My Semester Aborad
In the fall semester of 2017, I had the opportunity to live in Siena, Italy from September to December and study with the Siena Italian Studies program. This was by far my favorite semester in college, and I will take this opportunity to quickly recap my study abroad experience:
September
I arrived in Italy on Septmeber 3rd, and spent my first month in Italy becoming aquainted with my host family, the students and teachers in my program, and the city of Siena. My family's appartment was located just two minutes from Piazza del Campo, in the heart of Siena. I had the opportunity to travel to both Cinque Terre, in Liguria, and Split, in Croatia, over the course of two different weekends.
October
By the time October began, I had settled in to life in Italy and had the opporunity to explore much more of both Italy and the rest of Europe. This month saw trips to Assisi, Gran Sasso d'Italia, London, and Paris. Also, staying true to my New York roots, it saw many nights that turned into early mornings watching games such as these.
November
November was another fun and travel filled month, as I made trips to Valencia, Florence, Rome, The Vatican, Budapest, Vienna, and Salzberg. This was my favorite month, as Rome was my favorite city I travelled to and my first (but not last) trip through the Alps was an amazing experience, especially as winter began to set in.
December
The first half of December saw only one trip, to Interlaken, Switzerland. I spent as much time in Siena as I could before I departed on December 18th. Siena is a beautiful city, and my time living there was by far one of the best experiences of my life. As Claudio, the owner of a restaurant we frequented during our time there said, "Una parte del tuo cuore sarĂ sempre qui", or in English, "A part of your heart will always be here". I look forward to the (hopefully soon) next opportunity I will have to visit Siena.