It was around this time last year that my parents began nagging me to get information about the Italy Experiential Learning Seminar. At that point, they were more interested in me getting to experience Italy than I was. My maternal grandfather, or nonno, was initially from Italy, so I was not completely clueless about Italian culture. That being said, I did not know much. Eventually, I attended an information session about the EL. As soon as I left the room, I called my parents to tell them how interested I was.

Eight months later, I was on my way to Italy, and I could hardly contain my excitement. I had never been to Europe. I was slightly nervous about being in a non-English speaking country, but I was ready to experience the trip of a lifetime with a great group of Allegheny students. During this EL, we traveled around Southern Italy, beginning in Rome.