Food, Fashion, and Friends, Studying Abroad in Italy 

We started in Florence, all tired from our flight and bus ride, so it was an early night in. The next morning, we were off to see the Medici Chapel and the Academia Galley. We learned about Michelangelo and his iconic sculptures and paintings. 

Two days later, the students and professors had a leisure day, so we decided to see the Uffizi Museum … and to try Italian McDonald’s. (Believe it or not, it was much better than in America!) The next morning, we saw the Gucci Gardens, a famous leather school, and an expert jewelry maker. It was so interesting to see the process behind making leather goods and different jewelry pieces. We left the hotel the next day and made our way to Rome. We stopped by a designer outlet on the way and made purchases! 

The bus ride from Florence to Rome was about four hours long, split up by our shopping trip. We arrived in Rome and took a bus tour of the city. We saw beautiful parks, the Colosseum, and of course, the Trevi Fountain. 

The next morning, a tour guide took us around Ancient Rome. We spent some time in the Colosseum, learning about the various games held in the magnificent building. Later that night, we took a food tour of Rome! The students and professors were able to enjoy rice and potato balls, a charcuterie board, diverse types of pizzas, and gelato. 

The following day, we toured Vatican City. We were able to see the museums, Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Sadly, our trip was about to end, and we had our LIM “farewell dinner” at night, where we did a lot of reflecting and laughing! The final day in Rome was a leisure day. Some of us decided to do some shopping and eat dinner besides the Spanish Steps. Others students tried different cuisines and went sightseeing. The next morning, we were at the airport on our way back to New York City for the start of the spring semester!  

I learned so much from going abroad with LIM. The art and culture in Florence and Rome were unlike anything I have ever seen before. The citizens of the cities were enthusiastic about the history of their country and were eager to spread their knowledge. Italian fashion is similar, yet different than American fashion. We saw a lot of what we’d consider basic clothing, mostly in neutral colors. There were a lot of the same retail stores in Italy as in America, including Brandy Melville and H&M; but, there were more small businesses than in America, which was amazing to see. One of my favorite parts of the trip was that I became closer with the people that I knew, and I made new friends!