Seeing the Sights

Monday: Class, gym, sports bar. What else could I possibly say?

So...Fitzgerald used to hang out in Bassano Del Grappa, therefore I have to hang out in Bassano Del Grappa. Tuesday after our first session of Kepner-Tregoe problem solving we decided to have a little girls afternoon and check out the near by town of Bassano. It's about 30 minutes from campus so eight of us decided to pile in a taxi at 4 pm and off we went! It was really foggy and got dark super quick so we didn't even make it to the historical wooden bridge, but no worries we occupied our time with shopping. I was presently surprised at the amount of shopping and sales in Bassano. Like wow! It was all I could do to not buy everything, I had to keep reminding myself that the leather is cheaper in Florence and the clothes are better in Milan. I already know that I need a down-jacket. It is so beyond cold here and my peacoat, North Face and Tri-Delta pullover just aren't cutting it. The United Colors of Benetton has a lovely jacket and it's 70% off but I can't find it in the right size AND color between Verona and Bassano. The hunt continues...Eventually we decided to stop at a recommended pizzeria which was delicious! I had a great risotto di scampi for dinner which was a nice change from the CIMBA pasta diet. After dinner, despite the cold we headed over to a gelateria for some yummy hazelnut gelato which really hit the spot! Sounds like the perfect end to the night..right? Wrong. Naturally we have to end our night at the Al Sole (the pizzeria outside of campus) Why? "Because everyone's doing it!"

The Center of the Piazza

Wednesday we had yet another chance to leave Passano! Two great days in a row!! Team A took a bus in the morning to Asolo which is a little less than 10 minutes away. Asolo is home to the CIMBA MBA campus which apparently used to be a monastery? While we were there we hiked up a ridiculous set of cobblestone stairs to La Rocca which is a 1400 year old fortress. It was locked but we American students know no boundaries and are very intuitive so we broke in (just kidding, the lock was loose, but we still didn't pay). The fort was a little run down but the view was magnificent! It was a little foggy outside but we still got some really "artsy" pictures. We also stopped by the castle turned prison turned par of Caterina Cornaro-Queen of Cyprus. It was cool. Before we left the majority of the group stopped by Cafe' Centrale for a little espresso and a treat before heading back to Paderno for yet another K-T session in the afternoon.

Inside the fort

View from the fort

The day finally ended with a lovely European etiquette lesson hosted by ours truly, Dr. Al (the director and founder of CIMBA). For those of you who know me I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you to know that  I totally loved it. I cannot wait for our first formal, gourmet dinner tomorrow night! Food provided by our tuition, vino provided by Dr. Al. Cannot wait. 

As we say in Paderno: Cioa tutti! (We like to pretend that it translates to Hey y'all)