Submitted by Taylor Hallacy on the 2020 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of English…
When I was preparing for my 3-week program in Italy, I expected the food to blow my mind. However, I was EXTREMELY disappointed with my first meal. When I got off the plane, I was super hungry, so the first thing I did when I arrived in the city was get a caprese sandwich. I was fully prepared to be amazed, but it was honestly horrible. Already jet lagged and cranky, my disappointing sandwich did not help. I was very turned off from the start, and in that moment I just wanted a slice of New York pizza. However, I told myself it was only one place in a huge city and that I just had to find the right place- unfortunately, this took a while. The next day, I had pizza (expecting it to be amazing), and it was not. The place I go to in my town was significantly better. However, one thing that did not disappoint was gelato. I’m a big ice cream person, but gelato in this city is phenomenal. I also came to realize I LOVE bruschetta and bolognese sauce- two things I’ve never had before!! Moral of the story: you have to find your niche.