As I boarded the plane from Atlanta to Rome, I had no idea where these next twelve weeks would take me, both intellectually and physically. All I knew was that I was already well on my way. My only mindset for this trip was well… “Wine Not?” I came into this expecting to be immersed in the art, architecture, history, language, food, mythology, fashion, and film of Italy through the guidance of my Italian lecturers who are experts in all of these areas. Surprisingly, the most valuable lessons I learned were not through class lectures, but through the relationships I have developed with my professors, peers, and people that I have encountered along the way.
This trip has taught me to not only learn through structure, but also to live in the moment and accept that life is beautifully unpredictable; to always use the moment to its fullest extent. Each day of this journey has been a lesson and each moment has been unique and beautiful in the impact it has had on me. Through this experience, I have learned a new language, adapted to a new culture, and am able to see the world from a new perspective.
Francesco Petrucci, one of our Italian professors, said to us, “you need to not close yourself off. Instead, open yourself up to people who are bigger than you and you can grow. These people are the ones who can open your mind.” I can honestly say that I would be nowhere if it weren’t for the overwhelming human generosity I have experienced throughout my travels. No matter how brief of an encounter, every person I come in contact with has an impact on me that I can take away for a lifetime.

Our cooking instructer, Mary Lou, and her husband, Marco, enjoying time and sharing their wisdom with our group.

When I was younger, the only stories I wanted to hear about were fairytales. The stories of princesses being swept off their feet by their prince charming or stories of wild adventures through beautiful places. Today, instead of watching or hearing of these stories, we were able to live out our own kind of a fairytale. A fairytale filled with lots of wine, food, and a beautiful garden.
The Marco Carpineti winery is an organic winery located in Cori, Italy. It is family owned and stretches over 50 acres of land. Thanks to our wonderful program, we were able to help the Carpineti family with their grape harvest this year! After we picked some grapes, we made our way to the cantina to learn how the process of winemaking truly works. Because we’re in Italy, it is obvious we go through our fair share of wine, and so I’m grateful we were able to see the process of how these winemakers make what we drink. Being in Hotel and Restaurant Management, this is a useful process to know. Picking the grapes and seeing the process was fun, but the best part of all was saved for last- food and wine tasting. We were taken to a beautiful room overlooking the land and were served incredible wine and food.

Some of the grapes we harvested!

The Ninfa Gardens

It is hard to believe that we are wrapping up our first full month in Italy. This week has been especially busy; we returned to our home in Ariccia from an optional trip to Positano on Sunday afternoon and tried to prepare for the week. After a long day of class on Monday, we packed our bags and left bright and early the next morning for an overnight field trip to Assisi and Orvieto, two towns in the region of Umbria.
Our first day in Assisi was wonderful. We toured St. Francis’s Basilica and were able to see all of the frescos and history that we have been learning about in our classes. Later that night we arrived in Orvieto and had the night to ourselves to explore. Orvieto may be one of my favorite cities we’ve been to so far! It is not a huge tourist destination so everything seemed so authentic. Some places we visit lack the charm and culture of Italy because they cater so much to tourists.
We had a fun night exploring Orvieto, but we woke up this morning with heavy hearts when we learned that a sweet girl in our group had received some hard news from home. Since we all live together, we have become a pretty tight knit group, so we started off our day praying for our friend, sharing in her pain, and wanting to do anything to comfort her. After touring Orvieto, we headed to the Trebotti Vineyards and Farm for a tour. After the rough start to the day, this fun activity is exactly what the whole group needed. One of the coolest things about Trebotti is that it is a completely organic, sustainable farm.  First, we got to meet the resident donkey, Jane, who helps cut all of the grass and fertilize the vineyard. Then we learned more about the wine making process and even got to taste some of the grapes grown there. Finally, they invited us to have aperitivo and wine tasting. We had a wonderful time trying all of the wine, snacking, and getting to relax and enjoy each other’s company. One of the things I think is special about this trip is the relationships we have all formed with each other. Everyone’s hearts are hurting for our friend. While it was difficult to see her hurt and struggle today, I feel so thankful to be surrounded by such caring people, including our teachers. I also feel reminded that life is so fragile and we should not take this time in Italy or with each other for granted.
 
Written by Marie Mitchell

Kendall, Marie, and Lauren P. at Trebotti Vineyards.

Our first week in Italy has exceeded all expectations. From the moment we arrived in this beautiful place, we have been overwhelmed trying to take in all the incredible sights, sounds and tastes Italy has to offer. Our first two days we spent unpacking, and touring the town of Ariccia and the lovely Chigi Palace ,which we still can’t believe is our “home”. We also met our wonderful Italian professors who were so welcoming and made us even more excited to learn all they have to teach us. Our first class field trip was a tour of the Castelli Romani towns. Each town was more beautiful than the last. One of our favorite towns, Castel Grandolfo, is located on Lake Albano. It was so beautiful, we decided to go back on our first Saturday in Italy. We spent the whole day soaking up the sunshine, kayaking, and enjoying one another’s company. Saturday night, a few of us went into the town of Albano for the art festival. The town was full of local artists, food vendors and musicians. We loved exploring the streets, stopping along the way to dance, eat, and take pictures of the beautiful sights. Monday was our first Italian cooking class with Mrs. Mary Lou. She taught us the art of simple, fresh Italian cooking and we made a delicious pasta dish and Nutella and cream layered sponge cake. Even though we have only been here a week, I feel I am learning so much. I am learning how to better interact and relate to people of all backgrounds and cultures and that you can learn something from everyone you encounter if you take the time to listen. As a Child Life major, my career will require me to interact with people of all ethnicities and backgrounds and I know my experiences here in Italy will greatly contribute to this.  Overall, adjustment to life here in Italy has been an easy and exciting transition. I think I speak for everyone when I say we cannot wait to take in every minute of this modern three month “Grand Tour” of Italy.
Written by:
Bradley Singletary

The whole group on our first full day in Italy

I cannot believe that our group has been here for almost a whole week. The twenty of us have been living the dream in the Chigi Palace. I wish that I could describe the calm, crisp lighting from the sun setting at dusk. Although it was not an easy transition, I am fortunate to be living life in this city and with these people. My bags must have the travel bug more than I do because they headed to France while I headed to Rome. This means that I did not get my luggage until four days after my move to Ariccia. Initially I was frustrated, but it was a lesson on how to enjoy the simplicity of life. Italy is teaching me so much of minimalism and living. Here the locals stroll and no one is on their phone at the dinner table. Before Italy, I did not know how to sit down for more than an hour or put my phone down. I thank Italy for showing me how to take in friendships, food, talks, and espresso. It was very interesting ordering my first ‘caffe americano’ at the coffee bar. The fact that it is called a “bar” is an adjustment alone. The barista asked me for my order and all I could say was “non

Castel Gondolfo overlooking the gorgeous Lake Albano

So it’s official- we are FINALLY in Ariccia, and finishing up the first week in our beautiful new home! The first days here have been more amazing than I ever imagined but the adjustment of assimilating to a new culture also comes with some hardships.
Upon arriving here, we toured the city of Ariccia where Cinzia and Ms. Linda taught us the ins and outs of life here in Italy. We ate our first Porchetta sandwich-which I must add, was quite delicious. We learned basics such as the stores to go to for cell phone minutes and transportation tickets, and even got a tid-bit from Cinzia about which boys to stay away from. We had the opportunity to tour the Chigi palace, see our class room and get to know some of the history behind the palace and its wonderful curator, Francesco. Francesco and Maurizio showed us the different rooms of the palace where the paintings remain in the same place the Chigi family put them. Thursday we went over the syllabus and toured the main cities of the Castelli Romani. Among many other things, we saw the pope’s summer home in Castel Gandolfo, tasted the sweet wine in Frascati, and saw the precious town of Nemi which is famous for its tiny strawberries.
Friday, we had our first official “Italian Survival Class” with Laney, who was once a student on the Joseph S. Bruno Study abroad program too. Her heart was  captured by the beautiful Italian culture while she was a student and decided to move back where she met an Italian man and got married. We learned that “Buongiorno” is the formal way to greet someone where as “Ciao” is more proper to greet a friend or acquaintance, among some other short phrases to help us get around. After getting schooled in Italian phrases, we had the opportunity of meeting the mayor of Ariccia. Though I didn’t understand much of what he said, I did grasp the important fact that he is happy to have us here in Ariccia, but somewhat upset that we are staying in his town’s beloved Chigi palace. Cinzia then took us around Albano, one of our neighboring towns, to show us where to catch the train and the bus, which I must add is easier said than done.
For our first official weekend in Ariccia, we had the choice to do whatever we wanted! Because of the jet lag we were all experiencing and the big week we had just taken on, most of us stayed close to home and relaxed for our first weekend off. After seeing the beauty of Lake Albano at the Castel Gandolfo overlook on Thursday, several of us decided that Lake Albano was the place to be on Saturday. We bought our twenty kilometer train tickets and headed to Albano, where we missed our very first train. As we saw it drive down the tracks without us, Natalie, Hannah, Caroline, Mackenzie and I were all frustrated but decided that a taxi was the next best thing. It was quite a sight to watch Caroline attempt at communicating with the taxi company, but after some miscommunications and about an hour wait, the five us us crammed in and headed to Castel Gandolfo. Little did we know that the drop off for Castel Gandolfo was a far trek from the actual beach, so about another hour later we made it down to meet the rest of our friends. It was a beautiful day to be at the beach where we relaxed and unwound from the stressful  week of culture assimilation. We enjoyed some delicious gnocchi and gelato to make the perfect day even better.
Overall, life in Italia has been wonderful. I have been shocked at how much slower the pace of life is here, and their lives are drenched with more richness than I believed possible! Though I have experienced some jet lag and the set backs of the “palace cold,” life here truly has been beautiful. I cant wait for more experiences and adventures in the next couple of months! I truly am so blessed to be here!