Italy Study Abroad Story: Chloe Masterson

Honors student, Chloe Masterson, recently studied abroad in Italy with the help of the honors funded travel scholarship. Below is a little about her experience as well as her favorite pictures from the trip. Thank you, Chloe, for sharing!

“I have just returned from my study abroad trip to Italy. We stayed in 3 cities (Rome, Capri, and Florence) and I visited 2 more (Pisa and Venice). I have only left the country twice before and both trips were to Canada so I think of this as my real trip out of the country. I was excited to experience a new country, a new continent.

Italy is rich with history, history much older than the U.S. When we first got to Rome, we did a 10 mile walking tour around the city. We saw the Colosseum (one of the 7 modern wonders of the world), the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain. What really git me on the walking tour was how old these structures are. When I go on trips around the U.S., I think the 1600s are old. These structures are from B.C., way before America was even thought up of. The next day we toured the Vatican, more specifically the Sistine Chapel. This day really put in perspective how important art and history are to people. There was a line of people waiting for hours just to see one chapel, just to see one ceiling.

The next 5 days we were on the island of Capri. While the history isn’t as rich here, there was still some. Those 5 days were mainly spent exploring the island. One of my favorite days was hiking around the island and visiting Villa Jovis, a Roman palace built by emperor Tiberius.

The last 5 days were spent in Florence. From there, I did 2 day trips, one to Pisa and one to Venice. In Pisa, I saw the Leaning Tower and in Venice, I just explored the city of canals. While I was in Florence, I spent a morning in the Uffizi, the famous art gallery. It was amazing to see all the Renaissance Era art and statues.

Every day in Italy was an amazing experience, whether it was doing the touristy stuff or just exploring. Every city I visited felt different from the other but still felt like Italy. It’s amazing to see that there is more to the world than just the U.S. There is more history, more art, more cities, more people, more cultures. The 2 weeks of being in Italy was an amazing learning experience and an opportunity that I’ll never forget.”

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