Spring 2013, February

Carnevale in Venice

Optional Trips

The season of Carnevale crescendos as the

days approach for the beginning of Lent.

Venice’s celebrations officially began January

26, and many of the CUA and Loyola students

were there to join in. This trip to Venice is just

one of the many optional trips offered by CUA Rome during the semester.

To get from the train station to the hotel we

took the only means of public transportation

around the city of Venice, a waterbus known

as the vaperetto. The boat ride went down the

Grand Canal and the students saw all of the

gorgeous architecture and Venetian art along

the river. Gliding alongside gondolas,

students saw many of the beautiful Venetian

necessities for Carnevale, such as masks and traditional costumes.

After checking into the hotel – a religious

guesthouse in a former monastery in the

center of Venice – we visited the most

famous of Venetian sites, Piazza San

Marco. After passing the Bridge of Sighs

and learning its historical significance,

students stood in awe outside of the

magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica. Dr. Dawson

recounted the early history of Venice,

including the legends of how St. Mark’s

body came to Venice. We then visited the

basilica and were able to observe its gothic and byzantine elements.

Pictured: Melina DiPrato and Megan Conroy; Molly King; Christian Grochowski, Msgr. Irwin, Caitlin Monaco, Paul Castellano; Kristin Princiotta, Anna Evich,

Emily Griffin, Bianca Stevens, Mary Colleen Cawley, Andrea Pesce

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Following the tour of the

basilica, students explored Venice on their own. Some

decided to journey off to the

island of Murano, which is

famous for its artistic

Venetian glassmaking. Others wandered the center

to shop for masks or take a

traditional gondola ride

through the canals of

Venice. The day ended with dinner offering a selection

of Venetian seafood

cuisine.

Ending the trip with a fun twist, students went to

mass at St. Mark’s basilica

in acqua alta (the high

water pictured above). In

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order to get into the

basilica, students walked on platforms to avoid the

flooded Piazza San Marco.

After the mass, the

students visited the Doge’s Palace to see the majesty

seat of Venetian

government, as well as the

ancient prisons and

institutional chambers. The group then headed back to

Rome to start the school

week.

Scavi Tour of St. Peters

For one of the first optional trips this semester, students explored the Necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica, which holds one of the most important tombs of the Catholic faith, St. Peter. Originally Pope Pius XII commissioned these excavations in 1940, and during this time archaeologists uncovered the 2nd-3rd century burial ground and the precious relics of St. Peter. Now open to the public, Catholics from all around the world have the opportunity to see the original burial place of the first of the apostles.

“It was beautiful to see the start of the Carnevale festival

celebrations. We had a great amount of free time to explore

Venice and to be able to see firsthand the masks, jewelry, and

costumes of the traditional Venetian Carnevale.”

– Nicole Dillon, Class of 2014

Students walking into St. Mark’s Basilica over the acqua alta

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Cooking Class

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Students learned to become

chefs of Italian cuisine for the

day, under the instruction of

Chef Andrea Consoli. The

menu included roman

bruschetta with a tomato and

basil topping, pasta fagioli,

polpette della nonna

(meatballs full of herbs),

spinach salad with pears and

parmesan cheese, and a

ricotta and mascarpone

chocolate pie. With many

dishes to learn in such little

time, the students went right

to work in the kitchen.

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The lesson began with

learning how to slice and

dice everything, including

many fresh herbs. While half

of the group was in the

kitchen, the other students

were putting together the

chocolate pie dessert.

Slowly, and under careful

direction by Chef Andrea, the

students began to see their

dishes come together step

by step.

In the end, their hard work

was rewarded when they sat

down to enjoy a delicious

meal.

Creating Italian dishes from scratch

Upcoming Program Events:

Feb. 23: Buffalo Mozzarella Farm, a day trip to the region of Campania to see how

buffalo mozzarella is made.

Mar. 14: Opera Night at the Teatro dell’Opera to see Verdi’s I Due Foscari.

Mar. 19: London Philharmonic Symphony concert featuring compositions from Ludwig Van Beethoven and Igor Stravinskij.

Chef Andrea with Genna Luzzi, Melina DiPrato,

Daniel O’Keefe, and Anna Evich

Top: Victoria Arturi and Alexis Pumill making

homemade pasta. Below: Molly Schaeffer and

Victoria Lukacs preparing the pasta fagioli.