By Mackenzie Harrell
If you had asked me a week ago if I liked trying new things, I probably would have said no. I am person who is very used to staying in my comfort zone. But this summer I got the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy and my mentality really shifted. I chose to study abroad in Florence through ISA because I wanted to expand my horizon on life and discover more of the world while immersing myself in a different place. It also helps that my major is Human Nutrition and Dietetics and Italy has incredible food and cuisine to learn about! While abroad I took a course titled The Florence Food and Culture experience. My instructors name was Chef Mario and he owned his own vineyard where he cultivated incredible wines and balsamic vinegar variations. Every day we went into the classroom and got to learn about a new form of Italian or Tuscan food. This ranged from desserts to pasta to meats. After learning about the food we would then get to make it in the kitchen lab with Chef Mario’s assistance. We even got to go on field trips around Florence and try things like wild boar meat, liver, and truffle sauce. This are things I for sure never would have tried if our class had to not taken us there! My pallet for food and respect for another cultures form of nutrition was greatly increased and I am so thankful that I tried those new things. I got to see how different eating really is here. In America our nutrition is really based around fast/easy options and fueling rather than really enjoying. In Italy dinner is normally around 2 hours because everyone really wants to enjoy their food and the other people’s company.
Outside of class I got to do lots of great things! Florence has the most amazing museums and sights to see. There is an incredible lookout across the river and up the side of a small mountain called the Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s a bit of a hike but the view is incredible and you can eat dinner up there and meet lots of people. I also loved Gucci Garden (haha I know it sounds funny because it is a Gucci museum), but it was so neat and unlike anything I had ever seen in America and Italy. My favorite thing I did outside of class was a weekend trip to the Almafi Coast. The trip consisted of a trip to Capri, Positano, Sorrento, and the ruins of Pompeii. Capri had incredible views and was one of my favorite places I had ever seen in my entire life. I even got to go in the blue grotto and tour the ruins of Pompeii. Everything at Almafi just seemed magical and definitely worth the drive it takes to get there.
I would one hundred percent recommend this program to other students. The class options were great and our host university FUA does an incredible job of doing a lot for the American students. If I could have known anything beforehand it would have been that Florence is really warm in the summer and that mixed with culture shock can be hard. Try to make friends and find community quickly so the adjustment is easier! Also don’t expect to catch onto everything immediately. In my cooking class I burned noodles twice and I got lost in Florence twice. Things just happen and you have to be able to adjust as best you can in a new place! When I get home the first thing I am going to do is get a really good iced coffee from ONYX-in Italy it is almost impossible to get iced coffee and I can’t wait till I can grab one whenever I want again!
So what I will leave you with is to GO and DO-even if you are scared. Once you are where you want to be you will love it. Find community, meet locals, try weird foods you would never think of eating, and put yourself out there. Italy will always hold a special place in my heart now-the pizza, the pasta, the shuttered windows, and chiming bells will never get old. I hope you all get to experience it too.
Ciao Friends,
Mackenzie Harrell
