Exploring A Portion Of Italy – FUA Travel Week
While driving to Boston Logan Airport, I was filled with emotions. I was confident in my choice to study abroad, but I couldn’t help thinking about all of the “what ifs.” What if I get homesick? What if I don’t like living in the city? What if I don’t make any new friends? What if I can’t speak Italian? What if I didn’t pack enough? What if I forgot something? All of these thoughts were racing in my head on repeat the previous night as well, and I knew I was just psyching myself out (a tendency of mine). I reminded myself to take a deep breath and think about how incredible this opportunity is. Living and studying my passion in a different country was something that I have always dreamed of doing, so why was I so nervous? I reassured myself that I was going to be okay, and I would forget about at all of these concerns in just a few weeks. I said goodbye to my family (the hardest part of the entire departure process), and then I walked me and my three pieces of luggage through the airport entrance, trying my best not to look back.
One month later…
I was right. As I am writing this blog, I have adjusted to living in Italy after a month, and although my “what ifs” were perfectly normal and valid, they diminished to the back of my mind shortly after arriving to Italy. My first week in Italy was a surreal and unforgettable experience all thanks to the FUA Cultural Introduction to Italy program, a 3-credit course that Endicott students are required to take as a part of the abroad program. The course is intended to “provide students with an in-depth introduction to Italian culture and to broaden ones awareness and understanding of the role of cultural heritage in customs and lifestyles.” This description truly does not do this week-long class justice, as the on-site learning and activities were truly the best introduction to my time in Italy.
Day 1: Arrival in Rome
After a fairly painless 8 hour flight, our group of 60 students successfully made it from Boston to Rome where we would be spending the next two nights. We grabbed our luggage from the baggage claim and then waited for our transportation. We sent our larger luggage off to Florence as we were only allowed a carry on for our Travel week, and then our group was split up into several groups based on our professors. Our group was exhausted from traveling and we expected to check in to the hotel rooms and nap until dinner, but we were surprised when we arrived to our hotel and we were told to go explore the city. Our professor, Umberto, was looking out for us by not letting us sleep as sticking through the tiredness so that we could recover from jet lag and prevent it from getting worse. Although we were all running on less than 3 hours of sleep and definitely could have been in a better mood, we trudged out to the streets of Rome to get lunch. We made a rookie mistake and sat down at the first restaurant that summoned us in (we later learned that this method of ushering people to sit is a tourist trap), and had some lunch. The food gave us the energy we desperately needed, but it wasn’t a memorable first Italian meal.
After lunch, we had more free time before we had to meet back at the hotel so we decided to sort out our SIM cards. We went to a TIM store at the nearby train station and purchased Italian SIM cards for around €35 as a start-up cost. The SIM cards are actually very affordable and easy to use with Whats-App while abroad. We had a test at 4:00, so we headed back to the hotel and waited in the lobby until it was time to take the test. Most people’s intentions were to study while we waited, but most of us ended up falling asleep in the comfortable lounge chairs in the lobby. It was quite the funny scene to walk into.
After taking our test on the reading we had to complete prior to our arrival, we were able to check into our rooms. Almost everyone took a quick nap before dinner, and then we met with the group again and walked though Rome to get to the restaurant that had tables waiting for us. Dinner was my first culture shock as I was not prepared to eat as much as we did. Included in our group dinner was wine, bread as an appetizer, a delicious lasagna, chicken, and desert. After eating the lasagna, I did not realize there was going to be a Secondi Piatti and was absolutely shocked when they brought out a large chicken after just finishing my pasta. I was unable to finish the chicken and it made me so sad knowing I was wasting food, but I had yet to adopt the different type of appetite in Italy. The food was absolutely delicious and we all left very full and ready for bed.
Day 2: Exploring Rome
We woke up bright and early around 7AM and grabbed breakfast at the hotel buffet. I had yogurt, cereal, a plum and a croissant which gave me some energy for the long day ahead. After breakfast, we met with our groups, and we started our journey over to the Colosseum. On the way, we stopped at the Basilica di San Pietro which is home to Michelangelo’s Moses statue. The church was beautiful and was a great introduction to the stunning architecture and intricate detail that was put into religious buildings.
Next, we walked around 10 minutes to the Colosseum which is truly just like the photos. The exterior of the amphitheater is clearly ancient and well preserved. Our tour guide, Kiara was incredibly informative and told us all about the history of the Roman empire and provided some context into the time period of the Colosseum. We discussed the building of the amphitheater, its purpose, how staging worked, and the seating arrangements based on social class. I thought it was fascinating that the Colosseum was used for pure public entertainment, and some of that entertainment included some pretty gory stuff (animal fights, public executions, and gladiator fights). We spent two hours exploring different parts of the Colosseum, and gained some great insight into the rich history of Rome.
We went straight to the Roman Forum from the Colosseum where we spent a lot of time talking about the historical significance of the architectural remains. We ventured up to what Kiara referred to as the best lookout in Rome and spent a few minutes admiring the vast view of the city. Sadly we were behind schedule, so the tour moved a little too fast for my liking, but we got to see where Julius Caesar was supposedly killed and buried on our way out.
After a lot of walking and time in the sun, it was time for lunch where we had pasta and veil. We cooled down and fueled up with some delicious food, and then started on to our next location – the Pantheon. On the way we stopped at the Fountain of the Four Rivers which had very realistic sculptures in motion. After that, we got to admire the Fontana del Pantheon, a stunning fountain in front of the Pantheon, and then we got in line to enter the church. We waited for around 10 minutes, and found out as we got to the front of the line that we had to have our shoulders covered. Luckily, I had a white button up, but some people in our group were not able to go inside. The inside of the church was beautiful, and there were some jewels on display as we walked around the inside.
After the Pantheon, we walked to the Trevi Fountain which was surprisingly less crowded than I thought it would be. We were able to walk to the edge of the fountain and take some pretty awesome photos. I didn’t happen to have any change, but there’s a funny theory that if you have your back turned to the fountain and throw a coin over your left shoulder and it goes in, you’re going to come back to Rome in the future. It’s humorous because it’s nearly impossible to miss the fountain. I got my first Italian gelato (mint chocolate chip and stracciatella) right next to the fountain and it hit the spot. For our final spot of the day we visited the Spanish Steps. It was my intention to remake a photo that my mom took while she was in Rome where you had to spot her (like the Where’s Waldo game) in the huge crowd of people on the steps, but when we arrived there was barely even a crowd. Next to the stairs was a pop-up market for artists and we walked through the tents to see all different paintings by local artists. We took the metro back to our hotel after an exhausting day of walking and sightseeing, but our evening was just getting started.
We were in charge of getting dinner on our own, and we ended up at Santa Maria Osteria Romana where I had a traditional Roman dish: Cacio E Pepe which was great. Our waiter, Luca, was very nice and gave us complementary pastries before we left.
After dinner, we discovered “Birds” which are electric scooters that you can find all over the city. We decided to give them a try and scooted to an American-themed bar that had all different college T-shirts hanging throughout the interior. Many others opted for an ice bar where you have to wear a big coat because the inside is made of ice, but turns out it was more of a tourist trap. We had a great time exploring Rome at night, and it was surreal seeing the Colosseum lit up under the night sky.
Day 3: Vatican City + Villa Farnese
We had breakfast at our hotel (Hotel Mediterraneo) and then loaded up the bus with all of our luggage to check out. We took the metro to Vatican City where we met our tour guide, Kiara, for a tour through St. Peter’s Basilica. I was already very impressed by Rome, but after walking into that church my jaw dropped. I had never seen a building that paid so much attention to little details like this one. Every square inch of the church had something to look at with mosaics, statues, gold, and marble lining each surface. The first thing we looked at was the Mary + Jesus sculpture which was carved by a young 23 year-old Michelangelo. Another neat detail that we looked at was the tiles on the floor that stated the size of other churches in comparison to St. Peter’s. I could have spent hours just walking around the church looking at all of the art, but eventually we had to leave. We had the freedom to stay and climb to the top of the basilica or go explore the shops surrounding the church. I decided to climb to the top, and ended up buying lift tickets to try to avoid spending time climbing stairs. Unfortunately the lift only got us so far, and on the roof of the church there was a souvenir shop and even a café for refreshments and some food. From the roof you can see just how massive the statues on the top of the Vatican are, but you can also climb to the cupola which we decided to do. The stairs to get to the top were very narrow and sometimes spiraled, and as the dome curved, the wall curved too causing us to walk at a slight angle. We were told during the tour that the church was built to have ‘outstretched arms’ to welcome everyone into the church, and from the very top you could clearly see this deliberate construction. We spent some time admiring the view, and then we walked back down the stairs (it was much easier going down) and then took the lift to the very bottom. We sent some postcards directly from the Vatican at one of the shops near the exit, and then we got pizza at a place called Alice which was highly recommended by our professor. The pizzas came in square slices, and I decided on a margharita and a prosciutto + cheese pizza which were delicious. We took the metro back to our hotel and boarded the bus to get ready for our next destination.
We arrived in Caprarola, a quiet and beautiful town that is home to Villa Farnese – a pentagonal mansion that started to be built in 1528. We learned about the history of the mansion and that it was built with five sides to withstand more force if it were to be under attack. We got to walk through the mansion and saw a variety of different rooms which each had their own theme. There were rooms dedicated to music, maps, mythology, and more. After exploring the art of the interior, we wandered outside to the garden which was huge. The property had a casino and a hunting house with decorated statues and sculptures lining the gardens. Near the exit is a really unique cave that had some fresh water flowing in it. The mansion was beautiful inside and out, and it was in a perfect location. On our way out of the village, we stopped at a small convenience store which sold some of the best hazelnut spread (according to our advisor who visited in previous years). I have the biggest sweet tooth, so I bought two jars of the original spread and I can confirm that it is so good (especially paired with crackers + bread).
We got on the bus and headed to our next hotel, Hotel Villa Sofia. The hotel hosted us for dinner and had quite the array of food. Before dinner, we were encouraged to arrive early and enjoy a variety of unique appetizers and Prosecco with orange juice that they made for us. The appetizers were mixes of bread, cream cheese and toppings of shrimp, caviar, kiwi, and more. I think that the appetizers required an acquired taste as they were not my favorite, but we had a delicious dinner. Our first course was pasta followed by a second course of pork, and we even got lemon cake for dessert. We spent a lot of time at dinner chatting and getting to know one another, and each table had a lot of laughs.
Day 4: Villa Lante, Sacred Wood of Bomarzo, Giardino dei Tarocchi
We had an early start to the day and had a yummy buffet breakfast at the hotel. Sadly, we didn’t get the best sleep because we could not figure out how to turn a light off in our room so we slept with it on, and the A/C did not work. We rested on the bus ride over to our first stop: Villa Lante. This villa was located in Bagnaia, another small town. The villa has a garden with three levels filled with statues, fountains, and all sorts of vegetation. We spent some time exploring and then boarded the bus for our next stop at the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo.
This attraction was made by Francesco 'Vicino' Orsini who allegedly worked with potions and magic which went against the Pope’s (his father in law) beliefs. It is suggested that Orsini built some sculptures as a place to to practice his secret passion. As you walk into the garden, a message written on one of the sculptures greets you. This message encourages you to interpret a meaning behind the garden on your own as you explore. There were so many stone structures that could have represented many things, and there was even a sculpture of Orsini’s wife who passed; her death may have also served as a motivator for him to start the garden. There was also a slanted house in the garden that played with my perception and totally made me dizzy after only spending a minute inside. I left this garden with a feeling of uncertainty because I’m still not sure if or how everything correlates, but I am so glad that I got to see it.
For lunch we stopped at a local restaurant and had yummy pasta and chicken.
For our final stop of the day, we visited Giardino dei Tarocchi which was created by Nicki Tarocchi who developed her unique style for art as a coping mechanism for her depression. The garden mimics different Tarot Cards and each sculpture connected to one of the major arcana. I didn’t have any expectations going into this park, but I could have spent hours there because there was so much to look it. It truly made me feel like a little kid in an amusement park.
After the garden we arrived at our hotel for the evening: Hotel La Darsena. We got a 5 course dinner at the hotel – the amount of food consumed during meal time is something that I definitely had to get used to. We started with a platter of meat and cheese, then moved on to two different pastas, and then a hamburger (with no bun), and then various desserts. We were very full and exhausted from a busy day, so we went to bed early.
Day 5: Etruscan Tombs, Beach, + Wine Tasting
We woke up and had a buffet breakfast at the hotel – I blame these buffets for getting hooked on chocolate croissants.
We transferred to the Etruscan Necropolis where we rook a quick tour of some tombs. The Etruscans did not have access to fresh water so they only had wine to hydrate and were often drunk. They worshipped the God of Wine and after someone’s passing, they would drink even more wine to connect with this God. We got to see the tomb sites and some ancient artifacts that were buried with these peoples. Due to the heat the tour was pretty quick, and we got to go to the beach across the street from the tombs. The view was beautiful and many people in our group went swimming.
After around an hour there, we moved on to our next activity: wine tasting at La Bulichella. We got to see the beautiful countryside on our way to the winery, and then had lunch when we got there. We had bruschetta and meat platters to start, and then some delicious lasagna for our main meal, and finally tiramisu for dessert. We sampled three different wines while we ate and learned the proper way to sample a wine. Unfortunately, I have yet to like wine, so I didn’t like the samples much, but there were other people who liked it so much they bought a bottle at the store. After lunch we got a tour of the winery and we were walked through the process of making wine which is an art in itself.
After the winery we made our way over to Hotel Undulna where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. This was definitely our nicest hotel yet and it was located across the street from a stunning beach. After arriving, our group of girls decided to go watch the sunset on the beach. It was a breathtaking sunset and the mountains lined the horizon for some incredible photos.
We had a group dinner at a local restaurant and they served us so much food! We had a pretty late lunch so many of us were still pretty stuffed from that, and we felt bad sending back leftovers because the food was so good! We had massive meat platters to start, then all different kinds of bread. I have no idea what some of these appetizers are called, but there was some spinach and zucchini involved. The main courses were ravioli and risotto which were so good, and I was so sad I couldn’t eat more. To finish, they served a cake-like dessert. I had a culture shock when one of the waitresses asked if I didn't like the food because I hadn’t finished it, but I had to reassure her that I was just full. In some parts of Italy, it is considered an insult if you do not finish your meal and taking home leftovers can be frowned upon depending on the restaurant. We wrapped up at the restaurant and went straight to bed back at the hotel.
Day 6: Marble Studio, Pietrasanta, + Viareggio
We had another buffet style breakfast at the restaurant and then headed towards a local marble sculpture studio.
It was very interesting to see the behind the scenes of sculpting and learn where the marble came from. The town we were in was surrounded by mountains, and you could see where the marble was extracted by its white coloring in the mountain. The owner of the studio did not speak english so our professor translated the information to us, and we got to walk through a gallery at the end. For our next stop we transferred to the town of Pietrasanta, a very artistic city where Michelangelo used to stay while collecting marble for his works. We got some free time to wander through this town and got to stop in several unique boutiques and jewelry stores.
After an hour of roaming, we moved to Viareggio where we got even more free time to explore the pier. For lunch I got a sandwich the size of my arm which was delicious and had some sweet gelato as well. We shopped around and I made my first few purchases including a pleather jacket (one of my main goals of shopping when I arrived). After some time to roam, we drove over to where the Carnival floats are stored until the big event. Carnival in Viareggio is considered one of the most renowned carnival festivities in Europe and these floats did not disappoint. The style used to create the floats can be a little creepy especially considering their size, but I loved how each float had a unique message. We saw some floats that brought attention to race inequality, global warming, and corruption in politics.
After getting to see the floats we went back to our hotel and had free time to get our own dinner. We walked for a while to try to find the right place to eat, but many places were unfortunately closed. We ended up at a restaurant that was basically a 2-man show (1 waiter and 1 chef). The service was very slow, but the waiter was very friendly and the food was good. We walked back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 7: Cinque Terre
Today was a fan favorite. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel and then went to the train station. We took two different trains to Cinque Terre where we spent most of the day. Some of the group got off at Vernazza in order to hike over to Monterosso, and some opted to go straight to the beach without the hike. This hike was one of the things I was looking forward to most during travel week, so I was very eager. We got off in Vernazza and had some time to grab pastries or drinks, so I decided to get a peach smoothie which was fresh + delicious. We entered the hike at a tucked away stairwell that I probably would not have found without a guide. The hike was actually pretty intense with a lot of incline and decline. The views were so beautiful and well worth all the sweat, plus it was nice to get in some exercise before a relaxing afternoon on the beach. The hike ended up being about 2 miles, but it took us a while to get from start to finish. We were pretty hungry after arriving in Monterosso, and went to a restaurant where we got a meat platter and sandwiches. After lunch we met up with the rest of our group at the beach and enjoyed a dip in the Mediterranean Sea. The water temperature was perfect and the water was incredibly clear, even at 20ft deep you could still see the bottom.
At 4:30 we got back on the trains and made it back to our hotel at 6:30. We had another group dinner at a local restaurant called Bagno Stefanella which was one of my favorite meals. To start we had pasta and tuna, then fried calamari, carrots, and zucchini, and for dessert we got vanilla ice cream with caramel + nuts. After a long day, we fell asleep very quickly and got ready to leave the next morning.
Day 8: Forte dei Marmi
We had our last breakfast at the hotel and we were sad to go. We traveled to Forte dei Marmi where we got to go to an outdoor market that a variety of clothes and jewelry. I absolutely adore markets and grew up going to yard sales and flea markets with my family, so I was very excited to see how markets worked in Italy. I loved looking at the selection of clothes in all of the pop-up tents, but sadly things were a little too expensive for my liking (I was on the hunt for a good bargain). After the market, we got to rent bikes and go around the city which was a lot of fun. Some people in our group got to take the 4-person quadracycle, but they fell behind pretty quickly and had to do a shorter loop. There were convenient bike paths everywhere so it was really refreshing to get out and explore by bike. Sadly, after our bike ride around town, our travel week was finished and we started our long journey to Florence where we would be staying the next three months. Travel week was one of my favorite parts of my time abroad and barely felt like a class, rather an educational way to explore some of the best parts of Italy.
Academics
Travel Week is a 3-credit course so there were some assignments that came along with the class. Every teacher is different, but we had to read a book and some articles prior to our arrival in Italy, and then complete daily assignments during the week. On our first day we had to take a test on the book we had to read prior which was a mix of multiple choice and short answer. We had just enough free time before dinner each day to finish the assignments which reflected what we saw each day. In addition to daily assignments, we had a final paper, journal, and presentation that were all due in the following weeks after we arrived in Florence. Although the majority of this class is dedicated to on-site education, keep in mind that you will have to find time to complete assignments on your own.
Packing
I am a classic overpacker and the idea of packing for three months was not something that I wanted to think about. I studied abroad in the Fall, so we arrived in Italy in late September and stayed until mid-December. This timing meant that I had to pack clothes for both summer and winter, which stressed me out even more. Everyone packed different amounts, but for the most part students checked one big suitcase aid then had their carry-on suitcase for travel week and a backpack. For me, I checked two big suitcases instead because I wanted to make sure I had enough room to bring some clothes home as well. Below I am going to try to list what I brought and any regrets that I had.
Carry On Backpack
camera + 3 lenses
laptop
ipad
book
a change of clothes
chargers (including an adaptor)
reusable water bottle
fanny pack with essentials (passport, wallet, vaccine card, AirPods)
Travel Week Carry On Suitcase
4 shorts
5 tops
1 jacket
1 hat (had to bring at least one from the collection)
1 dress
sunglasses
2 pajama sets
toiletries
1 light rain jacket
socks + undies
sneakers
sandals/flip flops
1 athletic outfit
Travel week was very warm and everyone sweat A LOT. I wish that I had packed more dresses as that seemed to be what most people wore everyday. Definitely pack for your comfort level and what you like to wear, but I regret not bringing more skirts and dresses. I didn’t end up wearing my athletic outfit and it was hard to rewear clothes because of all the time we spent under the sun. Other than that, I thought I did a decent job packing light for travel week and didn’t have too much to carry around with me.
Other Two Suitcases (18.5in x 27in)
It’s difficult to list out everything that I brought, but here’s a rough estimate:
2 blazers
1 long jacket
3 short jackets (jean + corduroy)
2 hats (definitely not necessary, I’m just extra)
3 ‘going out’ tops
5 pairs of pants
3 skirts (2 long + 1 short)
shampoo + conditioner full bottles (I was worried they wouldn’t have my specific kind here)
several button downs
4 sweaters
3 dresses
tights
Doc Martins + white boots
lots of pajama shirts and shorts
1 pair of leggings
4 biker shorts
4 work out tops
Now I know that seems like a lot of stuff, but I ended up buying even more while I was here. The weather changed to cooler, sweater weather only 2 weeks after being in Florence, so I felt like I brought way too many summer clothes, and ended up needing more winter clothes. I didn’t need all of the shorter jackets I brought and they took up a lot of storage in my luggage. I would recommend bringing 1-2 heavier coats that will keep you warm and 1-2 jackets for the in-between fall weather. I ended up getting a gym membership while abroad, and I wish I had brought more leggings or sweatpants so I wasn’t cold in biker shorts in my walk over. I did not need to bring so many workout tops and ended up just wearing my oversized pajama shirts to the gym instead. Besides these changes, I am content with what I brought, although I definitely could have packed lighter. Some people brought straighteners and curling irons from home, but they are easy enough to buy here, and our apartment came with a hairdryer. My face cleanser was easy to find here, so I only brought a little bottle for travel week and bought the larger bottle when I moved into Florence. In conclusion, pack lighter than you think because you can always buy things here (there is an H&M + Zara 5 minutes away from us), and think about dressing for the cold because that was the majority of our time here.
blue + white suitcases are my large, checked luggage
I will be writing several more blogs about my weekend trips to neighboring countries and cities in Italy, and I hope that you found this blog useful whether you are hoping to study abroad through FUA or just looking to visit some of the places listed!
