Amber

Before this class, I didn’t really know anything about the Etruscans. I might have heard of them once or twice, but I really didn’t know anything about where they came from or the legacy they left behind. I feel so lucky to have had my first experience learning about the Etruscans being where the Etruscans used to live. Being able to see the actual artifacts we learn about in class and go to real sites of ancient ruins has made learning about the Etruscans much easier and more fun.

One thing that strikes me about the Etruscans is their treatment of women. The Etruscans highly respected their women and treated them almost as equals. We know this from various tomb paintings and vase decorations that depict women either spinning wool or dining alongside men. The Etruscans also utilized a double naming system, so a child would receive both their mother and father’s name. I thought this was really interesting because we don’t even do this today. It always interests me how different cultures treat women and it makes me wonder why Etruscans treated their women this way, when other cultures at the time, such as the Greeks, did not.

Another fascinating aspect about the Etruscans to me is that all that we know about them comes from graves, and usually the graves of the extremely wealthy. This is one part about learning about the Etruscans that always kind of bothered me because I’m not fully convinced that we can get a full idea of what a culture was like while only having items from the extremely wealthy. During the later periods of the Etruscans we do see graves of the middle class, but this still calls to question, where are the poor people? In a thousand years, if all that is left of our civilization are remnants from the upper and middle classes, I don’t think most people would say that’s an accurate view of our society as a whole.

The Etruscans are an incredibly interesting group of people that most of the world knows little to nothing about. After taking this class, I now have an appreciation for these people and an understanding of the influence they had on other cultures, especially the Romans.

I’ve always been intrigued by the culture and art of the Renaissance and this is actually one of the reasons I chose to study abroad in Florence. I came to Florence for a few days on a high school trip, about five years ago. I remember being in love with the architecture and feeling like I was walking in a true Renaissance city. You can really still feel the impact that the Renaissance had on this city, and I’m not sure there’s any other city in the world that captures the Renaissance the way Florence does.

One of the highlights of my experience in Florence was going to the Uffizi Gallery. I was in awe of the incredible works of art from some of the most famous painters and sculptors in history. This was especially exciting to go after learning about these painters and their relationship with Florence and the Medicis.

The amazing thing about Florence is that you don't need to buy tickets to a museum to see the history of the Renaissance in the city. (Although you should). The Duomo, the various Medici palaces, the Ponte Vecchio, etc. You can't be in Florence and not feel the impact of the Renaissance and I think that's amazing.

I think we can learn a lot from looking at the past, especially the Renaissance. Personally, as we were learning about the Medicis and various Roman emperors in class I was constantly making comparisons to our current world leaders. I’m studying journalism, with a minor in political science, so my mind is always thinking about history in the context of today and how we have changed, but also how we are still the same.

I’m looking forward to taking my family to the Uffizi and sharing with them everything I’ve learned over the course of the semester.

Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg (June 21-24)

Katie, Camille and I all went to Budapest, Vienna and Salzburg together last weekend, going to one city each day. I think this was my favorite weekend trip all summer. Budapest and Vienna were beautiful and I was excited to get to hear about the history of these cities, especially Vienna's history during Word War II. While the other cities were beautiful, Salzburg was my favorite. We took a Sound of Music tour and I got to live out my childhood dream, seeing where all of the iconic scenes were filmed. We got to walk through the garden where the Von Trapps sang "Do Re Mi," I got to take a picture in front of the gazebo from "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," and we were even able to see the house on the lake from the movie.

Shopping at the Market

About every other week, I would stop by the Sant'Ambrogio Market to get fresh fruit and produce. This is another one of those moments that doesn't seem that exciting, but those experiences of walking from my apartment to the neighborhood market are so special to me and something I'll always cherish.

I came into this trip already knowing my roommates, Camille and Katie. I'm so lucky I got to travel through Europe with two of my best friends. I couldn't have asked for better roommates or travel buddies, and I know this experience is something we'll always cherish. Along the way, I also met new friends, who I had amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experiences with. One of my favorite memories is going to Boboli Gardens with Brooke, who I didn't know before this trip, and studying for our exams. The people you're with can often determine whether you have good or bad experiences, and I'm so lucky to have been around such incredible people this summer. Arrivederci, amici!