I can’t believe my month in Florence has come to an end. Fully immersing myself in Italian culture has been nothing short of life-changing. Throughout my program, I visited historically significant towns related to the field of engineering, such as Carrara and its famous marble mines. Witnessing firsthand how what I learned is applied in my actual surroundings was invaluable. So many historical landmarks and pieces of artwork throughout Italy use this Carrara marble. It was fascinating to see how the country made use of its local materials and encouraged me to pay more attention to the composition of everything, not just how it looked. My classmates and I also visited Salcheto, a sustainable wine farm in Tuscany. It was so interesting to see how they use passive design, such as creating ways to have sunlight filter into the cellars underground. Class trips really enhanced my learning and appreciation for sustainable engineering practices used during the Renaissance and forms of them still used today.

Beyond learning about sustainable engineering practices from the Renaissance, I also had the amazing opportunity to take a Renaissance art history class. This class enriched my understanding from my engineering class of why certain artists and patrons were significant to the development of Florence. Academically, I have grown to always question the world around me and remain curious and eager to learn.

While I gained extensive knowledge about Florence and its history, I have learned much more about myself. I realized during my trip that the ultimate test of personal growth is being placed in a completely unfamiliar environment. I tried new things, became more comfortable in my independence, and shifted from a fixed to growth mindset because of this. The flexibility of my program also allowed me the time to visit other cities in Italy on the weekends. I visited Rome, Cinque Terre, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri. Although there were things I wanted to see in these places before visiting them, I found the most memorable parts to be the spontaneous things I found or tried that I never considered before. Seeing the Pope speak on a random Sunday morning in Rome, traveling alone to Naples, trying new foods I thought I did not like before like tomatoes and lemon ravioli in Cinque Terre the Amalfi Coast, and taking a boat tour of Capri are just a handful new things I unexpectedly really enjoyed. Being in a foreign country for a whole month without previous international experience initially caused frequent anxiety and yearnings for the comfort of home. However, without these new experiences, I do not think I could have become the more open-minded, curious, adventurous, and grateful person I am now. 

Every day since my program’s end, I reflect on how dependent I used to be on the opinions and actions of others before I arrived in Italy. Navigating Florence and interacting with people of all different cultures and backgrounds has encouraged me to be more confident in my own opinions and actions. Although I had plenty of friends alongside me, we each had our own goals for this trip. Taking a handful of opportunities to explore Florence independently allowed me to learn about who I really am. My newfound confidence will benefit me in my upcoming co-op and help me continue to develop my growth mindset. Overall, my program has provided me with a stronger sense of self. I cannot wait for co-op and my return to Pitt so that I can implement my new perspective.