Before traveling abroad, I learned about the three different lodging options we have while traveling from the palace; a hotel, an Airbnb, or a hostel. I had never stayed anywhere other than a hotel before. I was open to the idea of staying at an Airbnb because they are apartments or homes that people are renting out. I was most hesitant about staying in a hostel. When I thought of a hostel, I thought of open room with random people, uncomfortable beds, and people going through my things. So as we began to plan our weekend vacations, I always jumped at the idea of staying in a hotel or Airbnb and turned my nose up to the hostel option. To my liking, we stayed in a hotel for almost all of our trips before midterm break. When I began to plan my break with my brother, we decided to travel to Barcelona, Spain. We were both on tight budgets so after buying plane tickets, we decided to book the cheapest lodging option which was a hostel. I was very hesitant so I checked out Hostelworld.com and read all the reviews for about an hour until I finally decided on a hostel named Mediterranean Youth Hostel. The reviews were great so I was anxious to see what staying in a hostel was really like.
After our flight landed in Barcelona, my brother and I took a short cab ride to our hostel and when we arrived, I had my map pulled out and I realized our hostel was in the middle of everything the city had to offer! I was very excited but still hesitant how the three-day stay would be. We entered the hostel and the man at the front desk had a huge smile and greeted us with a warm welcome. My nerves were immediately at ease as the man began to check us in. It was an easy check in process and the man started to go over the hostel, which included a full kitchen, a game room, a laundry room, lockers for our things, and free walking tours every morning. The man led us to our room, gave us clean sheets and towels and told us to let him know if we needed anything. When he left the room, my brother and I both looked at each other knowing we had made the right decision.
The next day, we did a free walking tour with the hostel, which included a tour of Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. The tour guide was so informative and the groups of people with us were all so nice. Throughout the tour we got to know the people in the group who were from all over the world, and we decided to all have dinner together at the hostel. So that night, we had a great dinner at the hostel that a chef cooked for us for only 11 euros. It was a delicious meal and it was so much fun getting to know so many different people that were doing the same thing we were – trying to enjoy what Barcelona had to offer.
After our three-day stay was over at the Mediterranean Youth Hostel, I was sad to say goodbye to not only the people we met but also the hostel itself. The hostel made our entire Barcelona trip so much more enjoyable and fun, I am so glad I decided to book there. Not only was it budget friendly, the workers provided us with so much helpful information and we met friends that we look forward to keeping in touch with for a long time. I cannot wait to stay in another hostel and see what it has to offer!
Olivia Still

The day before I boarded my flight to Italy, my best friend stopped by my house and delivered an envelope to me.  On the outside of the envelope it read, “See you in 83 days…1,992 hours…119,520 minutes…7,171, 200 seconds. We miss you already.” and it was filled with letters from all of my closest friends. The letters made me want to both laugh and cry, but I had no idea how much they would mean to me as I adjusted to life in a new country.
I am here to share parts of the letters and what the words mean to me now that Europe is more than just a place I’ve seen in movies.
1.       “Everyone wants to have their Lizzie Mcguire moment.”
Mine just happened to be at the Trevi Fountain. No, Paolo did not show up and then drive me around Rome on a Vespa. But the fountain was more beautiful than I even imagined, and I still have time for my wish to come true.  Oh, and this trip really is what dreams are made of.
2.       “Pay attention to the fashion.”
The street style I have seen in Paris and Rome has inspired me more than any Pinterest board.
3.       “Be grateful.”
One small example of the many things I’m grateful for while here is that while I have been able to drink local wines and eat delicious authentic mozzarella, I guarantee that my friends are at home drinking a six dollar bottle of Barefoot Miscato and eating Kraft singles.
4.       “I want you to take a moment to look around and soak up everything about that moment! The world is truly colorful!!!”
Enough said.
5.       “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. (sic)”
Okay, Sidney did not come up with this herself. However, she did put this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt at the bottom of her letter and it could not be more perfect. It has become sort of a life goal for me, especially during my time abroad.
I officially have 66 days left of my time in Europe. Although I miss my friends like crazy, I feel thankful to have their words of love and support hanging by my bed, and I know when I get back home I will have amazing memories, pictures, and stories to share with them.
-Leah Hutchins

 

I am still in shock that we have just started the third week of my time here in Ariccia. The days here seem like they are never ending (in a good way), but the weeks come to an end in lightening speed. La Dolce Vita means The Sweet Life, and Italy is nothing short of sweet. All the way from different sights we have visited, to the people, and to the gelato, Italy does not disappoint in any department.

Since I am fashion major, it has been so fun for me to really get to see the way people dress in Europe. I have travelled to Amsterdam and Rome and the people in both places seem to have the same wardrobe: sneakers, jeans, and parkas! We seriously walk everywhere (thank goodness), so a cute pair of sneakers are a must. I have already invested in two pairs of Adidas, but I still have a long way to go before I achieve that cool European “street style”.

After long weeks and even longer weekends, I am so ready and so happy to be back home in Ariccia. Yes, the places we travel are so amazing, but nothing can beat the comfort of our home at the palace. We get to see the real side of Italy by living in Ariccia just because we are seriously immersed in this town and their culture.

Tonight we were “adopted” by our Italian family, and I am so excited to truly see the way they live their life, and benefiting by the food and the comfort of a family at the same time! I am looking forward to the rest of my time here, but I am making sure to not take any second for granted.

Ciao,
Patricia Flach

One thing I have really appreciated since signing up to study abroad with the Joseph S. Bruno program is how organized and thought out every detail is. Before coming to Italy, we had the opportunity to sign up for two optional field trips, which were organized and planned by the program. This weekend I had the opportunity to attend my first optional field trip to Positano. Positano, which is the pearl of the Amalfi coast, was the perfect way to spend the end of week four with all 22 girls. A relaxing beach town, with amazing seafood and spectacular views was just what we all needed after a couple of hard days in the classroom. One of the great things about the optional fieldtrip was that we did not have to do any planning! It was so nice to not have to worry about transportation or trying to book a place to stay. Another great thing about the optional field trip is that there were no planned activities during the day so we had all day to explore on our own.

On Friday, many of us relaxed, shopped and slept by the beach and on Saturday many of us took to the ocean to go on excursions sailing to Capri and around the Amalfi coast. My favorite part of the weekend was getting to know the other girls in my group better by hanging out with them on the beach. I think it is great that the program organizes a couple of optional field trips for its students over the semester because it helps the group to bond as a whole. It also helps us to get to know the girls that we might not have known as well prior to the trip. Since the first optional field trip to Positano was great, I can’t even imagine how wonderful the next optional field trip to Cinque Terre will be!
 
Ciao,
Elizabeth Ann Satterfield

What has made my study abroad experience even more special was that we are given a week long break during the middle of the semester. It serves as a great time for us to travel for a longer period of time with new friends we have made on the trip, and it is also a great time for our families to be able to travel over here. It is so amazing to be able to see our families and have the opportunity to spend some time with them. Several students’ families came over to visit them for the break and some went to Paris and different cities throughout Italy. Another group of students went to London, Ireland, and Switzerland. My parents decided to come and visit me for the midterm break and I loved having some time to travel with them and experience a small piece of Europe together. My parents first flew into Rome and I took a train from Albano to Rome to see them. Since we only had one day in Rome, I took them to my favorite part of the city. I took them to The Colosseum because it is my favorite part of the ancient Roman Empire that still stands today. We took a tour of The Colosseum and I got to tell them as much about the structure that I had learned so far. For the rest of the midterm break, we decided to travel outside of Italy. I have always wanted to travel to Germany and so my family and I decided to travel there. We first flew into Munich and spent two days there. I loved Germany from the beginning, it is so beautiful and I love the language and the people are so nice. In Munich we rented a car so that we could travel throughout southern Germany via their famous autobahn. This may have been my favorite part about the break, it was amazing to see Germany’s beautiful countryside and driving through the small towns along the way to our next destination. We traveled from Munich to Rothenburg and stayed one night there. My parents actually have artwork of Rothenburg hanging in our living room that my dad’s mom brought back from Germany. I was an amazing experience to get to see it in real life. From Rothenburg we drove to Wurzberg. I loved Wurzberg in particular because it is mainly a college town and I was fun to get to talk to a lot of the university students I met in restaurants and stores. From there we drove to Frankfurt where my dad was born, I loved a lot of the shopping Frankfurt it was also wonderful to see where my dad was born. He hasn’t been back to Frankfurt since he left when he was one year old. So it was great to go to Frankfurt with him and my mom. Lastly we drove from Frankfurt to Prague, Czech Republic. I was blown away by the beauty of Prague. Before going to Prague, I did not much, if anything at all, about the city. And it was such an adventure to experience a new culture like that. I am so thankful that I got to go to a country that before this semester I would have never figured I would have visited.

Wow! Everyone at the palace is shocked that we are already finished with week nine! We only have three short weeks left here in Italy and then it is back to the United States we go. While it is sad that our study abroad adventures are coming to an end soon, this past week was anything but gloomy!
The entire group took a field trip to Venice and Florence that lasted just over a week. Our first day in Venice, we took a boat ride tour of the Grand Canal and I can honestly say it was breathtaking. Everyone loved how the only way to get around the city was by boat! And we were all shocked that this city is literally built on water! We continued each day to explore the beautiful city and also visit two more towns, Murano and Burano. Murano is known for their amazing glass blowing and Burano is famous for the colorful houses that line the canals running through the town. After a few days in Venice, we headed over to Florence.

Florence was equally as beautiful but it was a rough trip for everyone’s wallets! LEATHER LEATHER LEATHER!  We went to both leather markets each day and I think between all eighteen of us Chigi Babies we spent way more then we all had hoped. Florence was a huge city similar to Rome, so being able to spend about five days there to just explore was wonderful. I am so thankful we were able to visit both cities during our semester abroad and loved everything about Venice and Florence!
~~Ciao~~
Megan Milam

by Liz Hopewell
Excuse me while I faint due to shock that this experience is already halfway over – 7 weeks down and a mere 5 to go. You would think that I would be either over the moon that I get to go home in a few short weeks or clinically depressed that I have to leave here so soon, but surprisingly I am neither. Instead I am filled with joy when looking back at every moment of these last fun filled weeks and looking forward to soaking up every second of the next 5.

One great thing about this program is the freedom it provides for personal travel outside of the program. One specific weekend trip (rather week long trip) was our mid-term break last week. During this week, we had 10 days to plan (on our own) a place to go, somewhere to stay, many places to eat, what to do, how to get there, and any other logistics related to our adventure.

Those of us that didn’t have family or friends coming over to visit decided to embark to Ireland and Switzerland!
We all pulled together to research where to stay (thank goodness for Rick Steves), what to do when we were in each place, and most importantly, what to eat in each country. Luckily, mid-October becomes tourist season for both Ireland and Switzerland. This worked in our favor more often than not – resulting in cheap flights and lodging. Once the details were all in place, we embarked and loved every single adventure that followed.

After traveling on our own for 10 days I learned a few things about European travel, the do’s and don’ts, and I thought I would share a few of them with you for your future travels.

1. Research. Research. Research.
Like I said earlier, I am so thankful for Rick Steeves. Through his books, we chose all but one of our spots for lodging for the entire 10 days. There are people out there that travel for a living (sign me up for that job!) – so utilize their talent and look up recommended places to stay and eat during your European study abroad or vacation.

2. Spend a little extra money on a good hotel.
This one may be a little hard for a poor college student to grasp, but it really pays off in the long run. Our lodge in Doolin (25 Euro per/person a night) had one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. Most people looking for a budget option would opt for hostels (which are usually great cheap options), but the local hostle in Doolin disguised itself as the cheap option when it was really a few euro’s more expensive than other options.
 

 
3. Get to know the locals
Locals are the ultimate tour guides and they are filled with great information about their respective cities. The more people you ask, the more recommendations you get – and when you get a lot of recommendations for a particular place, you know it’s legitimately good. Locals enable you to immerse yourself in the culture rather than skimming the touristy surface.

4. Have everything you can planned out beforehand.
It truly pays off to have your schedule set before your embark – look at transportation schedules, compare transportation options, look at check-in and out times, ensure you have the correct currency, look up key phrases. All of these, and more, will enhance your trip ten-fold!

5. Have fun!
Is that cliché and obvious? Maybe, but after the research and planning are done – relax and enjoy your vacation. Everything may not go perfect, but the minor details all seem to fade and the good times are remembered forever!