A few years ago, knowing that my dream of travelling to Italy annually was about to begin, I began a two-year search for Italian classes. I wasn’t looking for academic credits, or a class filled with grade conscious students; rather, I wanted to join a group of like-minded adults who yearned to improve their knowledge of everything Italian – the language, food, culture, holidays, nuances, etc. This also meant I needed to find a native Italian teacher, not someone who merely majored in the subject. Luckily, my search finally led me to Giovanna Dimetros. I must admit, her Greek last name puzzled me at first, until I learned it was her married name and she’s actually a native of Tuscany. Pictured below are Giovanna (left) and two classmates who hosted a dinner for our class last December at Giovanni’s (right) house. As you can see, we are big on immersion!
Simply put, Giovanna’s classes provide me with more than I had hoped for. Each session is interactive, dynamic, challenging, and filled with great camaraderie. Of most importance is Giovanna’s desire to have us learn and understand what she teaches, not just memorize.
My goal was to reach a point where I no longer felt like a tourist in Italy, and while my learning will be a lifelong pursuit, I’m now comfortable conversing with locals who speak no English at all – a great tribute to Giovanna!
In our book, Unit 5 is called Buon Appetito, and we learned how to prepare a shopping list, go to market, and make lunch or dinner. Today in Cortona, we did just that. Our list included roasted chicken and turkey, cheeses, tomatoes, basil, bread sticks and vino.
While we order the roasted chicken weekly, our favorite “chicken lady” had a special this week: roasted and boned turkey leg with herbs. No antibiotics or preservatives…just incredible flavors and a heavy dose of fresh sage leaves and dill rolled inside. How does one have the patience to bone a turkey leg????
We carried everything home and set out our feast. The only thing missing was all of you, and we could have fed all of you! Good for us we like left overs.
Mozzarella fresca e pomodorini
Grana Padano Parmigiano
Boned roasted turkey leg (left) and roasted chicken (right)
Una vera festa…A true feast!
Even the constant rain decided to pester others today
and granted Cortona a rain-free and sometimes even sun-filled day…
Listening to Andrea Bocelli as I write…Perfetto!
And to my Italian class:
Vorrei che tu fossi qui per andare a fare la spesa con me e gustare un delizioso pranzo. E sto anche usando il passato e il futuro bene!
Ci vediamo a settembre! Ciao, ciao,
Giuditta
Tags: Cortona, Italian language, Italy, Learning, Tuscany
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