Submitted by Isabel Ryan on the 2018 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science and the Department of English…
Tired and jet-lagged, we arrived in Milan at 8:00 Wednesday morning, ready for a full day of activities and tours. We were instantly awoken by the breathtaking sights of the Alps, the architecture and the enthusiasm of our energetic tour guide, Roberto. We learned that Milan was named for it’s central location, literally meaning “in the middle of the land.” One of the most shocking things we quickly saw upon arrival, was the striking contrast of the ancient architecture versus the modern decor of the city. I think for most of us, seeing a brightly colored advertisement poster right next to the Milan Cathedral was interesting. You tend to forget that these ancient cities that seem to have been around forever, are in fact very modern now as well.
After being in Milan for only a couple of hours, we headed to Verona! Since we stayed here for about four days, this was the first time we had to venture out and figure out this city for ourselves. This was definitely a trial period, since most of us have never been to Italy before. It was here where we were first really exposed to the traditions, customs, and general everyday life of people here. The first night, we went out for some of their famous Margarita pizza, named after an old queen and representational of the colors of the Italian flag. My favorite part of this city was the Verona Arena.
We got to visit inside, and hear about the stories of how the lions and gladiators used to fight. I remember reading about these events in history class, so it was cool to hear about in person. This made me even more excited to visit the Colosseum in Rome in just a few weeks! We were also fortunate enough to be in Verona during the Epiphany celebration. The Italians celebrate Epiphany to end the holiday season. They burned a huge paper mache witch in the town square to celebrate the end of the year and mark the start of 2019. As our time in Verona came to a close, none of us were quite ready to leave yet.
