This study abroad experience has been unforgettable and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to go. I have learned so much, made amazing memories, met amazing people, and gained experiences I would have never been able to have without this program. For my final post, I want to highlight some of my favorite memories I have been able to have this semester.

One of my first favorite memories from this trip was our first day trip to Cinque Terre. I had been to Cinque Terre with my family, but we had gone in June so the crowds were very intense. On this trip, we were able to do a boat trip around the different towns from a nearby town called Framura. After, we ate dinner in Manarola, one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. This was the most perfect first trip, because we were able to get used to using the public transportation in a very chill way, and still were able to have an amazing, memorable day.

My next favorite memory is meeting our neighbors who are in our program. One of my roommates got put in a group in one of her classes with two guys who happened to live down the street from us. We ended up going out with a few of them a couple nights later, and since then we have gone out with them pretty much every time we go out and gone on multiple trips with them. All of the boys go to Cal Poly, and 4 out of 5 of them live in California full time. I am so grateful to have been able to make such great friends, especially ones I wouldn’t have been able to make without this experience.

My next favorite memory would be doing a day trip to Assisi, Italy. My mom had been to Assisi when she was in Italy with her family growing up, and had suggested it as a day trip to us. I ended up booking train tickets with Lizzie, and it is still one of my favorite trips we have done to this day. The town is up on a mountain, and there is a massive church dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi. In the crypt is Saint Francis’ tomb surrounded by the tombs of his closest followers. Being in the crypt was one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I am so grateful I was able to go.

My next favorite memory would be our fall break trip to Mallorca and Barcelona. Even though it was the off season, Mallorca was absolutely beautiful and we were able to have a perfect beach day. Then we traveled to Barcelona, and I had some of the most fun memories of my life. Our fall break fell over Halloween, so we were able to experience Halloween in Barcelona. We met up with our neighbors from Florence, and also met up with some of Lizzie’s friends from home who go to UMiami. It is probably my favorite trip we have done, and I am so grateful to be able to have so much fun in such cool cities.

My next favorite memory is our trip to Morocco. When planning our trips over the summer, we had really wanted to go to Morocco, but when we got here we thought it was going to be too hard to plan. Then, Lizzie’s friends from Miami who were studying in Barcelona reached out and asked if we wanted to come on their tour. It was extremely easy travel, and we were picked up by our tour guide the second we got off our flight. We traveled through the High Atlas mountains to the Sahara Desert, and got the opportunity to ride camels, spend the night in a desert camp, and ATV back through the desert. Visiting Morocco was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I am so happy we decided to go. Experiencing such a different culture will be something I will never forget, and I would say if anyone ever has the opportunity to visit they should.

Finally, the last experience I want to highlight is having the opportunity to live in Florence for four months. Florence is one of the most amazing cities in the world, and living here has taught me so much. I have learned so much about the history of art, Italy, and the Catholic church. Being able to study these things and seeing where they happened in real life is an experience that I will never forget, and one of the coolest ways I have ever learned. It has been such an honor to call this city my home for the past four months, and I know from the time I leave I will be itching to come back. I hope to take these last two weeks to soak in my final experiences in this city. This has been the most amazing experience, and I hope I do have the opportunity to come back.