An Italian Gem: Road Scholar Lizzie’s Winter In Cilento Adventure
- Road Scholar Lizzie’s learning adventure brought her to Italy for one week in winter, giving her a taste of Cilento’s medieval villages, local life and traditional cuisine.
- Some of the highlights included the program’s central location and strong Group Leaders, who combined expert insight with warmth and compassion.
- The group enjoyed camaraderie, spending time together both during lectures and outside of structured program time.
Earlier this year, I embarked on Winter in Italy: A Window Into the Slow Life of Cilento. Now, I’m sharing my experiences exploring this Italian gem.
The Perfect Time to Go
My learning adventure began in late March, so it was at the edge of winter and the beginning of spring. This may have led to two things: First, the weather was absolutely wonderful, with only one day of rain! Secondly, it seemed like most of the shops and restaurants in the enchanting town of Santa Maria di Castellabate were open for business.
Based on what I heard a lot of our group members saying, they really relished exploring the small town of Santa Maria de Castellabate — a town that wasn’t overrun with tourists. We felt like we had the opportunity to become immersed in a more authentic village with local flavor. We strolled the streets, watching children play football in the piazza and enjoying the musicality of the Italian accents all around us. It seemed everyone knew their neighbors, and all were enjoying the sunny days and sunsets over the sea.
Lizzie (left), ancient Greek temple in Paestum (right).
One Location, Endless Possibilities
Our group also loved that we were in one lovely hotel for the entire week that was perfectly located within walking distance of this adorable town. Not only that, our lectures and activities usually began either later in the morning or ended by around 3 p.m., giving us the chance to head into town for a cappuccino and cornetto in the morning, or some shopping and a stroll along the promenade by the sea in the evenings.
Our group appreciated the downtime to explore and wander. I saw practically everyone from our group here and there throughout town taking it all in. Shopping at small, owner-operated retailers in town gave us Americans a chance to practice speaking Italian and figure out how to pay in euros, so it was another type of learning!
In fact, some of our group even picked up food from the markets to create their own cheese and meat spreads to eat outside by the sea with each other. That’s right — our whole group chose to spend two of the free nights we had together! That’s the kind of cohesiveness that our Group Leader, Alessandra, fostered.
Santa Maria di Castellabate (left), sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea (right).
Our Expert Group Leader
Our Group Leader Alessandra thought of ways to help with even the smallest of things, like having our bus drivers stop at local supermarkets for group members who needed to make quick purchases. On one of our field trips, she insisted on running back to the bus to get our water bottles when we realized we couldn’t purchase water at the gift shop. These were some of many examples of how she went out of her way every day for one participant or another, to make sure everyone was having the very best experience possible.
Learning on the Go
The walking lectures we had through the parks, towns and monasteries were informative. One of my favorites led us through Velia — the national park — up to the castle and then took us for a walk around the ancient city of Agropoli.
Group leader, Alessandra Sarappa
And the food! The meals we savored on this program were wonderful, be it at the winery, the fig tasting or the cooking class. These unique experiences have now become cherished memories. Where else can you take a cooking class with hands-on lessons making ravioli, ragu and other beloved dishes before sitting down for a feast at the farmhouse of a baroness? Or pet highly contented water buffalo who have been massaged to Mozart in order to yield the very best milk for buffalo mozzarella? Or be treated to a five-star Cilento white fig experience that was nothing short of spectacular?
Not only was the food delicious, but getting to know some of these Italian families and hear their stories was incredible. Throughout these experiences, we had the chance to converse with the family owners of these multi-generation businesses, enhancing the knowledge we gained along the way.
From the food to the excellent leadership to the friends gained along the way, it was the learning adventure of a lifetime — one I cannot recommend highly enough!
The Italian women who taught our cooking class.
