

Brazil’s presentation

Every country presented their food and its history to the students and the teachers. Each dish was judged by a panel of judges. The presentations and the enjoying of the meals was held in the school.

The meals which included: savoury, entres and mains,  desserts and drinks were so good. The evening was just so much fun.

We were all winners.

Ancona – Train trip from school

28 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Ancona, Italian Language, Italy on Budget, Language Schools

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We took the train from Castelraimondo to Porto Civitanova where we changed trains to then travel up the coast to Ancona.  The views along this coastline were glorious, passing by several popular resorts and large sandy beaches.

The city of Ancona is a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy. It is the capital of the province of Ancona and also the region.  It is 280 Km from Rome on the Adriatic Sea and is Italy’s largest ferry port. Ancona is one of the main ports especially for passenger traffic to Croatia, Greece and Turkey. It is a typical port city however it does have some fascinating history.

Perugia – School Excursion

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in Language Schools, Perugia, School Excursions

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On another school excursion, once again we headed off in very comfortable modern coaches from the school – destination Perugia.

It is such an amazing and beautiful city.

Perugia is the provincial capital of Umbria, one of Italy’s most beautiful regions. The ancient heart of the city, packed full of Etruscan and Roman monuments, perches on a hilltop with the modern city spread below.  This city is about 164 kilometers north of Rome

Perugia is a well known artistic centre of Italy and is also know for its annual jazz festivals.

Perugia, has 2 major universities with a constant stream of students from all over the world. The 2 univerisites are : The ancient Università degli Studi (University of Perugia) and the Foreigners University (Università per Stranieri) which is an Italian language and cultural school.

The city offers great shopping, many great bars and restaurants and is known for its dolce (sweets) and chocolate.

Perugia merges ancient and modern very well.  It is a charming city with an historic centre which is small enough to walk around in half a day.  However to really see much more you could easily fill a few days here.

Certain hours of the day, cars are forbidden in the city centre which of course makes walking so much easier. For accommodation there are a few hotels in the city with several monasteries close by.

Assisi – Medieval Town – School excursion

31 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Assisi, Italy on Budget, Language Schools

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We travelled in comfortable modern coaches from the school to the beautiful town, Assisi.

Assisi is a small hill top medieval town of about 25,000 people in Umbria.  Famous as the birthplace of St. Francis, Assisi holds religious, historical, and artistic significance.

The basilica of St. Francis, completed in 1253, is only one of many beautiful churches in Assisi.

The cathedral of San Rufino, the basilica of Santa Chiara, and the Chiesa Nuova are also worth a visit.

Assisi is quite small and easy to get around on foot, just take it easy as there are many hilly streets.  Be sure also to take a walk among Assisi’s medieval houses and shops.

Most of the cobblestone streets and alleys will take you to the basilica of St. Francis.

It’s a good idea to rent the audio guide to appreciate the artistic and historical significance of this unique church. The walls and ceilings of the upper church are embellished with frescoes of the Giotto school; the lower sanctuary contains the tomb of St. Francis.

This is still a place of prayer so please be quiet as you wander around in this magnificent basilica.

There are many eateries, bars, cafes, restaurants, pizzerias and gelaterias in Assisi.

The many shops display a variety of local arts and crafts, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics and reproductions of medieval weapons and tools. Embroidery and chocolate manufacturing are also typical of the area. Religious items are best purchased at the gift shop behind the lower level of St. Francis basilica.

San Marino – School Excursion

20 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in Italy on Budget, Language Schools, San Marino

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We left the school  in comfortable coaches armed with our cameras and wearing comfortable walking shoes for another wonderful excursion.  This time the excursion was to the Hill top town of San Marino.

San Marino is a European country, which is entirely encircled by Italy. The Republic of San Marino sits at 700 meters above sea level on Mount Titano. The 61-sq-km republic is Europe’s third-smallest state after the Vatican and Monaco.  The Republic of San Marino was founded in 301 A.D. and is the most ancient European Republic. It is 15 km from the Romagna Riviera

The views from this hill top town are breathtaking over looking the valleys and the Adriatic coast

Access to San Marino is simple as passports are not required and shopping is easy as the euro is also used in this republic.

It is a favourite destination for day trips and is well worth the visit. There are many attractions – shopping, scenery, restaurants, cafes, monuments, museums and typical tourist stops. Hundreds of souvenir stalls line the streets selling everything from handbags to San Marino stamps. San Marino’s gold coin, famously known as Scudi, you can buy as a souvenir.

San Marino is also famous for wines. There are a number of wine cellars in this country. You can also buy some bottles of wine from San Marino markets

San Marino is just a short distance from the Romagna Riviera and offers 2 shopping outlets and 2 shopping centres plus hundreds of fabulous shops. There is a lighter tax in many cases here which makes it more convenient to shop in the Republic for better bargains which include clothing, shoes, perfume, cosmetics electronics etc and petrol plus more.

For those looking for famous named accessories and clothing at good prices, a visit to the 2 outlets, the San Marino Factory Outlet in Rovereta and the Queen Outlet in Dogana is a must.

Another attraction worth visiting is the changing of the guards in Palazzo Pubblico or Government Palace. The ceremony of changing the guards takes place from the month of April to September on every half hour from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The guards wear golden epaulets and leather helmet of white and red ostrich feathers.

Whether your interest is shopping, restaurants, museums, art, views, relaxing, walking, photography, you will find it here in San Marino. And, if you would like to spend more time here there are a number of great hotels.

Urbino – School Excursion

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Italy on Budget, Language Schools, Urbino

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It was an early start to travel to the beautiful township of Urbino. We left the school early Saturday morning in very comfortable coaches and drove through magnificent country side. It was about a 2 hour trip. Another magnificent day and fabulous excursion.

On the road to Urbino

On the way to Urbino

Urbino is a picturesque Renaissance hill town in the northern part of central Italy’s Marche Region and the capital of the Marche. Urbino is one of the more remote and least touristed regions of Italy and is about 30km from the Adriatic coast.  For more information on the school and the excursions click here

Urbino Palazzo – from Wikipedia

Palazzo di Duca

Students on excursion

Cafe and cornetto on the way up to the top

The local weekly markets at the top of Urbino

View from up the very top of Urbino