Submitted by Stephanie Vicari on the 2012 summer session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures…
We’ve now been in Sorrento for a full week, and in this short amount of time we have already seen so much! We walked through the ruins of Pompeii while learning about the civilizations that once thrived there, climbed to the crater of Mt. Vesuvius which is 4,000 feet tall, danced a Polka and a Tarantella with “La Basaluta,” the folklore music group in our professor’s hometown, Baia e Latina, saw the beautiful Palazzo Reale di Caserta, and experienced the uniqueness of each facet of the island of Capri. Each new area we encounter finds us in awe, and Sorrento itself is a true gem. A quaint town set in the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento offers a breath-taking view of the coastline, a diverse population, phenomenal cuisine, and for us, a place to call home. As students of the foreign language department, we have been completely immersed in the Italian culture through a home stay program. Our host families, so far, have helped us improve our Italian language skills, introducing new vocabulary to us, as well as fine tuning our fluency simply by engaging in conversations. They have also provided a sense of their culture through meals, and I personally have had the privilege of discussing the function of other social institutions, such as the school systems, with my host sister. From the language to the history, from the food to the friends, our stay, thus far, has been an incredible experience, and I look forward to the memories to be made in the coming weeks.
Arrivederci!