Photos taken by Lily Rutherford
What a fellow UT student has learned while studying abroad in Florence, Italy.
Florence - capital of Italy’s region of Tuscany, the mother to High Renaissance art and my home for the entirety of June.
In late January of this year, I received an acceptance letter to the UT in Florence at Lorenzo de’ Medici program for their Summer 1 session. Excitement does not even begin to describe what I felt.
I started learning Italian, researched the country’s different customs and made a list of all the things I wanted to do and see while I was there. As someone who had never been to Europe before, everything I did became a first-time experience. From living in a walkable city and dealing with a language barrier to making friends abroad and being homesick. My month in Italy taught me how to adapt in a completely new environment and find my way around new cities alone.
My student apartment was on the outskirts of the city center, making my walk to class about 25 minutes. The route I took every morning went over flat cobblestone streets, across the expanse of the Piazza del Duomo, and past countless cafes selling the best tasting croissants I have ever had - Nutella, Creme, Almond, you name it and they had a perfectly flakey version for only 1.50 euro.
On weekdays, after finishing my Wine Marketing class, I typically met a friend for lunch or went to a museum. (What a crazy sentence to be able to write!)
While my course was heavily condensed and fast paced, finding time to explore the city was not difficult at all. The amount of homework I had was manageable, but when I needed extra time to do work I would just go to a cafe, garden, or - my personal favorite spot - the cinema turned bookstore, Giunti Odeon. Being constantly surrounded by new places to explore made seeing Florence convenient and easy.
Spanning over 35 square miles, the city of Florence boasts an array of diverse art, food and culture.
Living in a city as walkable as Florence was life changing. I loved the ease of walking from class to an infinite number of restaurants and stores. Even with longer walks, the gorgeous architecture and relatively fair weather made them enjoyable.
In addition to the walkability, I have never seen so many people biking in one area. Bikes littered the streets alongside taxis and public buses.
Another great aspect of Florence was its access to trains. I could take an affordable high-speed train to a drastically different country with little to no wait through customs. This ease of travel was a stark contrast from my domestic travel in the U.S. which was dominated by long car rides and expensive flights.
Because of Florence’s central location within Italy, it was easy and affordable to travel into different regions and across country borders.
The language barrier was less of an issue than I had expected. From my attempt at learning Italian via listening to music, using Duolingo and watching Italian lessons on YouTube, I was able to learn the basics.
One thing that also helped was the Florentine people’s willingness to correct mistakes and help us learn the right way to speak Italian. For example, when I asked for directions somewhere incorrectly, one woman kindly restated my question and pointed out where I made my mistake and helped me correct it. This (mostly) common understanding from locals made learning Italian each day easy and applicable.
Making friends abroad was not nearly as difficult as I had thought. The people I met were one of the best parts of my study abroad experience. Because the majority of students taking summer courses at Lorenzo de’ Medici were foreigners, everyone was looking to make new friends through classes and day trips.
Our program offered optional day trips to other parts of Italy and the first one I went on was a trip to Rome; this was where I made some of my favorite friendships.
We saw all of the big sites like the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain with our professors. Later on in the day we were allowed to roam free, and I joined the group standing next to me to wander the streets of Rome in search of lunch.
Our group ended up filling about ten seats outside of a pizzeria and nearly everyone ordered a Margherita Pizza. We walked around the city, talked about where we were from and made core memories together in Rome. Towards the end of the day, I asked another tourist to take a picture of us on my digital camera, and it is one of my favorite memories from this summer.
I saw almost everyone from our Rome friend group at various activities put on by Lorenzo de’ Medici in the following weeks. Of course, we all got each other's Instagrams and WhatsApps, and seeing them go back to their respective schools in the U.S. was bittersweet.
The friends I keep up with from our trip to Rome are thriving, and one may even come visit Knoxville and stay at my apartment soon. Being able to host a friend I met in Italy from a different american school is so exciting. It only makes me want to travel more.
These same friends helped me combat feelings of homesickness.
Around the end of week three in Florence I started to really miss home. I missed my dog, my parents, even my favorite snacks. I think I felt like I had experienced enough of Florence for the time being, and I was ready to leave.
To keep homesickness off my mind and help pass the time, I made a list of museums, gardens, gelaterias and other places I wanted to visit before I left. So, I would go to class and then either head straight to a place on my list or grab lunch with a friend.
If you had told me two years ago that I would spend a month in Italy, there is no way I would have believed you. It has been one of the best experiences of my life.
When I look back on my trip to Florence, I think about constantly being around gorgeous architecture, walking past the absolutely massive Duomo on my way to class and meeting amazing people I would never have met otherwise.
Simply breathing in fresh air off the Arno river while surrounded by friends is something I will never forget.
I would tell any UT student to take advantage of study abroad opportunities if they are able to. Apply for programs, research scholarships and go to interest meetings.
You will end up gaining much more than just a handful of credits.
