Me at the Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker in Rome, a 1st century BC freedman’s tomb

Author: Laura Young | Major: Art History

My name is Laura Young and I am a senior Art History major and Statistics minor in the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences. This summer, I spent five weeks in the heart of Rome’s historic center learning about the city’s culture and practicing my language skills through the University of Arkansas Rome Center Summer Campus program.

As a student of Italian language for three years and an art history major with a focus in ancient Roman art, studying abroad in Italy was the perfect complement to my academic and personal interests. I was able to practice the language both inside and outside of the classroom as well as see the art and architecture I admire in person. I chose the Rome Center specifically as opposed to a more independent program because of the security it gave me. I was very nervous to study abroad, so being accompanied by a group of students in my exact situation was very reassuring.

During my five weeks, I took To Rome, With Love and Contemporary Images Of and From Rome. These classes were part of the Summer Core program and were both largely centered around teaching Italian culture through different lenses. These classes felt the most relevant to my academic interests and to the location itself. I unfortunately wasn’t able to take an art history class since I had already taken the ones offered, so I chose these classes to complement my ongoing study of Italian. I felt very immersed in the culture thanks to the nature of these classes and I thoroughly enjoyed them. To Rome, With Love featured a section dedicated to teaching a wide scope of Italian culture and a section dedicated to the basics of the language. Before the program began, I was unsure of whether or not I would be able to take the class, as I had already taken six semesters of language and wouldn’t get much utility out of the language section. Fortunately, the faculty was able to accommodate me and two other students who had already learned a significant amount of the language. We were put in a separate section that better suited our academic needs, which I greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, Contemporary Images featured a series of films, readings, and weekly site visits that allowed us to explore contemporary Rome through the media depicting it.

Outside of the academic value I derived from my classes themselves, I was able to see several of the specific works of art that I will be researching for my honors thesis in person, as well as others that I have studied in art history classes for years. My honors thesis involves erotic Roman art, largely from Pompeiian brothels, so on a free weekend I went to Naples and then to Pompeii to see it for myself! At the site and at the Naples National Archaeological Museum I saw several of the works I will be researching. The experiences I was able to have with art in the country were definitely my favorite parts of the program. From the Uffizi in Florence to Pompeii to the ruins I just happened to stumble upon in Rome, I was ecstatic to be able to see the art that I have devoted so much time to studying during my academic career.

While my time in the country was undoubtedly wonderful, I also found myself dealing with a major issue very early on in the program. During the first week of classes, I injured my knee from overexertion. I thought I was more than prepared for everything I might encounter on the program. With three years of Italian under my belt and all of my essentials packed I felt very secure. Funnily enough, I had prepared myself for everything except walking. After several days of walking for hours on end, putting pressure on my knee became very painful and getting to class on foot became difficult. I called an in-house doctor and he advised me to rest for several days. Consequently, I had to miss the arranged Vatican and Colosseum tours held during the first weekend as well as the majority of the second week of class. I spent several days only seeing the city from my apartment balcony. After several days with minimal improvement, I also ended up having to get myself to the hospital independently, all while trying to navigate the Roman bus system for the first time. Fortunately, the doctor gave me a knee brace that I wore for the rest of the program and from then on I was able to carry on with much less pain.

Thanks to this experience, my biggest advice to anyone studying abroad is to expect the unexpected. Despite my struggles with this and all that I had to miss out on because of it, I can still say this was one of the best experiences of my life. Difficulties will be inevitable during your trip, and I encountered many more small, mundane issues despite all of my preparation. Nevertheless, I would say to not let your struggles discourage you. You will still get a lot of value out of this program or any other you may choose. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Italy and would recommend studying at the Rome Center to any student. I built a strong community with the people I met, fulfilled my academic goals, and genuinely had the time of my life.