It’s a tale as old as time: You can leave the place you call home for bigger and better things, but in the end, you’ll always find your way back. When I first arrived in Ariccia, Italy, I had a hard time imagining that it would be anything more than my temporary dorm for the 11 weeks that I was living here. Thinking about it now, I realize how wrong I was. 

Since the first week we have been here ‘on the go’ is the phrase that I would use to describe my life. Every week we have a different field trip to a different location and every weekend we are off to a new Italian city to experience what the different regions have to offer. When I am on the go so much, I really begin to appreciate the feeling I have when I am “home”. The funny thing is, now when I think of home, I think of my little nest that is settled in my room in the Chigi Palace with my roommate sleeping on the other side of my dresser and the ability to walk to the places that feel most familiar to me. A place that was once the most unfamiliar location to me is now the place that I feel the most at peace and always find myself wanting to get back as quickly as possible. When we get picked up from wherever we have been for the weekend and our driver tells us “Let’s go home” I truly feel like I am going home.

Of all the things I have learned these past six weeks about the Italian culture, history, cuisine, and art there is one that sticks out the most. No matter where I go, whether it is a day in Rome for a field trip or to Sorrento for a weekend full of sun and fun, I always find my way back to the place I love the most: home. 

Lots of love from home

Carly Mang