Something larger than meets the eye

In this past week, we had one day in which we were invited into Banfi Castle, where we had the opportunity to learn the process of making Tuscany’s most well known wine. It’s incredible how something that has been practiced for so many decades can go unnoticed by the average person (such as myself), even if having daily experiences with wine (either drinking, buying or simply walking past a bottle in the store). In the moment of the day, I consciously told myself that the best part of the trip to the castle was the expensive and classy dinner we had there. We were all sharp and dressed up, taught to sit up straight and practiced proper Italian etiquette and table manners. It was a great experience, accompanied by the desire from all my classmates to speak only in Italian. We had the full Italian dining experience, learning to communicate with each other on a whole other level (and language). But after letting this experience settle in my mind for a few days, I’m starting to see what I really took away from that trip. Sure, I had fun eating and talking, but what really stuck with me is appreciation for the Italian culture, through the elegant and artistic way in which almost everything that is produced. Using wine as an example, every step of the process must be extremely specific, from the temperatures and amount of ingredients used, to the amount of time allowed for aging in gigantic Oak barrels and into the glass wine bottles. Every step taken requires patience and perfection, to get the best quality and taste out of the liquid that is produced. It’s a phenomenal and beautiful art that must have been perfected through generations of improvement. It was very apparent through our tour guide, that the process has changed throughout the years, keeping what works well and changing what could have been better. Knowing this simple fact, it’s not difficult to see how the Italian culture builds on itself, using it’s history of success and failures. Literally everything that is done in this country, weather it be obvious or not, has a specific purpose learned through trial and error. For example, some houses have a smaller lower level, while the upper level is larger, with the floors extending past the first floors'. An average person would walk past and assume that this structure  was a creative technique of architecture (like I did). This was actually done in order to avoid higher property taxes in the past, as a smaller space of the ground would cost less. 

After the tour in Banfi Castle, I seem to have a deeper desire to learn all these interesting facts about the Italian culture. I want to know the specific reasons why this culture does what it does, as I’m sure it’ll be mind blowing. I definitely find myself having a deeper investment into the culture, along with a much deeper curiosity.