2013: The Travelogue

Here's a summary of my first semester travels! To read the individual posts check out my Map page.

LECCE
August 6th-30th

Studied here for the month of August. We had class every morning and then on afternoons and weekends we would take little trips to the beach and surrounding towns. We went to Gallipolli, Torre dell'Orso, Ostuni, Alberobello, Otranto, Matera, and Santa Maria di Leuca. 

SANTORINI
August 30th-September 1st

We had a 3-day mini break between Lecce and Bologna, in which we could do whatever we wanted as long as we got to Bologna by 3pm on the 3rd. Santorini was incredible: in 3 days we hiked the entire island, watched the sun set in Oia, sailed on a pirate ship, climbed a volcano, swam in hot springs, and rode donkeys. All while eating delicious food and staying in a beautiful hostel. 

VENICE
September 2nd-3rd

We slept in the airport and took a bus into the city on the morning of the 3rd. Sleep deprived and in some truly disgusting clothes, we ended up having a wonderful time wandering along the famous canals and gondola-watching. 

BOLOGNA (Home Base)
September 3rd-December 20th

This is my home. I live with 11 roommates in a great big apartment with two stoves and fridges, I go to school every day and have a "usual" at my favorite cafe and a frequent shopper card at the grocery store across the street. I love it.  

MILAN
September 13th-14th

Myself, Evie, and Domina had the distinction of being the first people from the program to leave Bologna! We met up with Evie's friend Daniel to go to the Milan Film Festival and explore the city.

SIENA
October 4th-6th

Our program took all of us on this trip. Siena is my favorite city in Italy and we were lucky enough to be there on a festival weekend. On Sunday we got to spend the day horse-riding at a gorgeous Tuscan ranch.

CAMPOBASSO
October 11th-13th

I went down to the little-known region of Molise with my friend Domina to meet her extended family and explore her ancestral town. While we were there we got to attend a wedding, eat some home-cooked meals, and explore Roman ruins.

NICE
October 25th-27th

I went here for a weekend with my foodie friends Ari and Alex. We feasted, went clubbing, napped on the beach. and shopped for French perfume. It was a nice little break from Italy and the cold of late October.

RAVENNA
November 16th

Our program took us here on a day-trip. It was always a dream of mine to see the mosaics here and it was great that they hired a tour guide for us! I'd like to go back and hit the beach here when it warms up in the spring. 

TORINO
November 22nd-24th

I went to Torino with Ari and Alex to see Cirque du Soleil's Dralion. It's a great city although it was freezing cold when we went. On Sunday we headed up to the nearby town of Bardonecchia, nestled in the Alps.

NAPOLI
November 27th-29th

Ari and I went to Napoli for Thanksgiving and had a great time. For Thanksgiving dinner we split three whole pizzas at the most famous pizzeria in town. We explored the entire city eating incredible food and danced the night away in a converted wine cellar. At one point we even wrote a poem to a warm, sugar-coated street donut filled with Nutella.

POSITANO
November 29th-30th

We stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast with this view from the private balcony. I'm going to be honest we kind of just stayed in bed the whole time with the french doors open and only left for meals at the amazing local restaurants. 

BOLZANO
December 9th-12th

Ari and I went to Bolzano as a last hurrah the week before finals. We went for the famous Christmas market and had some truly life-changing meals. One day we took a train to the nearby town of Merano to swim in the hot springs. 

It's been an incredible year. I'm heading back to Italy in two weeks and although second semester is going to be a completely different experience, I can't wait to see where it goes!