Submitted by Sasha Byck on the 2017 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science and the Department of English…
The most incredible luxury about this particular study abroad program is the ability to travel to various locations within Italy including (but not limited to) Milan, Verona, Venice, Siena, Florence, Rome and Sorrento. This photo, taken on the streets of Siena, depicts the consumer culture with the various shops along the streets. However, it also shows the history of the architecture of the buildings which surround the shops. In America, there are built-in sidewalks alongside nearly every road, one would wish to walk on. In Siena, sidewalks are uncommon as pedestrians walk where the cars drive, on cobblestone pathways and narrow streets. A large part of the culture in Italy is the idea of walking around as well as always being outside. A majority of the restaurants and cafés I have dined in offer outside seating with limited heat lamps or plastic coverings which is unique to Italy. No one wants to be outside to eat in the winter even if they are all bundled up when they are in New York. The idea of eating outside during the winter is definitely a new experience and the small streets crowded with people opened my eyes to a simplistic idea of life without many cars.