I studied abroad in 2015 in a town called Siena. The experience was pretty unique because I lived with a local family and only spoke Italian at home and in class. It was exhausting, but so much fun and my Italian became (pretty) proficient.

Every morning I took the bus to Piazza del Mercato (photo 1) and then walked through the main piazza (Piazza del Campo, photo 2) and down a huge hill (photo 3) to school. At the top of the hill was a wine shop where you could bring 2 litre bottles to fill with local wine for just a few euros.

I soon learned that the best pizza in the world is by far pizza del bufalo (photo 4). My favorite class was a food class where we learned how to make pici (like fresh, fat spaghetti), went to an olive press to see olive oil made (photo 5), and even saw step by step how gelato was made! I got to scoop the gelato right out of the machine into the container and lick the spoon afterwards (photo 6)!

One of the highlights of my program when my entire cohort flew to Sardinia, the big island to the west of Italy. We toured tons of old artifacts and ancient ruins and swam in beautiful turquoise waters (photo 7).

During my time in Italy, while I was learning the language I wanted to spend as much time acutally in Italy as I could. So, while other students were flying all over Europe every weekend, I was spending my Saturdays hanging out with friends around town and enjoying apperativos in the piazza.

In the middle of the semester we had a ten day break where there would be mandatory programming. People grouped up and chose locations and I ended up flying to Barcelona for a few nights with some friends, but what I really needed was some alone time.

So, I flew back to a city in the north of Italy, Turino, and took a train up to the alps near the French border. I got an Airbnb with an incredible view (photo 8 + above) and a friendly local host who helped me find cool things to do in the area. He also helped me get to and from town because he lived a little ways up the mountain from the actual town, as you can see from the photos. That was my very first solo travel experience.

Towards the end of the trip my mom and step dad came out to visit. For me, they were a much needed taste of home and I think for them it was a treat to get to meet my host family and see what my life had been like last few months.

A couple of my close friends, who also happened to be studying abroad that semester in Denmark, came to visit right before the end of the semester. I toured them around Siena (photo 9) and showed them all of my favorite things, like the Duomo di Siena (photo 10).

This trip changed me in ways that continue to unfold. It boosted my confidence, gave me insight into what I really value, and pushed the edge of my comfort zone. I’m grateful.