Milan may be the capital of fashion, but it was oddly the only place I saw a fair amount of Italians wearing t-shirts. Weird.  It wouldn’t be a trip in an Italian city without getting lost, and we did, without fail…before we even found the hotel. To make matters worse, we couldn’t check in right away, but we were able to leave our bags in a back room while we explored the city in the interim.  A small group of us decided to walked to Milan’s duomo, which was a stunning Cathedral in the heart of the city. It was a little effort to find at first, but it wasn’t all too difficult with maps and asking locals for directions. I didn’t want to tour the cathedral itself, but I was goaded into doing so. The highlight of the journey was getting to climb the cathedral. The view(s) offered were/was spectacular.  In a weird twist of fate, the professors were dining at a nearby restaurant, and joked about the unlikely scenario of seeing a student on the top of the cathedral. They did see a student…and wouldn’t you know it, it was me; dancing like the fool I am! 

Just when I thought that wine country was gorgeous, I had the absolute privilege of seeing and visiting Poppi.  We left Florence early Sunday morning to begin our journey further northward. The bus ride wasn’t too long, considering the time was used to nap and get work done.  The driver let us off in some random parking lot in the middle of nowhere, as he did not want to negotiate the tight turns and narrow streets of the mountain town. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to drive a bus around there either.  We were forced to lug our luggage up a steep incline, but we were rewarded with breathtaking sights of the region. Everything smelled so fresh and authentic. It was quite quiet and serene, very little noise and congestion compared to a place like Florence. Of all places to stay, we discovered we were given room and board in a convent. The nuns were super nice and helpful, and we rarely saw them. They were like Catholic ninjas or something.  Our typical crew of Gabby, Jordan, Phil, Zayne, and I decided to roam town before we had to be anywhere. We staved off hunger by purchasing snacks at convenience stores intermittently littered throughout the neighborhood, and by going to a cafe that sold pizza and sandwiches. I ordered what I believed to be a hotdog, but was greatly dismayed when I discovered that I had been given some triangular sandwich piled with ham and coated in a mushroom-based spread. Not wanting to seem rude or disrespectful, I made it look as if I ate the food, but really I just tore away pieces of it at a time and dropped them into an empty potato chip bag I had been carrying around with me.  The first responsibility of the day required us splitting up and going for a language and culture lesson. My group was lead to the international school where we learned some phrases, and then we took a small bus to see some sights. It was there that we reconvened with the others. After a scenic walk downhill, we participated in a guessing game and then visited an old church. The space was used by early Christians and, as usual, was repurposed from a pagan temple. Unlike previous examples we saw, the pagan portion was preserved underneath, as the church builders didn’t have a clue than an ancient civilization lay underneath the ground. The pagans, the Truscans, were pretty mathematically-inclined and socially adept. They were pacifists (sadly, they were conquered), and they produced stunning artwork. Their idea of the hurricane equaling life relates to the belief that life never really ends, it’s infinite, in some semblance.  We hiked through some woods, saw Dante’s exile shack (that had the town’s water supply), and then we made our way to the castle. Plenty of pictures were taken before, during, and after the tour, then we went home and had a terrific dinner with some esteemed locals, where...

Venice may have been a fish, but I was grumpy. Hunger and a lack of sleep are the typical culprits behind my bad moods, and I was beleaguered by both. Not to mention, the cost of going to Venice (roughly €200 between rooms and transportation) for only a night, mixed with the prospect of not riding in a gondola, made me question why I had even left Florence to begin with. Had I not gotten homework done on the train, I would’ve considered the day wasted. The excursion was thrown together a little haphazardly, evidenced by differing train schedules, lost colleagues, and general confusion. Not a great way to begin a stay in a foreign city. Plus, the invasive influence of tourists and foreigners on the city was a little repulsive to me, to say the least. I know that’s like the pot calling the kettle black, but I feel that the purpose of our travels has been to assimilate into the culture at large, nor adulterate it with hallmarks of our own. Initially, after the rooming situations were decided upon, the plan was to meet the others (who were staying in another hotel) at s basilica and explore the city before having dinner and becoming privy to Venice’s night life.  Seeing another religiously-affiliated building did not sit well with me, as I had already seen a lifetime’s worth of churches and shit within the first couple days. Needless to say, I wasn’t too enthused.  I journeyed over with Mary and Mindy for a little while, while I searched for a quick snack to ride me over until dinner. Unsatisfied with what I saw, I splintered from the group and started my way back to the hotel. I stopped at a small convenience store where I picked up a soda, some Pringles, and a panini, which I took to the room I shared with Phil, to devour. After a brief nap, which helped my cause greatly, Phil and I reconvened with Gabby and Jamie and decided to explore Venice on our own terms. Not to mention that the trip would’ve been a total waste had we not taken advantage of any opportunity to see something new and exciting.  We were all of the opinion that Venice would be best explored on foot. True, we could have seen much more of the city, in a shorter amount of time, had we taken a watercraft, but if we did that, our explorations would have been limited to mere surveillance and reconnaissance. Through our feet we became extensions of the city itself.  Alleyways provided perfect opportunities for photos and to remove ourselves from the environments replete with tourist traps, crowds, and sensory overload; instead, we searched for quieter and more authentic Venice we knew was hidden away somewhere. Cozy souvenir shops, “urban coves” where people likely “hooked up,” children playing in the street after a day at school, awe-inspiring views, and provocative graffiti were among the amazing things we came across in our...