Ever since I can remember, I’ve longed to travel. There are so many exotic and foreign places filling up my list of where I want to go one day—the Great Wall of China, the rolling emerald hills of Ireland, the black sand beaches of Hawaii … I could go on and on.
Besides my one trip to the Canadian provinces of Halifax and Nova Scotia eight years ago, I had never traveled anywhere outside the United States before. So when I had the chance to study abroad in Italy over winter break, while taking a creative writing class, I jumped on it. From the moment I boarded my Alitalia flight bound for Rome, Italy at JFK Airport, I knew I was in for an adventure.
Over a relatively short span of two and a half weeks, I got to see and do so much. From the Trevi Fountain to the ancient ruins of Pompeii to the Accademia Gallery that houses Michelangelo’s David, I was able to visit quite a number of famous historical sites.For the first five days and last week of the program, my group and I toured Rome in the best way possible: taking the Metro subway and walking around the neighborhoods. Taking the subway allowed me to feel like a local by familiarizing myself with the surrounding areas, such as different stops on the subway line. Getting off the subway and then walking through the neighborhoods —Spagna, Barberini, Ottaviano, just to name a few —was also an incomparable way to feel immersed in the culture and atmosphere of the city itself. I plodded over uneven cobblestone streets, gawked up at “ordinary” buildings like churches and post offices that better resembled architectural wonders, and snapped photos of nearly everything I laid eyes on.
Besides Rome, we also traveled to other cities that were a scenic four or five-hour bus ride away. Assisi, the hometown of the Catholic Saint Francis, was a quaint medieval town set in the mountains of Umbria. There I fell in love with the ever expanding views of distant majestic mountains, a humpbacked border of blue beneath a brilliantly cerulean sky.Florence, or Firenze, where we spent a weekend, was my favorite city for its energetic, welcoming vibe, the strings of Christmas lights softly illuminating the sides of buildings and storefronts in the evening, and especially Ponte Vecchio, the Old Bridge. At night, colorful, swirling images and patterns were projected onto the bridge, accompanied by slow, soulful piano notes drifting hauntingly through the frigid night air. On my second and last night in Florence, standing on the bridge and allowing the piano music to wash over me, I fell in love with the city and promised myself I would come back one day.Besides the places, the experiences I shared with my fellow students were unforgettable. Daily dinners with friends, in both small and large groups, gave us the chance to explore the cities together, experience Italian restaurant life, and —most importantly —try genuine pizza and pasta. (Outings every other day to fulfill our gelato cravings were a plus.) Riding the Metro together and getting off at random stops was also an incredible way to familiarize ourselves with the surrounding areas, do some shopping, and bond over constant exclamations of, “Look at how amazing that is!”, “Can we stop in here next?” and “Let’s take a picture over there.” From embarking on the trip not knowing anyone, to finishing out the last day with a solid group of extraordinary bonds with new friends, I don’t doubt that this trip provided me with lifelong relationships.
Over the course of 18 days, I visited more historical sites and walked more miles each day than I ever had in my life. Keeping a personal journal helped me to maintain a vivid record of my first time really traveling to a foreign country, surrounded by other college students who would become fast friends. If and when you get the chance to study abroad or simply travel somewhere on your own, I hope you don’t hesitate to take it.