Arriving in Florence, Italy I was very excited to be immersed into Italian culture as quickly as I could. One of the ways that I was able to do this was by the love of food that both Italians and Americans share. I have been trying many different restaurants while in Florence, mostly being classic Italian dishes but some other cuisines. One of my favorites so far has been Trattoria…
Class was a long ways from the villa I was staying at. The villa was at the top of a hill that overlooked the town, and the town, was, on top of the neighboring hill. Class was held in the library in town, at the very top of the hill. To get to class, I had to walk down the hill the villa was, then walk up the hill into…
The food in Italy is so amazing!! I honestly haven’t had that much pasta in so long. It was super cool to get spoiled with food from our host families whether it was lunch or dinner, the meal was always great. Dinner was the best time; we were always at home. Dinner was at 8pm every night, we always had some type of pasta. Which we ate until we couldn’t…
My time in Florence has been a surreal experience so far! I am about halfway through my program now and I can’t believe how fast time has gone. The first week was a difficult adjustment being thrown into a new time zone and culture. After the jet lag wore off and the initial activities set up by my program were over, I feel like I was able to really soak…
Most days in Siracusa, Sicily (or Syracuse) if I don’t feel like making breakfast I start my morning by going to the local cafe next to my apartment called Cafetiamo. Here I always order an espresso or a cappuccino, and a croissant filled with Pistachio Crema. After breakfast I head to the school for one of my two classes either Mediterranean Food Systems or Marine Ecology and Biodiversity of the…
Some of my favorite days abroad have been the weekend trips I have taken and the cooking class we did as a group. While studying in Florence I was able to make these trips to Sorrento, Italy and Bern, Switzerland as well as a couple day trips. In class one the most important things to me that I have learned is about cultural humility. To me this concept is so…
As a graduate student, I participated in this study abroad program to further my knowledge and experiences for my future career. As a part of the program, the other graduate students and I planned and facilitated therapeutic play activities for children in Italian communities. We created and implemented four activities over the course of four days. We planned to do activities such as pasta jewelry making, watercolor painting, and other…
For our first excursion as a group from Syracuse Academy in Sicily, we journeyed about an hour and fifteen minutes north to hike Mt.Etna. Mt. Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and has a huge daily, agricultural, and geological impact on life in eastern Sicily. In my Mediterranean Food Systems course we learned of how Mt. Etna is the reason why the surrounding farms are able to produce…
Marlee Lord Art History and Historic Preservation/ Urban Studies and Studio Art Senior API Florence Business, Art and Culture/ Lorenzo de’ Medici: The Italian International Institute I chose this program because after researching my options for a summer abroad this program sounded like my perfect fit! I am deeply passionate about history, art, and architecture so as the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence was a no-brainer to immerse myself in…
Since spending a month in Spoleto, Italy, there is always something fun to do. One of the best days so far though was spent at a cooking class. It wasn’t at some large fancy establishment, but at a small locally owned restaurant. My instructor, Professor Lott, always takes his students to the same place each program to meet and cook with Chef Andrea Leonelli. His restaurant is off a small…
