Category: MU Journalism Abroad

  • 5 tips for taking a train in Italy

    5 tips for taking a train in Italy

    Nina Mukerjee Furstenau's avatarPlated

    By Claire Lardizabal

    FLORENCE, Italy – Getting to the food stories I would write in Florence meant I had to make it there on the Rome-Firenza train after my international flight. Mostly, the only time trains are used in Missouri are to get to Chicago so venturing from Florence to Rome by train was a new concept for me. Now, equipped with the right information, it seems much easier.

    Here are five tips for your first Italian train:

    Travel Do’s and Don’ts
    TrenItalia is Italy’s train system. The website (www.trenitalia.com) displays in Italian but can be translated to English by clicking on the upper right-hand button that says Italiano, then clicking English. The website offers a plethora of services, such as booking train tickets in advance, how to access the train through the airport, and customer assistance for more information.

    Tip 1. Follow signs. When arriving at Rome Fiucimino airport…

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  • For the love of cheese

    For the love of cheese

    Nina Mukerjee Furstenau's avatarPlated

    By Claire Lardizabal
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    FLORENCE, Italy – Marco Cavani began the San Michele Parmigiano Reggiano factory eight years ago with his wife, Samuela. Samuela grew up making cheese and brought her knowledge to the table when they began their business.

    The Cavani’s Parmigiano Reggiano products are labeled DOP (protected designation of origin). The label represents authenticity and distinguishes it from imitators. In Parma, an inspector comes to businesses like the Cavani’s, and inspects every wheel to ensure quality product true to the region.

    When we entered the facility, we were asked to cover our feet with electric blue shower caps to prevent dragging in contaminants. Steam was already rising from 1,000 liters of milk in each of three deep, copper vats. After reaching 17°C, rennet, an enzyme that causes milk to become cheese, was added and contined to heat the milk until it reached 27°C. Even though the Cavani’s used modern…

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  • All Aboard to Florence, Italy

    All Aboard to Florence, Italy

    I boarded my plane on the way to my “Will Write for Food” study abroad program in Florence, Italy, equally nervous yet excited for the next five weeks to come. My plane ticket — my first huge purchase as a 22-year-old — took me from St. Louis to a brief stop in Montreal, then onward to Rome.

    When I arrived in Rome, the plan was to take the train to Florence. However, almost every piece of advice that I religiously followed from Google was wrong. Not every Italian spoke English. You didn’t get your train ticket to Florence from where it said I should. Jet lagged in a foreign country, I did the only thing I could: I followed the signs.

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