This week is Week 7, already past the halfway mark and nearing the end of this amazing journey. I cannot believe how quickly these weeks have gone by.

It seems like just yesterday I was so nervous, not knowing what I was getting into, leaving my family and hopping on an eight-hour flight to a country I have never been to before. It seems really crazy when I think about it like that. I had so many feelings coming onto this program: excitement, anxiousness, fear of being in a foreign country. But, as I started getting into the swing of things, I could not believe how the palace started to become my home away from home.

After unforgettable trips to Vienna, Milan, Munich, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, and different cities in Italy, I noticed I would get excited to come back to my little bed in my nest. This was especially a comfort to me as I was nervous about being away from home for so long.

As I continue my journey in Italy, I hope to fully take advantage of the rest of my time here and not take anything for granted.

I had one of my best friends come to visit me over the break, and we got to travel to 3 different countries. When she first arrived in Italy, she told me was how excited she was to try the food. I remember thinking to myself, “I cannot wait to have a break from all of this pizza and pasta.” In a few weeks when I am back at home or in Auburn, I am going to be dying to have the meals I have had here! These are moments when I realize how grateful I am to be in a place where I am able to experience (and eat) so much.

The best part about it is, I have the best group to share these moments with! I cannot wait to look back and remember these months as the most memorable and one of the best growing experiences I have ever had in my life!

Emma Williams

This past week was spring break, which also means I am now halfway through the semester! It has been an incredible experience in every way, and I am sad to see the time passing by so fast. I cannot believe six weeks have already gone by.

I have learned to soak up every moment because in the blink of an eye. I know I will be heading home soon, reminiscing about the best three months of my life. I have taken nothing for granted as we travel throughout Italy on field-trips, seeing sights I never imaged I would ever see in person growing up like the Colosseum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Trevi Fountain, and more.

On my own I have also traveled every weekend to new places including London, Milan, Sicily, Malta, and Paris, and cannot wait to continue seeing the world in the upcoming weeks, as well. Better yet, I am able to take on these new experiences and places with new friends that I feel like I have known for years. I have learned so much about many new cultures through my travels here, and I feel this is a great takeaway and something I will always be conscious of in the future.

So far, some of my favorite places in Italy are the small towns I most likely never would have visited or known about without the Joseph S. Bruno Program. I have fallen in love with the town we live in called Ariccia, as well as the surrounding towns, Albano and Nemi. These towns meet every expectation of the ‘Italian lifestyle’ I have envisioned before I came. Everything is so authentic here from the lifestyle to the food, and that is what makes me love it here so much.

Albano has the train station, a lot of shopping, and many restaurants we visit for aperitivo (an early appetizer-style meal before dinner). My favorite place of all though is another nearby town, Nemi. Though it is very small and quaint, it is known for its tiny strawberries, and a view of Lake Nemi that is breathtaking. I love overlooking the lake while enjoying a delicious strawberry pastry and cappuccino. It is in the small moments sometimes that I feel like I am living a dream.

Ciao bella (goodbye, beautiful),

Bethany Hadley

It’s the first day of week five and while today may be slow, the time here has flown by and it seems like there’s no stopping it. It’s crazy that spring break is so close to us and yet I feel like I haven’t been here for that long. Before I came to Italy, I decided to read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and if I got anything from reading it before my big adventure, it was the word attraversiamo. Although I have realized that it hasn’t been a typical word here in Italy, in the book it is explained to mean “let’s cross over”. It has been one that I feel can embody my time here, not just in Italy, but in all the places and cultures I’ve gotten to experience so far and still have yet to experience.

While we do get to travel so much, my wanderlust has not stopped. So far I have traveled outside of Ariccia every weekend to new cities and new countries, to see new places and faces, yet I still want to see more. I have gotten to experience Vienna, Munich and Milan with Barcelona coming up this weekend. Just the idea of having a new experience in a new place has been something I look forward to each week. I didn’t expect our weeks and weekends to vary as much as they have on a day to day basis. In our weeks there has always been something new, whether it’s been who we’ve met, like our Italian families, or where we’ve gone, inside or outside of the country, there’s just so much to take in. I hope I don’t forget to take a second to stop and truly take it all in.Before we know it our time here will be over and we will all be on to the next thing. Unlike most of the other girls here, I don’t know what my next step will be, and I’m slowly becoming more okay with it. This journey hasn’t gone as expected and it has taught me that not many things in our life do, no matter what we may think. This has been a constant reminder for me to change my mindset. To cross over from one way of thinking to another, one that’s okay when things don’t go as planned. And I hope that no matter what, amidst all of our travels throughout our remaining time here, I stop to smell the roses and recognize that there’s a reason and a season for everything.

Attraversiamo,

Kelsey Stratford

This week we had the opportunity to visit the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum with our amazing tour guide Giulia.  Before we entered the inside of the museum, we learned all about the frescos painted on the ceiling.  

Michelangelo, commissioned by Pope Julius II, was the artist held responsible for the entire project, which display the Old and New Testaments on the ceiling of the chapel. Originally, Pope Julius II gave Michelangelo four months to finish the entire ceiling.  Michelangelo ended up taking four years to finish the project.  During this time, Michelangelo was given free rein to do as he wished, however this project came at a cost to his personal life.  Through these four years, Michelangelo spent every moment painting while hunched over on scaffolding and painted through the night only with the light of one candle.  

Each painting has such intricate design and detail.  Each scene is blocked out by squares that depict stories from the Bible. The figures in the paintings proportions are much bigger than you would think.  In one of the squares, a man’s finger alone is the length of two forearms. Once we entered the chapel, I was fully able to appreciate all of the time and effort Michelangelo put into his art. When I bent my head back, the figures felt like they were jumping out at me.  The detail and use of color throughout all of the scenes is remarkable. It was the most amazing sight, something we will never forget!

Liz Cowhey

We are starting our fourth week here in Ariccia. I really have no idea where the time has gone. I feel like I was just stepping off the plane in Rome with so much excitement and nervousness just yesterday. I remember feeling anxious to get a taste of the many adventures I would experience, and in the four short weeks I have been here, lots of adventures have already begun.

Our first adventure began in Rome the very first Friday we were in Italy. The morning started out with lots of excitement while we were rushing to the train. We made it, but it was questionable during our walk to Albano. I remember getting on the train wondering what in the world Rome was actually going to look like. It was everything I had imagined and more. Huge statues, monuments, and beautiful building that I had only seen in pictures were now right in front of me. From touring the Forum and Colosseum to watching one of us drop our phone in the Trevi Fountain, the whole day was filled with so much fun and amazement.

The next adventure was the Scavenger Hunt. We were all running around Rome in the pouring rain trying to find our way around and figure out what exactly we were looking at. It was something I did not appreciate while doing it, but now I am so grateful for that experience. I probably knocked so many people in the head with my umbrella so I am sure they were not too happy with me. However, it is something we already look back on and just laugh.            

One more adventure was pizza making in Frascati. I have eaten a ton of pizza and pasta during my time here. I am sure I will eat a ton more, but the pizza I was able to make with my own hands has been the best pizza so far. The whole experience was just a blast. It was such a neat way to feel a part of the Italian culture and get to interact with a few Italian people. Everyone has been so generous, understanding, and helpful toward each of us in the program. I have already experienced many adventures so far and cannot wait for the many more to come.

Ciao for now,

Emma Claire Dunnam

American author, Neale Donald Walsch is quoted as saying, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I couldn’t agree more.

I am just beginning week four of my twelve-week Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy program, and the past three weeks have been a blur (and so much fun).

What I really hoped to get out of my study abroad experience was to be pushed out of my comfort zone, learn about different cultures, and experience new adventures. I have always loved to travel and experience new places, but living abroad is different. Not only did I leave the familiar and comfortable surroundings of home to move to a new country with an entirely different language, but I moved in with 20 other girls that I had never met before. There is nothing like living and traveling with new people to go from feeling like a bit of an outsider to making new best friends.

It has truly been a “Grand Tour.” Together, we have toured the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon and the Vatican, tossed a coin (and a cell phone, right Kaitlyn?) in the Trevi Fountain, walked the Spanish Steps, climbed Mt. Vesuvius, explored the Lost City of Pompeii and went to dozens of more sites on our scavenger hunt. We also took a weekend excursion to London where we rode The Tube to Buckingham Palace, flirted with the guards out front, ate yummy fish & chips, did some shopping, visited St. Paul’s Church, Big Ben, the Tower of London, and walked around Piccadilly Circus. The next weekend, we went to Milan and climbed to the rooftop of the Duomo di Milano for amazing views and checked out Italian nightlife at Alcatraz Discoteca! 

I know that only when I stop letting fear and anxiety hold me back am I open to major breakthroughs in life. I will keep pushing myself to expand my comfort zone and look forward with excitement to whatever may come next. Ciao for now!

Lauren Binnig

This past Tuesday, our group had the exciting opportunity to visit St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

We began our day by taking a very informational tour of the inside. We saw breathtaking works of art like Michelangelo’s Pietà and the Papal Alter by Bernini. Our tour guide was phenomenal and pointed out small details that without her, I surely would have missed. For example, the mosaic techniques on the walls are reproductions of frescos that originally covered the inside. I heard stories of early Christian leaders, Papal miracles, and even the location of St. Peter’s bones.

After our tour had ended, I decided to climb the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica with a few other girls. We were encouraged to do so because of the smaller crowd and great weather. I was excited to see the spectacular views of the city and massive dome up close. We first took the elevator up to the roof level, saving quite a few steps.

Honestly, the height from inside the dome terrified me, so I quickly ran to the next steps. We then shimmied our way up the tiniest sets of spiral stairs I had ever seen. At times, I had to bend my body along with the sides of the dome just to make forward progress. But, the view at the top made it all worth it. I had a great view of St. Peter’s Square, and I felt like I could see all of Rome.

This experience and our Vatican tour was such a special event, and my favorite highlight of my journey so far.

Ciao!

Elizabeth Clardy

Before coming to Ariccia and beginning our journey on the JSB program, I couldn’t wait to plan a dozen weekend trips to all sorts of countries that I dreamed of visiting. Countries like Germany, Spain, France, Greece, and the United Kingdom were on my must-see list. I did not realize at the time how beneficial (and just as fun) it would be to spend one of our free weekends in our new hometown: Ariccia. 

The first week here felt like a whirlwind. Our schedule was jampacked with fieldtrips and lectures, all while attempting to adjust to the culture and learn my way around. While a few other girls planned trips to other countries for the next weekend, a couple friends and I decided, why not just take a second and stay in Ariccia? 

There was a little bit of stress at the beginning of this semester abroad to take advantage of every weekend and see all of the places on my bucket list. I recommend putting Ariccia and Albano (the town right next to Ariccia) on your bucket list. After a weekend exploring my new home, I quickly realized how beautiful it was and how many fun things there are to do here. I discovered amazing shopping, a cute little bar with the best apple pie-flavored Moscow mule I have ever tasted, and some of the best “apertivos” (heavy bar snacks and light cocktails) I have had so far. 

My little weekend at home made me feel much more comfortable with the area, and I feel like I actually am at home. If I had to recommend one thing, it would be to take the time to appreciate the area you are in. There is so much to be discovered!

Gabrielle Berman