Buongiorno, fellow travelers! Welcome to G.P.S., a series of articles about my experience studying abroad! My name is Gabriella Palmer, and I am a sophomore at The University of Scranton. This semester, however, I am studying abroad, at The Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in Milan, Italy. As an Italian-American (my grandfather is right off the boat from Italy), I was raised steeped in Italian culture, making me feel right at home the two times I visited Italy. My first trip in 2016, a family vacation, left me enchanted by the country, so much so that when my cousins offered for me to stay with them for a few weeks in Milan the summer after graduating from high school, I jumped at the chance. I spent three weeks steeped in the culture, walking the historical cobblestone streets with sights on every corner, trying new foods, exploring the city, and making friends with the locals in the Dolomite mountains. Of the many European countries I have been fortunate to visit, Italy takes the cake, so having fallen in love, I decided to study abroad, thus embarking on the most exciting adventure of my life.
Traveling abroad solo can be daunting, so I hope that if I can do anything through any travel article I write, it is to convince you to see the world. As your virtual tour guide, I’m excited to share my love for Italian culture and the enchantment of this captivating country that has captured my heart (a fact my dear friends are a little too well aware of…). After all, traveling is not just about what you see, it’s embracing the journey and all the joys, trials, and mishaps that happen along the way.
To begin, I’d like to impart a few personal rules of thumb when traveling, accompanied by stories, which I believe have served me well, and hope will continue to do so when my plane touches down in Italia this week.
1) Did I stress embracing the mishaps above?
Even with a basic idea of the language, and customs I was not 100% equipped for Italy. In one of my more comic situations, I plugged a converter into the outlet and it literally blew up in the outlet. I was pretty lucky nothing caught fire, but having forgotten that the electrical grid in Italy can only handle so much conduction I was left a little…burnt. However, it is stories like these that make me laugh, even now.
2) Don’t be afraid to speak with other tourists and locals
If you can, speak with people while traveling because you’ll meet people from across the globe. After touring La Scala, a famous Milanese Opera House, I struck up a conversation with another solo traveler from England, who had taken a picture for me. We continued chatting about the arts, comparing America, England, and Italy, and talking about being a single female traveler. I think back a lot to that memory, even more than the opera house, because connecting with someone, even in a different country, can lead to meaningful dialogue.
Further, I was lucky enough to befriend some Italians about my age during my trip. For context, in the months of June, July, and August, the city of Milan becomes incredibly hot because it is located between two mountains. I can confirm that the weather is oppressive. I had never seen the warning message on my phone say, “Your device is overheating, please move it to a cooler location,” until that July. I had to stick my phone in the tiny freezer at the small apartment where I was staying. Most Milanese (the people of Milan) own a second home either in the south by the beach or the Dolomite Mountains and spend most of the summer there to escape the weather. Therefore, my cousins brought me with them to the Dolomite Mountains for a few weeks. My cousins encouraged me to play volleyball, or “Beach Volley” as they call it, with a group of teens about my age. I had no idea what I was doing and was later explained to by my friend Lella that I used completely wrong words when I asked to join them. However, the group embraced me, an American who could not play volleyball or sufficiently speak their language. As a testament to the welcoming culture of Italy, I spent the next two weeks hanging out with them every day, as my cousins went back to the city to work, leaving me there to enjoy the sights. To this day, I’ve stayed in contact with the friends I made in the tiny town of Pinzolo, and I can not wait to see them all when I return. All of this is to say that you can make good friends anywhere in the world, and I promise you will be all the better for it.
3) See everything
I think half of the fun of traveling is stumbling into some random church and then ogling at it. Even though it’s off the beaten path, it is beautiful and holds a rich culture that always somehow leaves me in awe. Take for example one day I wandered about Milan. My dress was practically sticking to me, but I saw a random Church on Google Maps, and decided to go inside. When I opened the door, my mouth was agape at the intrinsically painted ceilings.
4) Wonder and Wander
I’m a little torn on this, but I think having a healthy sense of wonder is important for traveling. I usually try to mask some of my emotions, because it’s a dead giveaway to pickpockets that I am a tourist. After all, the Italian people are so used to walking among the wonders of their country, that they barely bat an eye. While I do caution being careful, I also believe that we ought to appreciate the beauty around us, after all,
what else is the point? In some ways, I pity the Italians for not being able to appreciate the rich history, architecture, and art around them.
5) Don’t Be Afraid…
I’ve seen so many cliched things like, “Don’t be afraid to try new things,” and, “Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone.” I suggest not being afraid to do any of the “don’ts” that may seem cliché, but go along with traveling. Try new foods, go to places you might not usually seek out, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to try something new like traveling somewhere new for six months.
So, whether you’re a new or seasoned traveler, fasten your seatbelts as we navigate Italy, celebrating and discussing the cultural differences, sights, and all the little moments that go along with travel.