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This past weekend my study abroad program traveled south to the area of Cilento, the supposed home of the Mediterranean diet. Cilento is a group of coastal towns in the region of Campania, just south of the Amalfi Coast. The weekend consisted of many quick trips to various food production areas. For example, on Friday, we stopped at a fruit farm where kiwis, nectarenes, olives and peaches are all grown. That evening we made a quick stop at a marina where we met a fishing boat that had just come into harbor, stocked with fresh fish.

With our free time, we sat on the rocky pier at the end of the harbor. It was nice to relax and sit by the water for the first time in a long time. It’s always surprising how tiring something as easy as getting on and off a bus all day can be. The next day, we visited a mozarella production facility. There, hundreds of buffalo produce a surprisingly low amount of milk, which produces high quality mozarella bufala purchased by the locals. After a long bus ride, we stopped at Paestum, an ancient Greek colony reminiscent of Pompeii.

On our final day, we hiked up to an herb garden in Salerno. At the garden, we learned about the different purposes, both culinary and medicinal, of various types of herbs. With beautiful plants and a great view of the water, it was a perfect way to end the trip. All weekend long we learned about and tasted local dishes. I now have a much better understanding of what the Meditteranean diet entails and can see how so many Italians swear by it.