Pre-session Summer 2018
(May 16-May 30) 
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Author: Madeline Westcott
Milan was another fantastic city to visit on this trip.
...Bologna was an interesting stop because we stayed in the older part of the city. It was a bit more of a struggle to get around because even though the general part was like a clock, the directions of it we a bit confusing at first. It was absolutely amazing to go visit the oldest university during our stop, and to also visit the place where Mary Shelley got her inspiration for Frankenstein. The room itself was massive and I wish to visit again during a lecture because the room was breathtaking. I also went to the towers to climb the tallest one. The climb itself was a little rough, but the view at the top was worth it. The breeze and overlook of the city was stunning. I really enjoyed the stop as the trip is coming to an end. There were a lot of great sights to see and dishes to eat, and I’m looking forward to visiting again.
...So after being in two busy cities it makes sense to visit a town in the countryside. Poppi was the perfect pick. The scenery on top of the mountain was remarkable, and I wish we had more time there. Not only was the town beautiful, there was an ancient castle right next to our hotel!! Of course since we only had a day and a half, we had to fit in a lot in a short amount of time. We went on a ride to Castillo di Romena and it was amazing to see the surviving remains of it and to learn where Dante was inspired to write the Divine Comedy. After the castle, we traveled down a path to visit a small perish. We also took an hour to have an Italian lesson, which was amazing to attempt with learning more words to communicate. During the half day, we went through the castle next to the hotel, and my favourite part was going up to the bell tower. The view from the top was beautiful and some people from my group stayed to hear the bells ring. Then we had another meeting where we analysed Dante. Overall I loved the countryside more than I thought I would, and I really hope to go back someday.
...On Thursday, there was a free day in Florence where I was able to roam around and explore more. My dad started off with going over the river to the Boboli Gardens and even though it was a hike to get to the top, the view was worth it. After that, I spent my day wandering the city to find interesting things. I found some interesting graffiti and small shops around the town. My favourite part was finding the Disney store with the graffiti around the door.
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With being in Florence for the past 5 days it is extremely different from being in Rome, and I love it. Florence is the kind of city where you can take a stroll and get lost, but eventually find your way back. That’s exactly what I did. Of course walking around in a small group for gelato is fun (the picture above is from my trip to The Nutty Witch), but I wanted the experience of wandering on my own to get lost and find weird new things. Some things to see on the streets are different types of graffiti, which was amazing to look at. Other things to see were the different variety of shops in town. The leather market was the only place I didn’t care for, but that’s because I don’t like crazy or crowded places. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to move to Italy for work, and if I do then I would definitely live in Florence because is a nice busy place that’s not too crazy.
...For those who don’t know, I’m not used to things that come with being in a big city. With that said, since the minute we landed in Rome, I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone to experience everything that I can. The thing that shocked me the most was the metro. There really is no such thing as personal space, and sometimes you just have to push through to try and reach your destination. It’s thrilling and terrifying with each experience I’ve had because between no space, getting lost, and trying to communicate can be frustrating, but it’s also rewarding to attempt and possibly succeed at a task which makes the struggle worth it. While being here for 2 1/2 days, the biggest challenge I’ve dealt with is getting lost and finding my way around the city. With knowing 3-5 phrases in Italian off the top of my head, getting lost is different but exciting. One issue is the language barrier because one thing I learned before coming to Italy was that less then half the population knows English. So it’s safe to use certain phrases to see if they speak English or not, it’s better to ask rather than assume. Thankfully I was able to use these phrases so I could ask for assistance when I had some difficulties with the metro ticket by almost losing it to the machine. I’m definitely growing out of my shell and expanding into a different person in a short amount of time, and I look forward to seeing other ways to grow. Line A with graffiti
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