Izabella Cimino, a Division I softball player at Florida Atlantic University, is a past recipient of an IABF Scholarship. She was also selected to travel through the National Italian American Foundation’s “Voyage of Discovery” program in partnership with IABF. This is an essay about her experience.
When NIAF awarded me this amazing opportunity to join a group of Italian American college students on a trip to Italy, I had no idea what this journey would entail or that it would completely change my perspective. The experience completely blew me away, and I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful Italy is. I have returned from this amazing adventure and am even more proud to be an Italian American.
I am so grateful to IABF for connecting me with this amazing opportunity to go on an educational and inspiring NIAF Voyage with fellow Italian American college students. Additionally, IABF awarded me a wonderful scholarship to my college, which has helped me tremendously. I will be forever grateful for all the support and opportunities IABF has extended me.
This year’s NIAF Voyage of Discovery trip focused on the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. We had the privilege of visiting many beautiful and spectacular cities throughout this region and exploring its history and inner beauty. We visited this region’s cities, including Trieste, Spilimbergo, San Daniele, Muggia, Udine, Aquileia, Grado, Pordenone, Palmanova, Redipuglia, Grado, and Sacile.
A special highlight of the trip was our NIAF group meeting with the region’s president. It was an honor to meet him and listen to his speech about how wonderful Friuli Venezia Giulia is and how proud he was of his region. I could not agree more; it is truly a spectacular and breathtaking place.
Every city has something unique and different to offer, and I took away something impressionable and educational from each part of the trip. However, my favorite cities we visited were Trieste, Palmanova, San Daniele, and Udine. Trieste was such an amazingly beautiful town surrounded by water (the Adriatic Sea). It had amazing views everywhere you walked, the food was divine, and the people were very friendly and cordial.
My favorite dish that I had for the first time in Trieste was Mezzo Pacchero Crema di Zucchine e Guanciale Croccante. I had never had a zucchini pasta before, and it was so delicious. The place that we visited that I found most interesting in Trieste was the Illy café factory. It was fascinating to see how much thought, organization, and precision are needed to make all the different varieties of Illy coffees. The system that they have developed and perfected is very impressive and delicious. Palmanova was a remarkably interesting city to learn about, considering it was solely built and designed to defend against attacks, especially from the Turks.
The star-shaped structure and how the city was designed and built to protect people from attacks were fascinating. Udine was a beautiful town with many shops and amazing places to eat. I mostly appreciated the Venetian charm and all the ancient buildings around the town. The Udine Cathedral was breathtaking, with a baroque interior and a museum of decorative arts. The Church di San Giacomo was absolutely stunning on the inside and outside.
The central Piazza Della Libertà has Renaissance buildings, including the pink-and-white marble Loggia del Lionello and an elegant clock tower. Lastly, while in San Daniele, we visited a Prosciutto factory (Prosciuttificio DOK Dall’Ava). Prosciutto San Daniele has been made for centuries and is an Italian product with deep roots in the place where it is produced. This tradition was handed down through families and many generations.
They served us Fettucine DOK con Pomodoro e Prosciutto, which was amazing. This was one of the best dishes I had throughout my entire trip. Then, they served us a sample of Prosciutto Crudo San Daniele Dall’Ava, aged 16 months, with bread and breadsticks. This Prosciutto has a much more delicate and sweeter taste than the normal Prosciutto di Parma. This was delicious and one of my favorite stops throughout the trip.
This amazing trip enriched my perspective of my wonderful Italian Heritage and made me even more proud to be an Italian American. I am beyond grateful and would like to thank the NIAF organization for this amazing opportunity and for extending this to myself and the other 24 college students from all around the United States to explore and learn about our Italian heritage and to come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation. I would also like to thank the IABF for presenting me with this opportunity to be connected with this amazing group and organization. I would not have been able to have the experience of a lifetime.
