Submitted by Alyssa Southard on the 2012 summer session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
Upon arrival in Italy, we landed in Rome and from there traveled to Sorrento, where we were introduced to our host families and enjoyed lunch together. Then that evening, we went to dinner with the other students to taste some delicious Italian foods ranging from antipasti to pizza to dolci (sweets). We were shown our school and guided throughout the town to see the main attractions. Our professor is so kind and her name is Nunzia. After our first day of class, we traveled to Pompeii to explore the ruins and see the magnificent culture and history. The city is beautiful and has artifacts that display the lives of the people prior to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. We then climbed Mount Vesuvius and took many pictures along the way. Later, we visited the Royal Palace of Caserta, which was built to compete with Versailles and is one of the most beautiful royal palaces. The day concluded with visiting Professoressa Fazzone’s family in Baia e Latina, a small village. This place reflected the true Italian lifestyle without tourists being everywhere. There we listened to the music of a folk group that has members of professoressa’s family in it. We all got to dance with them as well. Our first week in Sorrento has been an incredible experience. Ciao!!