If someone knocked on your front door one day and told you that you could travel to any country in the world, which one would you choose? Well, I can't say that someone knocked on my door per se, however I was presented with the opportunity to study abroad in Italy for 10 days. Now that my trip has ended, I have to say that this has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Italy is a beautiful country and given the opportunity, I would definitely go back. Here's how my trip went.
The first three days were spent in Rome. We saw almost everything Rome has to offer. The first day we went to a museum and were immersed into the amazing sculptures and paintings that were done hundreds of years ago when technology wasn't even close to what it is today. The detail in these sculptures and paintings was amazing. I was also taken aback by the driving style of the Italian people. It's such a relaxed culture, however, put them behind the wheel or on a motorcycle and they are on the move. They will find a place to park anywhere, even if it is just squeezed in between two cars. Rome was a beautiful yet busy city. The amount of history to learn is endless. The Trevi Fountain was beautiful during the day and also at night. It was so clean and in such good condition that it was hard to believe that it was old. It was enclosed by many shops and restaurants in the center of Rome. Not far from that were the Spanish steps, which unfortunately were under construction while I was there, but they were beautiful too. We also saw the Colosseum and Vatican City, which were also both very amazing.
Upon leaving Rome, we went to the city of Cortona, which is one of Tuscany's oldest cities. It was on a mountain, and you couldn't go anywhere without walking up and down some very steep hills. The city was absolutely gorgeous. Looking out, you could see the vineyards and mountains that covered Italy.
We stopped in several other towns near Cortona which again were very mountainous and beautiful. We even went to Montepulciano, where they filmed part of "New Moon," which was really cool. That town is also very well known for their wine because they grow a special type of grape that is known only grown in that town.
The last place we went was Florence. Florence was amazing. It was a combination of Cortona and Rome. It was more of a busy city, but it was flat. However, it was surrounded by mountains and a river. The Church of Florence was absolutely incredible. A few others from our class and I decided to climb to the top of the Duomo (dome) of the church, which was a total of 776 steps. All those stairs were worth the view we saw when we got to the top. You could see the whole city of Florence and beyond that were mountains, with houses tucked away. You could see vineyards across some of the plains. It was absolutely breathtaking.
So when asked if I would ever go back to Italy, I definitely would. I would like to travel and visit some different cities because it's a beautiful country with a lot to offer. I loved the relaxed culture. Everyone goes out to eat for long meals where they socialize. No one is really on their phones—the face-to-face contact is so much more important. The people are so nice, and they love teaching you their language. It was definitely a trip worth the money and time.
