Submitted by Dayana Lara on the 2023 summer session program in Volterra, Italy…
Upon arriving at Volterra, I was filled with excitement about finally landing here. As this was my first time in Italy and I have heard many things about people’s experiences with visiting different parts of Italy such as Rome, Milan, Sicily, and Florence but I have yet to hear about someone else’s experiences at Volterra. I have also heard a lot due to the large representation Italy has in the media and pop culture. On the day of our arrival, we arrived early in the morning after traveling for many hours and having an overnight flight. On the first day at Volterra, I was experiencing an extreme case of jet lag and sleep deprivation but despite this, I was very excited to do a tour of Volterra and see all of the shops, museums, and restaurants and get an opportunity to speak to the locals. On the first day, we got the opportunity to see a few museums and churches, and my favorite church we visited was the Volterra Cathedral. It was very impressive to see as it is very historical dating back to 1117 when it was rebuilt due to an earthquake that destroyed most of the town. The interior was beautiful and the attention to detail throughout was captivating. I found myself in the museum for a while trying to take in all the details. In Volterra, the main language that is spoken is Italian and few people speak English fluently so I quickly realized the importance of learning phrases in Italian to better communicate with the locals. Thankfully later that day in class we had an Italian class that has assisted my ability to order at restaurants or when I visit shops, visit museums, and other activities where I interact with locals. My background in Spanish has also been helpful but this experience has emphasized the advantage of knowing a few phrases.
During class, one of the assignments was to ask a local what leadership means to them since that is the topic of the class I’m taking. Initially, the task seemed challenging due to my lack of fluency in Italian but with the help of the few phrases I was familiar with and with the help of google translate the interaction was a lot smoother. We decided to ask a local business owner that owns a wine shop. My group and I wanted to get to know him a bit so we asked him about how long he has been running his business and his favorite parts about it. This interaction was very wholesome as the owner Bruno, was very welcoming and friendly and was happy to speak to us about his perspectives and experiences. I hope to visit him again during my time in Volterra.
We had a day in Volterra where we had the opportunity to explore the town and this is when we saw the Roman Theatre. This was one of my favorite things I have seen during the week I have been in Italy. I was unfamiliar with the history but I learned that the theater was discovered in the 1950’s during archeological excavations of the ancient Roman city conducted by Enrico Fiumi. I also learned that it is one of the best-preserved Roman Theatres in Italy. I found this very interesting considering I was completely unfamiliar with it before my visit. It is incredible that I was in the presence of something so historical and it made me extremely curious about the people that lived there hundreds and thousands of years ago. It sparked my curiosity in learning more about their societies.
Since my first week at Volterra was coming to an end, I was excited about the group visit to Florence and the free weekend where I was able to explore a city of my choice on my own with a few other classmates that were also staying in Florence. I decided to stay in Florence for my free weekend due to practicality as I thought it would be easier to book a hostel in Florence instead of looking for transportation and housing in a different city. This was the best decision as I had the two best days and nights I could have ever imagined. It was a very amazing experience and although by the end of my weekend, I was exhausted since I was always on the go and walking everywhere I can say that the experience was worth it. I made amazing new friends at the hostel from all over the world who were either also studying abroad or were backpacking to different European cities. It was exciting to hear about their different experiences on their trips thus far and about their future adventures. In Florence, I decided to go to the Uffizi Gallery because I wanted to see the Birth of Venus and it was more beautiful in person. My favorite painting I saw that day was Primavera by Botticelli. I was unfamiliar with this painting but I learned that it was one of the most controversial and written-about paintings in the world. I also had the opportunity to try new foods and try a few Italian Vegetarian restaurants which felt very special because they were rare to find.
Overall I have had a more than amazing week and I am looking forward to what’s next in Italy! (Submitted during Week 1)