The Colosseum

Author: Isabel Provisor Lemery | Major: Interior Design

Stepping off the plane after the twenty-hour journey, I could not believe that I would spend the next five weeks in Rome, Italy. I knew this program would not only advance me in my professional goals but also allow me to view things from another perspective and culture. As an Interior Design student, I am required to study abroad, which I have always wanted to do and was one of the reasons I liked the Interior Design program at The University of Arkansas. I took a total of six credit hours. One of my classes was Design Tours, which would take us to different sites all around Rome and several cities in Italy, and would teach us about the different Interior Design aspects of each site. These sites ranged from retail shops to churches, to museums, and showed contrasts in historical and contemporary designs. This class was extremely eye-opening as I was able to learn about different methods of interior design problem solving, new material uses and learning from historical sites. The other class that I took was History of Italian Design, this class taught us all about the deep-rooted history of Italy and how design in Italy was not only created and evolved but how it influenced the rest of the world. In this class, we also visited many sites and learned about many important designers that could help influence us in our future work and careers. Doing a study abroad experience is something I believe to be very beneficial to anyone, for myself I was able to view interior design in a completely new way that is different from the United States and will influence my future designs and work.

While in Italy I was able to fully immerse myself in the culture. I lived in a small apartment with three other roommates that were also in my major. I was able to familiarize myself with the neighborhood, a place that would feel like home for the next five-week adventure. Passing through Vatican City and St. Peter’s Basilica every day became the new normal. I enjoyed trying different Italian food, my favorite being fettuccine bolognese, marinara pizza, and of course gelato. I learned how to use the public transportation in Rome with daily trips using the metro, bus, and trolley. With our class, we traveled to Venice, Florence, Tivoli, and Orvieto. My favorite place that we traveled to was Orvieto which is a small town in the hills north of Rome. I had never heard of the town beforehand but I am so happy to have gone. I was surrounded by medieval architecture and visited artificial caves that were once built for working areas, storage, and to house pigeons which were considered a delicacy. The small town also had the Duomo of Catterdrale di Santa Maria Assunta, which ended up being one of my favorite churches we visited with its gothic style and intricate detailing both on the interior and exterior. I also had a free three-day weekend, which I took full advantage of, and traveled to the Amalfi Coast where I experienced the most beautiful views, sunsets had the best lemon sorbet, and visited the local vendors. While in Italy one of the things I loved the most was going to dinners with my classmates after a full day of school and site visits and being able to take it all in while eating pasta and listening to the musicians playing nearby.

As an interior design student, I was required to have at least three credit hours of a class that was taken abroad. I would definitely recommend this program to other students as it is largely interior design-focused which can be hard to find with other third-party programs. As a student, you also have access to the Rome Center which has many resources available. The faculty that led my program was also amazing and will be very missed. The number one piece of advice that I would give to anyone planning to study abroad would be to bring the best walking shoes that you can find, as I would walk around twenty-thousand steps a day if not more. I also had a tote bag in which I would carry my sketchbook, water bottle, and daily essentials. Lastly, I would say to pack only what you can carry, and be prepared for weekend trips, as we had to carry any luggage we had up and down stairs and on the cobblestone streets. The first thing I want to do when I get home is to enjoy a home-cooked meal with my family that I missed and take a break from Italian food, but I will always enjoy some gelato. This five-week experience was one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. I had so many amazing opportunities to experience a new country, and a new culture, all while learning more about something that I love and am so passionate about. I know that I would not have learned as much as I did in such a short period of time by sitting in a classroom and instead got to have first-hand experiences.