Submitted by Andrew Olbrich on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
Since my previous post, I have visited two major locations in Italy, Pompeii and Florence. Back in about 5th or 6th grade, I read a book about the story of Pompeii and the volcanic explosion that wiped out an entire city. I was fascinated to hear about a city that was essentially frozen in time. As soon as I arrived in Pompeii, I immediately recognized the major locations from the story that I read almost 10 years ago. On the walking tour, I saw one of the most famous plaster casts of the victims from this disaster. This plaster cast was of a dog attempting to escape the ash falling from the sky. Pompeii was a surreal experience and it was incredible how archaeologists are able to know exactly who lived in what house, and what type of buildings and stores were located throughout the city.
After leaving Rome and Pompeii, we took a bus to Florence, and I immediately fell in love with the city. With its red roofs and beautiful streets, Florence quickly became one of my favorite cities. However, compared to Rome, it seemed like less people speak English, as it was a bit harder to order food and go shopping. But we were able to piece together the phrases and get our way around. We also went to the famous leather markets. That was an interesting experience for me because it was my first time trying to haggle with someone for a lower price on overpriced goods. Another thing about Florence that was interesting was that even though it’s a major city in Italy, most places still only accept cash, not credit or debit cards. Back home, I’m used to just swiping my card to make a purchase of food or clothes, so it was just an extra hassle to remember to have plenty of cash on me. Pompeii and Florence were absolutely stunning cities, even though one was buried over 2,000 years ago.