After almost 24 hours of straight traveling from New York to Zurich to Rome, I finally arrived in Perugia, Italy on Friday night. Even though I had a red eye flight, sleeping on the plane was impossible; no amount of airline blankets, pillows, or snack mix would make that happen. When our bus got in it was already after dark, but after a 4-course meal at the hotel (which was absolutely amazing) I walked up to the piazza. The Fontana Maggiore was lit up in a bluish light, and Christmas lights hung across Corsa Vannucci, the main street in Perugia. At that moment it began to hit me that I was actually in Italy.
Saturday morning we moved into our apartment on Via Pinturicchio, named after the artist Bernardino Pinturicchio who studied under Pietro Vannucci (who also taught Raphael). The building is four stories high, and we’re on the top floor. Four American girls struggling to carry our luggage up the stairs drew the attention of one of our neighbors on the second floor. This little old Italian lady poked her head out of the door to see what all the noise was about, gave us a huge smile and a friendly “Ciao!” as we passed by. For the four of us there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms both with bidets (which I can guarantee will never be used the whole semester), and a little kitchen, which is a bright shade of orange. We have a beautiful view of the outskirts of Perugia and the surrounding areas from our kitchen window. I had another realization that I was actually in Italy when I looked out.
There is one other apartment on the floor, and is home to one Babbo Natale, or Santa Claus as they call him in English. Babbo Natale is meant to live at the North Pole, and that’s what our apartment felt like the first night. I slept in covered in Under Armor from head to toe, with a sweatshirt and sweatpants on top. We thought the apartment was freezing because we’re only allowed 7 hrs of heat a day. Turns out it was never on. Whoops. Thankfully today we got one of the Umbra staff members, Mauro, to help us out and teach us that the picture of the snowflake actually means heat, and the sun means AC.
Everyone says that the food in Italy is amazing, the best in the world, and I have to agree. Everything is so fresh, and you can buy all of the fresh meats, cheese, bread and produce you could want in a covered market near the center of town. I’ve spoken a lot of Italian so far, mostly ordering food and coffee or asking for directions, but I can already tell that I’m improving and getting more comfortable with the language. Some people are having a little more trouble. I’ve heard stories of people drinking applesauce thinking it was apple juice or ordering full trays of eggplant parmesan instead of individual portion sizes. Typical mistakes I’m sure.
We explored the town the day after move in, and I didn’t see a single Starbucks, McDonalds, or any other American store chain anywhere in town. I loved it.So far so good here in Perugia, and I can’t wait to find all that the small city in the heart of the Umbra region has to offer.
Location: Perugia, Italy