After departing the U.S. and stepping foot in Italy a little over a week ago, I have been pushed out of my comfort zone to say the least. Learning and living in the small town of Ariccia where everyone speaks strictly Italian threw me for a loop at first. Throughout the past week and a half, I have picked up on many key Italian words and phrases that have helped me communicate with the locals. We also had our first Italian lesson with Sandra which has helped tremendously. She taught us how to pronounce every letter of the alphabet and how some letter combinations are “hard” while others are “soft” as well as hearing and understanding some common conversations.

Getting to go upstairs and see the beautiful artwork within the palace has been one of my favorite moments thus far. Living and studying in a museum is something I never thought would be my reality, but here I am about to live this dream for the next two months. We have had a few trips to Rome and seeing the Trevi Fountain directly in front of me has been one of my highlights. The fountain is not only so grand and magnificent looking, but also knowing that it is the only undamaged aqueduct after a German invasion makes it that much cooler. Legend has it that if you toss one coin in, you’ll return to Rome again, if you toss two coins in, you’ll fall in love, and three coins you’ll marry that person. Last week, I threw one in and I was back to Rome that same weekend- so maybe the legend holds true!

Arrivederci (Goodbye!),

Maddie Tuohy