Day 9:       This was our last day in Italy as a class, and it was a roller coaster all on its own. We decided to go out on a Tuscan Vespa tour. The tour was great and riding the Vespas was a great time. We saw beautiful sights and we were even able to stop at a local vineyard to taste wine and have lunch.

I got a special bottle of wine for my parents which I hope they like…it’s straight from an Italian vineyard so they better like it! After lunch we had a few minutes that we used to pose along the countryside and take pictures.

As the tour neared the end things went straight down hill. I’d rather not ramble on the negative side of things, but in short I got into an accident, fortunately I was not injured and that’s all that matters. I made it back to the hotel and then we had to go out because Mara had gotten reservations at one of her favorite apperitivo spots.
This spot was really cool! There was a DJ playing music and it was just about impossible to walk without bumping into three people. The food was great and the ambiance was even better. Our night ended perfectly with a trip to Michelangelo Square. We sat at the top overlooking Florence and just talked and laughed for about three hours. It was a great way for all of us to sit back and really reflect on the relationships we had built and memories we made. It was a great time that I will cherish for years to come.

Day 8:      As our trip reaches the end we had one last day of meetings before our free day. Today we visited the city of Prato and met with a representative of PIN, Polo Universitario di Prato. It was very cool to see the campus that our friends Edoardo, Mara and Jack take class at. It was also very cool because Prato is their hometown, so as we walked we got a very informational tour of the city. They showed us both the historic sites, such as the Prato church where Mussolini would deliver speeches to mass audiences, and the good places to eat such as the pizzeria we visited where we had a great meal for less than 6 euros. Then after our meal we got ready to visit COOP, an Italian non-profit super market.

When we arrived to COOP it seemed fairly normal, of course it was very nice and the produce looked as fresh as it gets, but besides that it looked very similar to Whole Foods. During the presentation we learned about COOP and how it’s actually a non-profit organization that strives to keep the prices of quality local foods low so that everyone can have them. They operate on a unique business model that I can’t help but question. Would something like this work in the US? COOP only makes about a 1% profit on everything it sells, and this of course goes to help keep the stores running, create new products for the shoppers and build new stores. So as a business I really don’t know if it could work in the US where we’re all about maximizing profit.

After our meeting at coop we then had some free time and got to roam the city before having our last group dinner. The group dinner was great, we all shared our highs and lows for the trip and it got very emotional. Tears were shed and some peoples highs really touched me to the point my eyes watered. It was just great to hear how everyone really took this trip and what it really meant to them. After everyone shared their stories we learned a classic Italian toast and we all sang it out loud like,”Brindizino la la la la la la.” And then we finally concluded our dinner by doing a 20 person dab chain for Korey. It was hilarious and we even got our Italian friends to join in!

Day 7:     The day I had been waiting for finally came. I had been very excited to visit Gucci and Ferragamo since I applied for this study abroad program, and let me tell you Ferragamo did not disappoint. We walked into the museum that was in a huge castle like building. So right off the bat walking in felt cool, but what was inside was even better. I expected to see a lot of leather and exhibits about different styles of products, but the Ferragamo Museum was much more like a modern art exhibit. The thing that amazed me was how so much of the inspiration for fashion came from art. Like you could look at a painting on the wall, and then clearly see how it was beautifully transformed into a dress.

The highlight of The Ferragamo Museum is definitely the inspiration room. It consisted of a room where every wall was a screen and different pictures would fill it every couple seconds. The images were of random things that you could see on any given day, but the way they were shared with you, the way the music captivated you, all drew you into a trance like state. It was crazy how this room trapped you and made you want to never leave. Unfortunately we were dragged out by the tour guide who insisted we finish the tour and then go back if we would like to. Unfortunately we never did go back, but instead grabbed a quick bite and then we were off to visit Gucci.

After visiting The Ferragamo Museum the bar was set pretty high. Gucci honestly did not live up to my expectations and one of the few things that stood out to me was the 1976 Gucci Cadillac. Oh man that car was something else. I can’t even imagine how my grandfather would have felt driving that around, but if it were me then that’s a car I would have loved to have and then pass down to my son.

After leaving the museums our group decided to visit Boboli Garden with Mara and Edoardo. This garden was beautiful. It had a great view overlooking the entire city, and had a huge pond and beautiful flowers everywhere. We strolled around the park and really enjoyed just doing nothing and hanging out. We then finished off the day by taking a trip down to the market where we enjoyed a great dinner.

Day 6:     Rain clouds and drizzles hung over us as we stared our first full day in Florence. We kicked off the day with a visit to The Florentine and there we learned what it was like to be an English magazine in Florence. Still a relatively small magazine, with a little over 900 subscribers, we learned about the difficulties they faced in reaching their target markets and also in deciding what content to publish in their monthly releases. Then we were introduced to Professors Guercini and Andrea.
The professors gave us insight into the huge competition in the apparel industry and how it made Italian fashion what it is today. They explained that without this competition and constant pressure to out perform eachother then Italy would not be the fashion capital it is.
After the presentations, we were introduced to the highlight of Florence. We  were introduced to Edoardo, Mara, Jack and Milos. At first we were a little uneasy and we weren’t really sure what to expect from each other. Our first impression to our Italian friends wasn’t the best and they actually later admitted that they thought we were “cold” or more simply stated, they thought we were nerds!
    After breaking the ice and warming up to each other we were then given the day to explore. We regrouped at 4 and made our way to the top of the Florentine Duomo! The climb to the top seemed endless, and the staircase was packed with people, but it was worth it. We reached the first level of the dome and we were able to appreciate the violent art of the constant battles between good and evil.

Then we got back to the steps, and after a few more minutes of climbing we reached the top. At this point we had climbed to the highest point in two different cities, but the view from the Florentine Duomo was like none other. It was the old more traditional feel of the city that really what made this view stand out to me. It was simply beautiful, and for the first time since I was about 15 I really considered taking a selfie. Like the view was too good to pass on and I wanted a picture to show that I was there. After extending my arm I thought twice and reminded myself that I don’t do that kind of stuff. I put my arm down and proceeded to instead take this beautiful panoramic picture that looks 1000 times better then any selfie I could have taken.

After climbing down our Italian friends let us know that it was apperitivo time, actually Edoardo said it was “Apperitivo o’clock.” So we went to a local apperitivo spot that they frequent, and we discovered what apperitivo really is. Around 6pm young people go out and have a buffet dinner and drink for right around 10euros. A pretty cool tradition and  concept. This buffet is not like your regular US buffet, instead it’s like a nightclub during the day, and you drink spirits while techno and electronic music is blasting around you. Best part is we showed our new friends that we weren’t “cold” at all, just cool.

Day 5:     My morning got off to a pretty hectic start. We were transferring today from Milan to Florence, and stopping by in Pisa to see the leaning tower and learn a bit about the cities history. It was my turn to be group leader this day along with Denai and it was a pretty important day, so we had to make sure we kept track of everybody and that everyone knew what to do. I started the day off by sending out a group message that really laid the tone down for my term as group leader.

After getting everybody ready to go and checked out of the hotel we hit the road and made our way to Pisa. No trip to Italy is complete without the iconic pictures at the leaning tower, so we all enjoyed a tour around the city, several pictures pushing the tower over, and finally a great group picture once we got to the top. The view was amazing and from the top we could watch a soccer game between the local Pisa team and their rivals.After Pisa we continued on our route to Florence, and upon arrival we met with our guide Louise. Louise probably shared one of the most important facts we’ve learned on the trip so far. She taught us how to spot good gelato. The rules she gave us were simple.

1. If its in displayed in mountains stay away..
2. If the Pistachio gelato is green run.
3. If they’re charging over 5 Euros run faster.
4. If the gelato is covered then you’ve most likely found a good spot.

This information was very useful to us as later on that day we were able to walk by gelaterias and just spot out all of the tourist traps. We had officially become true gelato connoisseurs.

Day 4:    It was 7:38 am when Eduardo and I woke up. We were supposed to meet at 6:45 in order to catch the train to Venice. We woke up crazy and in a rush to get ready…then we realized we were almost an hour late, and at this point had probably already missed our train to Venice. We had given up all hope and decided we might as well go back to bed. Literally as I pulled the covers over my legs Eduardo got a text message and screamed out “GET READY! THE TRAIN LEAVES AT 8:05!” I jumped out of bed, threw my shoes on, slapped on some deodorant, brushed my teeth and then we bolted out of the room. We had about 20 minutes to get the station and find our group before we missed the bus, so we did a full sprint all the way to station. Once we got there we had to figure out how the train station worked and we asked around for help and directions until we finally stumbled into our group just in time. Not more then 5 minutes later we started to board the train and we finally made our way to Venice after an exciting morning.

Once our train reached Venice it was crazy. I expected to see streets and cars like the outside of the Milan station, but all of the ideas I had of Venice were completely wrong. I always knew that Venice had canals, but i thought they were just used as a tourist attraction, you know a few here and there throughout the city, but i was wrong. The whole city relied on boats and canals as the only means of transportation. Not a single car anywhere.After reaching the main canal and taking our boat taxi to the church we all broke off and were free to explore the city for several hours until it was time to meet again for a group lunch. We broke off again with our usual crew and set off to wander the alleys of Venice. It was crazy seeing how much tourism there was, the small streets were so crowded that they even made the busy streets of New York City look dead. Throughout the day I kept forgetting that there were no streets or cars in Venice, and it really never sank in until we saw a delivery boat on the canal. It was a boat with groceries and they had to literally hand truck everything into the store. This of course adds to the price of just about everything in Venice. It takes a lot of work and time to get anything into the city, and I’m sure this also creates a very cost of living for the locals. We decided to stop at the grocery store and we bought some fresh fruits to snack on. The fruit looked delicious and the hot day made the conditions perfect for some watermelon! 

After enjoying our fruit we wandered the streets some more. We actually just began to walk in whatever direction seemed right. It was sort of difficult to find landmarks in Venice since you’re always walking in between buildings that look identical, so for a minute we had no idea where we were going. It was all a good time and by the end of the day we had adopted a new saying, “We’re not lost. Just Disoriented.” Fortunately being disoriented worked out really well for us and we were able to find a lot of cool local spots that weren’t flooded by tourists. We even found our own personal dock that we began to take pictures at for like an hour. 

After our photo session concluded we then set back out to meet with the group and have our group dinner. We went to a small restaurant that was off the main grid and this allowed us to have a peaceful dinner away from the crowds. They offered two separate options, a seafood option and then a regular beef. I’m no fan of seafood by any means, and  I actually don’t really like it, but I decided that I couldn’t go to Venice and not try the seafood. So i order the seafood options which consisted of bowtie pasta with Swordfish and then a main course of salmon. Both were great and I’m very glad that i tried them both, I would definitely order both dishes again! After dinner we made our way back to the train, and we were back on our way to Milan and got ready to head out to Florence and Pisa tomorrow!

Day 3:     On our final day in Milan we had two company visits. We visited Cimbali, one of the largest producers of coffee machines in the world, and Leo Burnett, a very successful marketing firm. Leo Burnett was a great experience and really opened my eyes to the type of advertising I’m exposed to everyday. Our speaker, Alessandro Antonini, spoke to us about emotion based targeting and how they pick out specific attributes of their target market in order to make the most effective ad possible. For example, he presented a commercial for an app by Always, that targeted women and promoted their safety by sticking together. This type of strategy was successful because it triggers your senses without you even knowing. Even as a male I felt as if the idea was genius and would definitely help many woman stay safe.

After leaving Leo Burnett we had the rest of the day to ourselves, and this went on to become the best day in Milan. The plan for today was to visit The Duomo and get a great view of the city. Eduardo and I met up with Evan 1, Evan 2, Katherine, Isamar and Ayla and we all made our way to The Duomo together. We spotted a small restaurant named La Provision on our way and stopped by to eat. The food was amazing. They served the best macaroni and cheese that I have had in my life. It was perfectly toasted on the top and had a great texture. Then to top it off it was served with a the best bacon. I can not even explain how good this dish was, but it was so good that everyone at the table had to try it! It would have been a sin to not share such a delicious mac and cheese. After our meal we continued to The Duomo, we purchased our ticket and then waited a little over 30 minutes to go inside.  I would have gladly waited another hour in the hot son of Milan because once we got inside it felt like nothing before. Being in such a massive Church gave me goosebumps, and the air inside even felt holy. Even though other tourist were busily snapping pictures of everything they could get their camera to focus on, I still felt an immense peace come over me. I sat down for a few minutes and prayed. I gave thanks for the opportunity I was given on this trip and for my family who supported and helped make this trip possible. The emotions were so intense that my eyes even began to tear up. I lit inside, said another quick prayer, and then continued through the church and made my way to the top.The climb to the top was long, but after seeing the view every step was worth it. From the top we could see over the entire city, and the whole scenery provided the perfect moment. We all hung out at the top for about an hour just taking in the city and enjoying each others company.

Several laughs and pictures later we made our way back down, and walked around the neighboring shops. We split up and let the girls do some shopping while we, the guys, just hung out around the square. We then got back together and ended our night with a great dinner. On our walk back to the hotel we found a great tapas style spot. They spoke very little English here, and of course we spoke about two words of Italian our selves, so communicating was nearly impossible. We were all confused on the menus and ordering, and quite frankly we didn’t even know it was a tapas spot until our food was brought out. When our food was brought out we were all in amazement. A huge cutting board was placed in the center of our table and had all sorts of good food. There was fresh fruit, goat cheese, slices of meats, vegetables, breads and just about everything. We all explored the different foods, not really even knowing what we were eating, but that didn’t stop us. We had a great meal that was a great way to end the great day we had had together.

Day 2:      Our second day began with a pretty good breakfast, and a line up of speakers that visited us in our hotel conference room.  Unfortunately it was very difficult to get comfortable since in the US we’re use to air conditioned rooms 24/7, but in Italy if you want to cool off then there is only one thing to do. Pop open a window and pray for a nice breeze. So after opening every window in the room and taking off my jacket I finally stopped sweating and was able to pay attention to our speakers, one of which was US Consulate General, Sunil Ravi. He spoke to us about his role and how he basically served as a liaison between US companies and Italy and Italian companies with the US. He talked about negotiating deals and making business in the US as attractive as possible to foreign investors.

Following our discussions at the hotel, we visited an amazing family owned company named Limonta. Limonta is a major textile and fabric producer for huge brands like Louis Vuitton, MCM, Michael Kors, and the sole producer of materials for Prada. We had a great tour through there production facilities and saw first hand how rolls of Louis Vuitton were made, packaged and prepped for shipping. It was also very exciting to see a new color way that MCM plans on releasing in the fall of ’18. Limonta offered us a sneak peek into fashion, and showed us a behind the scenes look of many world renowned brands.

After our visit to Limonta we were allowed the rest of the day to explore the city. Our hotel was very close to a huge shopping strip named Buenos Aires. The strip had hundreds of stores and shops, both big name American stores and small Italian shops lined the street, so shopping here was very cool. I actually didn’t purchase anything since shopping is not my thing, but I know that if my sister was here she would have had a blast, and I would have ended up stumbling around with both arms full of bags. Our group then sealed off the night with a great meal. I had Bistek a la Milanese, a breaded steak in a traditional style of Milan. We had a great time that can be summed up with one great picture where the facial expressions speak for themselves. 

Day 1:      After much anticipation, a lot of excitement and a little nervousness the day to fly out and head to Italy had finally come. Emotions rushed me as my family drove me to the airport. This was going to be my first trip out of the continent and also the longest I’d ever been away from home. Once arriving to the airport I met with the group as planned and I was greeted by Milene. This was the first time I actually ever held a conversation with her, but I was very happy to meet her and I was comforted by her calm and easy going demeanor that showed even while trying to round up eighteen college students. As students began to show up we broke off into small groups of about six and made our way through the security check. All was going well, until we got news that one of our classmates was having trouble getting through security due to a name misprint on the ticket. This was then followed by a flight delay that really jeopardized our ability to make our connecting flight in NYC. Needless to say a rough start, but Milene was on it and got our classmate through security and after speaking with the Delta staff she was even able to perform a miracle and got our connecting flight to delay its take off a bit so that we could make our connection to Milan.

Upon making our connection in New York everyone settled down and we were all glad to be back on track. I had not slept the night before since I am a serious procrastinator and therefor this plane ride made for a perfect chance to catch up on some sleep. I slept most of the plane ride, but when I woke up about an hour before landing I had the most beautiful view of The Alps. They were majestic and  the peaks covered every inch of my line of sight.

After passing over The Alps we began to see what I believe was the Italian countryside, and not long after we finally touched down in Milan…or should I say, Milano. We were greeted by our guide, Andrea, and he gave us a very informative run down of they city as we made our way to the hotel. A point that stood out to me was the fact that Milan was actually the home of Alfa Romeo, and the Emblem of Alfa Romeo is almost identical to the crest of the city.

Once we finally arrived at our hotel, Ibis Milano, everyone got settled, changed from our comfy sweats and threw on our business casual looks. We then went for a great meal a traditional Italian restaurant and we had a five course meal. I tried a little of everything and can honestly say there was nothing I didn’t like. I even had my first shot of espresso and Limoncello. A very interesting combination that you really couldn’t get anywhere but here in Italy. 

After such a great meal everyone was just about ready to call it a day, go back to the hotel and crawl back into bed, but our day continued. We met with the Coca-Cola Manager of operations who is in charge of Italy and also a few other neighboring countries. It was very interesting to see first hand how our Atlanta company has entered another market and really made its home here. I found it crazy that our speaker mentioned that Coke was made using the same ingredients where ever its produced, and yet went on to say that they have about three different sweetness that are used throughout the world.

We then concluded the longest day ever with a quick tour of the city. We caught a quick glimpse of some of the cities highlights like the Duomo, the opera house, the Milan castle and the galleria. Overall it was a very tiring day,but we got so much done and we used every minute that the day couldn’t help but be great.