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Russell Sage goes to Italy!
written by Erica Taglione
Ciao Russell Sage!
This January a group of twenty-seven students and faculty traveled to the great land of Italy. The journey started with an eight hour flight from JFK airport in New York City, NY to Rome, Italy. For some this was their first time across seas, and even their first plane ride. I am happy to say I was on this trip!
Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
When we arrived in Rome, we were greeted by our wonderful tour guide Enza. She helped us find our tour bus and introduce us to our driver, Pepino. Both Enza and Pepino were absolutely wonderful the entire trip. As we made our way to the heart of Rome, everyone was in high spirits. We had been awake for a crazy amount of hours and endured a delirious first dinner. Despite all this, getting used to Italy wasn’t that bad.
View from the top of "The Wedding Cake" in Rome, Italy
Most days we were awake by 7am for a nice Italian breakfast. We then started a day packed full of 5 hour walking tours, museums, beautiful churches, and of course gelato. In Rome we saw history come to life as we all strolled through the Colosseum, and walked the ruins where Julius Caesar once lived. We walked through the Vatican and Saint Peters Basilica taking in the ambiance.
Neapolitan Pizza with buffalo mozzarella.
We traveled our way south to Pompeii, learning how an ancient civilization lived until a volcano buried their existence. We also visited Naples and experienced real Neapolitan pizza with buffalo mozzarella.
The trip headed north again, bringing the group to Perugia, Umbria, and Tuscany. The sight of the beautiful country side is a vision that one can only experience in person, for the pictures don’t do justice. While staying at the villa in Tuscany the group enjoyed wine tasting, and some participated in an unforgettable cooking lesson.
RSC Travelers watch and learn how to cook authentic Italian food!
We visited Florence as well. We took walking tours of the city, and museum tours to see great works from Leonardo Di Vinci, and Michael Angelo. We observed “The David” and admired the beauty from centuries ago.
Our last stops were Bologna and Venice. Bologna was a quaint city that celebrated its part in history. This is where we enjoyed our second Pranzo, a very long Italian lunch. In Venice, we adapted to the city lifestyle of walking from place to place and stared in amazement at the stunning architecture and waterways. We enjoyed a tour through a palace and a prison, and we even took an afternoon gondola ride.
Gondola ride through Venice, Italy.
As our trip approached its ending, I couldn’t help but to be a bit sad. The Italian culture engulfed our lives for two weeks. I left Italy with a greater understanding of where my family came from. I also left with many amazing, unforgettable memories. I think it is safe to say that each traveler came home with many souvenirs, not just filled memory cards of pictures, or a knick knack from each city visited, but new friendships.
Italy was a great experience. One I am so happy I participated in. I encourage all other students to take advantage of future study abroad trips. This was a ten day trip of a lifetime. We got to experience the beauty and history of another country, while making friends and developing our cultural awareness.
Thank you Sage for giving myself and all my new friends this amazing opportunity! Ciao!
The RSC group stands at a lookout in Umbria, Italy. Photo submitted by Kim Strauss
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January 28th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Wonderful article!! Great descriptions of the tour/cities and I got a real sense of how the much the friendships made really impacted the girls! Gratzi!!
ps…can’t wait to see more pictures!
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