 |
| The quiet of Matera, Basilicata |
One of the benefits of blogging about Italy is meeting others who are as crazy in love with my adopted country as I am. Melissa Muldoon is one of them. Earlier this year Melissa and I met and exchanged a few messages on our social network pages. Soon we had made plans to meet, face to face, in Venice.
It
was a gorgeous spring day when I found myself seated next to Melissa and across the table from the very lively group of Italian language students she had accompanied to Venice. Over plates of steaming seafood lasagna and fresh fried calamari at Al Diavolo e l’Acquasanta, a restaurant owned by family friends and one of my favorite places to eat in Venice, Melissa told me she was planning
other Italian Language and Cultural Immersion Trips for 2013 and 2014. When I saw how much fun this group of all ages was having I thought my readers might
be interested in learning more about her upcoming trips, too, and perhaps join her on one! So, I invited Melissa to write
about her learn while travelling trips to Italy here, on Italy to Los Angeles
and Back. Please welcome Melissa
Muldoon…la Studentessa Matta!
 |
| Melissa Muldoon |
Ciao! Sono Melissa, la studentessa matta – the crazy student of Italian! I
studied Art History and painting in Florence in college, and now I am a
graphic designer in the San Francisco Bay area. About fourteen years ago
on a whim—regretting I didn’t learn the language well as a college student—I
began to self-teach myself Italian. I started my journey with grammar books bought
at a local bookstore. Then I went on to find every means available to advance
my language skills: I’ve taken evening classes, on-line courses, watched films and soap-operas, listened to music, participated in conversation Meet-up
groups and on-line forums, Skyped with Italian friends and traveled all across
Italy. I’ve even hosted an Italian high school student in my home for a year. Now,
to exercise and flex my language skills, I write the Studentessa
Matta Blog www.studentessamatta.com
in Italian. The blog explores aspects of Italian culture and current events in
a light humorous way. You can find my posts about il bel paese on Twitter (italiamelissa) and on the Studentessa
Matta Facebook page,too.
 |
| St. Mark's Basilica, Venice |
Recently I’ve taken my passion
for Italy and Italian a step further. I now organize language and cultural
immersion trips for language students and travelers who want to go beyond the
typical Italian tourist experience. When I travel in Italy I like to wander off
the beaten track so that I can use and practice the language in a worthwhile
and rewarding way. In fact, some of my most meaningful moments in Italy have
been those in which I pause to have a conversation with one of the locals.
There’s the used book shop owner in Venice who keeps his merchandise safe from acqua alta by storing them in old gondolas
in the middle of his shop; the man in a bar in Gubbio—who turns out to be a
truffle hunter—and unlocks his shop at midnight to share his homemade wine; the
scamorza cheese maker in Martina
Franca who fashions her cheese into fanciful shapes for her customers; a
restaurant owner in Pienza whose wife makes a to-die-for ribollita soup that is the talk of the town; a Roman cab driver who
extends our drive together to include a tour of the city "gratis" so
that we may continue our conversation; an artist in Ostuni who welcomes me back
into his shop and shows me his latest work of art; and a young musician from
Lecce who takes the time to chat with me prior to the Ferragosto parade in
which Sant’Oranzo, the town’s patron saint, is celebrated.
 |
| Wine tasting after morning language lessons |
Most of these locals don’t
speak a drop of English so, not only is it a rewarding experience to speak to
someone using their native language, I tend to make a lot of new friends and
improve my Italian with each new encounter, and I always learn something
special about Italy and Italian culture. The goal of my language tours is to
create these kinds of moments for the intrepid travelers who come along with
me.
Check out my past and current
Italian tours. I would love for you to join me on my next trip to Italy! You
can reach me by email at Melissa@StudentessaMatta.com or
find me on my blog StudentessaMatta.com.
In August 2012 I co-lead a group to Lecce in Puglia with my friend and
partner Ylenia Sambata of YLTours. We stayed in a renovated farm
house in the middle of an olive grove, complete with swimming pool and a lovely
big kitchen where we cooked with Italian nonne—grandmothers—and shared evening meals together. We studied
Italian in the mornings and visited Alberobello, Locorotondo and Gallipoli, where
we swam in the sea, in the afternoons. We enjoyed professionally guided tours
of Lecce, met with local artists and pastry chefs, had dinner with local cheese
makers and learned how to properly taste olive oil in a local producer’s grove.
In April 2013 I co-lead a group with my friend and partner Diego
Cattaneo of the Venice Italian School in Venice. We stayed on the island
of the Giudecca. In the mornings we bought cornetti
and cappuccini at the neighborhood
bar and enjoyed our breakfast alongside the local tradesmen before taking the vaporetto across the canal to Venice to
study at the Venice Italian School. In the afternoons we walked around the
city, visited churches, observed glass artists and learned how to work with hot
molten glass, and met carnival mask makers. We even got the chance to learn how
to row a gondola, and found time to take in an opera at Teatro Malebran.
This fall I have
two trips planned for September 2013. There are still spots available if
you would like to join me!
 |
| I Sassi of Matera by night |
September 22-30,
2013: I’ll return to the Salento area of Puglia with my partner Ylenia Sambata
of YLTours. We’ll
begin our visit in Puglia in the historic center of Lecce where we’ll take
classes and tour the city, and then move out to the countryside to the Masseria for more cooking with Italians
chefs, gelato making and wine tasting. We’ll do all the fun activities we did
last year and more! You can sign up now! Spots are still available and details for the Puglia trip
and can be found on the Studentessa Matta blog.
Matta Language
& Immersion Trips for 2014!
 |
| Italian coast |
June
1-12, 2014: I’ll be co-leading a language and cultural immersion with Lucca
Italian School in the town of Lucca in Tuscany. We’ll
live in the heart of the historic city center and take morning class at Lucca
Italian School. In the afternoons, we’ll visit nearby hill towns, making
excursions to Pisa, Monte Carlo and
Pietrasanta, wine tasting, biking &
picnicking along the wall in Lucca. We’ll also attend a concert featuring arias
by Puccini and other Italian composers, as well as taking cooking classes. You
can sign up now! Details for the Lucca trip are available on the
Studentessa Matta Blog.
September 2014: Fall
trips to Arezzo in Tuscany and Le Marche are in the works and will soon be
posted. Stay tuned to the Studentessa Matta Blog to learn more about the
upcoming 2014 fall Italian trips.
