Global Seminar
Florence, Italy
May Session
Michelle Pobar is an Art History Major who decided to study abroad in
Florence for May term. The program she went on is offered through the
Learning Abroad Center and features Renaissance Architecture, Painting,
and Sculpture.
Class involved 2-3 hour lectures in the
morning and trips to galleries, monuments, architectural structures and
museums during the afternoon. Fridays were dedicated to travel around
Tuscany. The highlights of the Friday trips for Michelle were stops in
the cities of Cortona and San Gimignano, although she admits all of her
experiences were amazing. Many of the places the class visited were
touched little by tourism and Michelle was able to interact with locals
(and, in fact, sought out these experiences). Some students spoke
Italian, but not knowing the language was not an impediment to getting
around. On weekends, groups of students would travel to places such as
Venice, Rome, and the Island of Elba (where Napoleon once lived in
exile).
Students stayed in apartments around the city with
between two and six roommates. No one took taxis, for the most part,
because the bus system is comprehensive and easy to figure out even for
those without Italian language skills. The food and wine were
spectacular, by Michelle's review, and she and others found many great
"hole in the wall" restaurants that were inexpensive and lent access to
local culture and people.
Michelle found that Italians, and
Europeans generally, knew much about American politics, but that they
also understood that the American people are not all behind American
political decisions. There were protests against the war, but they were
peaceful protests. People hung rainbow flags in windows to symbolize
support for peace.
This was Michelle's first major trip out
of the country. She would return to Italy in a second and is excited
about the possibilities it has opened up for future travels and careers
prospects!
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