Our first trip of the day was to Siena! After an early morning bus ride, we started off with a walking tour. Siena is beautiful and the history is very interesting! For lunch we all got Pici pasta, which Siena is known for. It was delicious! Our next destination was San Gimignano! This town is…
Tag: Florence
Abroad in Florence
Even though I am exhausted, I am loving how busy I am here. My roommate and I wake up early and head off to class. My program’s classes are “Language and Literature for the Young Child” and “Teaching English Language Learners.” After class we work on assignments and then we go explore! A nice place…
Hello Florence!
When finally arriving in Florence, after a long day of sleepless travel, I was feeling a little bit anxious. However, everyone in my program is so friendly and helpful with this new big transition! These first few days have been a bit rainy, but still amazing! Because we’re in Florence! Also, one of our first…
Arrivederci!
As I arrived home from my study abroad program in Florence, I felt a deep sense of gratitude and fulfillment. This experience abroad was like nothing I have ever done in my entire life. For the first time, I was forced to adapt to a completely new environment and culture. Although there were some challenges,…
Improvement Over Perfection
For my elective course in Florence, I decided to take Beginning Composition Drawing. Prior to this course, I had no experience with drawing, unless you count elementary school. Day one of the course was very straightforward: after buying our art supplies, we were tasked with drawing a wine bottle. What I initially deemed a simple…
Food and Dining in Florence
In my Italian course, we did an activity where we went to a local market to learn about its prevalence in Italian culture. On the walk to the market and while walking through the market, I had a variety of conversations with my instructor, who is a local. One topic we discussed was fast food…
Hidden Gem in Fiesole
Throughout my time in Florence, I relied heavily on my phone. The city is large and filled with many small streets, so navigation was often a challenge. Although I learned my way around the city much better by the end of the program, I sometimes still needed directions for even short walks. I also found…
Off to Italy!
Hello! My name is Nick Harris, and I am a rising senior at Pitt, where I am studying Applied Mathematics. After graduating in Spring 2027, I plan to gain more professional experience and then pursue a master’s degree in quantitative economics. As I have never been out of the country before, I wanted to select…
Time to Say Goodbye to Florence
As my trip comes to an end, the lessons I have learned both inside and outside the classroom will stay with me throughout the rest of my academic career and beyond. Learning about the importance of sustainability and its impact on communities is something I will carry with me whenever I design or analyze a…
Time Flies on a Bullet Train
Studying abroad in Florence means adopting the lifestyle of the native city dwellers, that also means using their transportation. Specifically, I mean the bullet trains. My first “wow” moment was booking and using these trains to travel to Venice for a weekend. It was amazing how simple it was to book the ticket online and…