As my program in Florence comes to a close I look back at my perception of the world prior to coming here and can say it is completely different after. Being able to travel throughout Europe these past six weeks has been a once in a lifetime opportunity that I tried to make the most of. I’ve been in Florence for a majority of my time as my home base and after traveling to many other countries and cities I can easily say I would not change it for a second. I chose Florence because I’m Italian and have heard so many great things about it. My favorite book takes place here and I am so glad I got to experience all of the places mentioned, like I was in the book myself. This whole trip was like I was living in a dream.
Some other places in Italy I visited was Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, and Naples. There are so many more places in Italy I would love to see as this was only the start. Everything is fairly similar in most parts of Italy but so different at the same time. Each region is known for different kinds of foods, monuments, or history. I’ve learned so much from Italians on this trip. Not many people are fond of Italians because they can be “mean”, but I’ve learned that sometimes it just takes the correct approach and they are some of the nicest most generous people you will meet. They are very direct and will tell you exactly what’s on their mind which may come across rude, but is something you have to learn is normal in their culture and not a personal attack. Having to adapt to Italian customs was definitely challenging at times but life here is so much better when you genuinely do try to adapt to them and not expect them to adapt to you. Italians in general are very traditional and family oriented people. Florence especially is a very old city and has specific laws that you can only paint buildings certain colors and need permissions to renovate because they like to preserve the history of the city. I personally love this aspect of the city and Italy in general because with an ever changing world it’s always nice to know your roots and be able to see and experience what your ancestors once did.
Other than Italy I was so lucky to be able to travel elsewhere on my journey and experience many different cultures. I stayed in London near some other Pitt study abroad students that are friends of mine to get a glimpse of how their abroad experience compares to mine. It was so nice to have a change of pace and see my friends thrive in their study abroad city while showing me around so many extraordinary places. I ended up liking London a lot more than I thought I would. Everyone is so nice there and so many restaurants and places felt like you just walked into a movie. I also met up with some friends studying abroad in Paris. I think Paris was my favorite place other than Florence. It was genuinely one of the most beautiful cities and one of my comfort movies is Ratatouille so I may have even cried when I saw some rats running under the Eiffel Tower. Lastly I visited Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva is not a huge tourist area especially in Switzerland. That being said there definitely wasn’t as much to do here as some other places might have had but I thought it was the perfect end to my journey. It is a beautiful city very close to France, so relaxing, and I never felt judged for being American either. You truly can tell why it’s the happiest country in the world. I will definitely be back here to see other places when I have more time and money because although it is the happiest country in the world it is also one of the most expensive ones.
Being able to see a mix of cultures between Italy and other European countries I have learned an immense amount about the world. I will use the patience I’ve learned from adjusting to different cultures in the remainder of my Pitt career along with my future career as a physical therapist. This experience has also taught me so much about communication and how important it is to understanding people. I’m not even referring to verbal communication because, yes many places there was a language barrier, but just watching body language and habits of the locals can teach you a lot. Genuine attention to detail can go a long way and be the difference in your perception of places and people. Lastly, living with such a diverse group of people for this past month and a half will help me go so far in life. It gave me an experience that helps me understand all kinds of people better which will always be beneficial not only in my future career but in life in general.
