A year ago I never could have imagined that the best few months of my life would be in Florence, Italy. I had left the college that I was attending for health reasons and was forced to be home with no true plan for the future. I had always dreamed of traveling and studying abroad and when the idea of applying to a university in Italy confronted me, I knew that I had to take the opportunity. I had never visited but I took the leap of faith to leave my family and friends and travel to across the world all alone. I truly was forced to learn how to take care of myself and figure out how to navigate a new country. When I first arrived, I was thrown into a new culture, new language, new home, new people and figuring it all out was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
I chose to study in Florence specifically because I had always dreamed of visiting there. It is the place where my parents got engaged 25 years ago and they often talk how magical the city is. My family is Italian so I grew up with numerous Italian traditions and celebrations but I never could have imagined the depth of the culture that I would experience in Italy. Not only everything from the food, art, religion and history but to the people who were hospitable, compassionate, expressive, romantic, passionate. Uninhibited. I learned to be comfortable outside of my comfort zone and I constantly tried new experiences, making friends with people who were much different than I was along the way. Most importantly, I learned how vastly different humans can be and truly how wide the world is. Global perspective, cultural awareness, adaptability, communications and independence were among some of the greatest traits that I developed during my time there.
By the end of my study abroad adventure I had travelled to 12 different countries and almost twice that amount of cities just in Italy. I saw amazing places and made even better friends. People often ask me what my favorite thing about being in Italy was and it has taken a while for me to figure out what that answer is. I definitely have a newfound appreciation for the smaller things: the little moments with strangers, magnificent walls filled with art, wandering the city streets, expressions of brotherly love, untold history, passionate stories, wholesome food and wine… But even more than all that, I learned that life is too short to not take advantage of every opportunity. To say the things that are on your mind and to chase the dreams that you truly thought were unimaginable. To be the places you love and with the people you love. To not take anything in life too seriously. And go visit Florence it’s the best place in the world.
