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Member Jen Provenzano is in Perugia for the month of September, after being awarded a one-month scholarship to study at the Universita per Stranieri. Here is her second report from the field.

Want to study in Perugia like Jen? Apply for a 2018 sister city scholarship. Application deadline is Oct. 31. Learn more here.

"I recently asked the owner of my favorite caffé close to Piazza Danti in Perugia what makes a good tourist. She said first, they have to be polite, and second, it’s nice when they try the language, even if it's just 20 words.. I’ve been thinking of this concept a lot after arriving in Perugia two weeks ago. And since Perugia is so centrally located, it was a breeze to get on a train and visit Florence and Pisa this past weekend. Getting a taxi at the train station to the leaning Tower in Pisa, the driver didn’t even ask me where I wanted to go, she just said, “Andiamo!”

I wanted to engage a bit more, so I explained (in Italian) that I naturally wanted to go to the Tower, but I asked her if she lived in Pisa. “Si, vicino,” she said and smiled, explaining she liked going along the Arno River downtown and some other local places. She said tourists aren’t always nice, but it’s her job.

I decided to I wanted to be a “tourist plus” or “turista più,” as I’m calling it. I want to be a respectful traveler to the locals, for aren’t the locals the most authentic part of the trip? I applied this concept recently on a hunt for a scarf. I stopped into a lovely shop in Perugia where I exchanged greetings with the clerk. After a minute, I re-approached her, explaining in Italian that I am a student and was looking for a light summer scarf. She then started talking in a flurry of Italian and showed me a seemingly secret drawer where she pulled out scarves in different colors, explaining why one was better than the other. (I purchased a fantastic beige one, pictured.) I’m learning L’Universita is my local humble passport to live and travel as a “turista più”!"

Check back later to read Jen's next installment about her month in Perugia!

The Sept. 14 issue of the New York Times highlighted Perugia in its popular "36 Hours in..." column. Reporter Ondine Cohane characterizes the city as "untouristy and authentic," calling it one of Italy's most underrated destinations, filled with remnants of an ancient past.

If a visit to Perugia is in your future, you'll find plenty of great recommendations in the article for restaurants, cafes and things to do here.

One of our members and scholarship recipient, Jen Provenzano (below, left), is in Perugia for the month of September, enjoying classes at Universita per Stranieri, making new friends and exploring the beautiful city of Perugia. Read about her first week in her report below, "The Pausa."

If you'd like to be considered for a language scholarship in 2018, the Oct. 31 application deadline is coming up fast. Find out more here.

"When my new friends from class from Lithuania, Belgium and England asked me to go out on Friday night, there was a moment’s hesitation…maybe I had been living in Seattle too long to know what solid plans felt like. But here we were, halfway around the world from Seattle, and some lovely ragazze whom I’d known only a few days were going with me to dinner and to a theater performance close to Piazza IV Novembre in Perugia.

How wonderful it is to have Italian in common, and to figure out what other similarities we share. One thing we all don’t have at home is “La Pausa,” which is the common Italian break between lunch and dinner where many shops close and employees go home to rest and enjoy lunch.

One thing is for sure…once I return to the States I’d like our sister city mayors to discuss the importance of instituting a Pausa in Seattle! But for now, I’m enjoying very much already my Pausa from normal life back home and the Perugian life in front of me."

Look for Jen's next installment on life in Perugia soon!

Purchase your tickets today for one of our most popular events: our annual wine tasting.

This year, there's a twist. We are combining the wine tasting with a pizza-making demonstration, and a delicious dinner at Tutta Bella Wallingford.

The evening starts at 6 p.m. on Oct. 24 with a special welcome by our experts: Tutta Bella owner Joe Fugere and wine specialist Gianfranco D'Aniello of Dalla Terra Winery.  The event will end about 9 p.m.

We'll explore ingredients unique to authentic Neapolitan pizza and then see the art of pizza-making demonstrated by Tutta Bella chefs. Founded in 2004, Tutta Bella was the first pizzeria in the Northwest certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, a rigorous process. Fugere (right) actually apprenticed under a pizzaiolo in Naples for a month, taking notes on the products they used and how they made their pizzas.

D'Aniello (below), born in Naples, started in the food and wine industry in 1991. For the past three years, he has been the regional manager for Dalla Terra Winery. Under his guidance, we'll compare and learn more about several outstanding Italian wines. We'll also enjoy appetizers generously provided by Tutta Bella. Featured wines will be available for purchase.

Association members Marylin Bard and Cynthia Updegrave, lecturer in the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Washington, will be traveling to Perugia in September to continue their educational outreach efforts with students and local residents about the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Bard and Updegrave will make presentations at several locations in Perugia, including Circolo Amerindiano, San Matteo degli Armeni Library, Academy of Fine Arts and two schools.

There will also be events staged at the Sister Orca sculpture. This original sculpture by well-known local Native artist Marvin Oliver was installed in 2008 as a tangible reminder of our sister city friendship. The large bronze sculpture of an orca fin is on permanent exhibit at Porto Nova, one of the gateways to the city of Perugia, where it’s viewed by thousands each year.

Activities are being supported and promoted by the City of Perugia and its Office of International Relations. The event, called "Hands Up! Hands Up! We are the People of Chief Seattle," runs from Sept. 13-29.  This amazing full-color poster (left) is on display at locations around Perugia.