Post-trip thoughts

I feel so blessed and thankful to have been able to go on this trip.

Not only did I make my first international trip and see a beautiful country, but I ate amazing, delicious food and met some great new friends. I strengthened old friendships and got to know some of the faculty better.

This trip was amazing and I will try my hardest to be able to go on the trip next year as well!

Dr. Subach, I cannot thank you enough for organizing this trip and allowing us to broaden our outlook on culture while letting us have a ton of fun as well;)

Until next time, Italy!!

Day 7: Vatican city

On day 7, we had a tour of the Vatican and free time in the city.

This was so cool to see! I fell in love with the ceilings in the Vatican Museum and the Vatican itself.

It was such a beautiful and holy experience to be inside the Vatican.

I am not Catholic, so I did not know all of the details and beliefs about the Pope, but I was excited to learn about it. It is so cool to be able to hear about what other people believe and accept everyone as friends no matter what! This tour opened up discussions with friends and new friends about our religious beliefs, etc. It was enlightening!

I could not take pictures of the Sistene Chapel, but it was awesome.

So beautiful and detailed! I will never forget the goosebumps I got when I walked into the building.

For free time, my friends and I had lunch and explored Rome.

How breathtaking!

After this, we participated in a cooking competition.

It was a little hectic at first, but we made it work and had a lot of fun.

I have only ever made  homemade pasta once before, so I enjoyed having a little cooking lesson and then making homemade ravioli and fettucine!

We had another delicious meal and then went back to the hotel to play some Apples to Apples.

This was such a fun day!

Day 6: I am now afraid of biking

On day 6, we drove to Rome.

We then had a 3.5 hour bike tour of the city...also known as the longest time I have ever been afraid for my life! It was such a cool experience to explore the city in this way, but for an anxious person like myself, I found it difficult to pay attention because I was so nervous about getting hit by a car or one of the other 50 bikers!

I am still so thankful that we got to explore Rome this way and it truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I stayed right behind Sved, our guide, the whole ride.

Gorgeous Rome!

After the tour, we went to see the Pantheon.

Awesome!

It was so neat to see such an important piece of history.

After this, we had yet another delicious dinner in Rome.

Besides the food, I really loved experience the educational aspect of this trip.

I truly learned SO MUCH about Italy and a culture besides the one that I grew up in.

This was such an eye opening trip for me.

Day 5: St. Miniato and Pisa

On day 5, we drove to St. Miniato and to Pisa.

St. Miniato is a gorgeous little town on a hillside. 

We had a walking tour and then saw a local butcher shop.

Once again, I was intrigued by the shop owners and their passion for their business.

All of the animals that they use for their meat come from 50 kilometers away or less.

That is AMAZING!

After seeing this (grotesque but very cool) process, we walked outside to see this....

the most amazing backyard I have ever seen.

WOW--Italy is so beautiful!

Next, we drove to Pisa to get the necessary tourist pictures.

It was a really fun day and I loved visiting St. Miniato.

Day 4: tour and free time in Florence

Day 4 started with running 5 miles in Florence.

Next, we had a walking tour of the city with our hilarious tour guide.

We had a large amount of free time, where I had a delicious lunch with some new friends and then went shopping.

One thing that we learned the hard way was that we had to purchase water!

I am definitely not used to this, and won't be taking free water for granted anymore.

I also discovered my new favorite place... Eataly!

I can't wait to go to the one in NYC and Chicago.

I got a bag and some aprons to add to my collection.

We got lost in the city--twice. 

We also thought we were being followed by a gypsy.

I thought my mom was being paranoid before I left when she told me to be careful of pickpockets, but she was so right! Thankfully, we were safe the whole time and did not run into any problems.

We had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant and I was amazed at the size of the free bottle of wine.

It was at this dinner that I realized the flow of Italian meals: pasta, meat and then dessert.

Day 3: Ham factory and Florence

Day 3 was a long travel day.

We made a stop along the way at a local ham factory.

Once again, it was so evident that the family that ran the farm had such a passion for what they do!

This place was so official!

Their cheeses are in the Parmesan Reggiano Consortium which is a BIG deal!

I am definitely going to look for the "Parma" label the next time I buy a ham.

I was proud of myself for sticking with the tour even though I was not loving the smell....at all. 

After some more driving, we arrived in breathtaking Florence.

Florence was my favorite city that we visited.

Day 2: Piedmont Farms and a lot of wine

Hands down, day 2 was my favorite day of the trip.

We started the day with a 5 mile run in Cuneo.

Then we drove to Piedmont farms where we got a tour of the cheese making facilities and the farm itself.

The cheeses looked like pieces of art!

I thought it was so amazing that all of this was done on what seemed to be a relatively small farm.

You could tell that Mario (I think that was his name?!) had such a passion--and it carried on throughout his family who also worked on the farm, So inspiring!

These mint booties really completed my outfit;)

The Italian cows that make the famous cheese!

After our tour, we had the BEST MEAL that I have ever had in my entire life.

About 10 courses complete with amazing wine and getting to know some new friends....I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my entire life.

A random coincidence-at lunch, we all found out that we were from Lansdale, PA!

After this lunch, we went back to the hotel and slept :)

I tried gelato for the first time from GROM. It was amazing!

I got the coconut and chocolate as well as the espresso flavor.

I don't think ice cream will ever taste the same!

Day 1: Cuneo

On our first full day in Italy, we were in the beautiful town of Cuneo.

I participated in the running group each day, and today we ran 8 miles!

Being so close to the Alps was AMAZING. 

After our run, we drove to Slow Foods University and had a wine tasting at the Banca del Vino there. 

The wine was delicious (we tasted two reds) and I learned a few things about the Slow Foods movement.

I really love that the emphasis of Slow Foods is on enjoying your food! 

I purchased a bottle of red to bring home. I thought it would be cool to buy one from the Piedmont region itself, since that is where we were spending the day.

Next, we drove to Turin, Italy. 

We had a guided 2 hour walking tour where we learned about the history of the city.

On the tour, our guide told us about a drink that is unique to Turin: the Bicerin. We just had to try it!

It was absolutely delicious.

We had two hours of free time. I explored the town and shops with a group of friends. My friend Cassidy got stuck in the bathroom at a coffee shop, and that is when we learned that we really aren't in American anymore!

I enjoyed getting to know a few new friends during this time.

Our final part of the day was a dinner at a local pizza shop. We tasted a few different varieties, but the one that sticks out to me is a pizza with hot dogs and french fries on it! I did not try this pizza, but this made me realize what the Italians think of the American diet.

Day one was a fantastic start to an amazing trip!