The view from il Duomo di Firenze.
Author: Cade Hall | Majors: Political Science, Criminology, and Sociology
Hey! My name is Caden Hall, I’m a Political Science and Criminology student, and I spent the summer of 2022 in Italia on the Summer Campus program provided by the University of Arkansas’ Rome Center! I had always wanted to travel to Italy, especially after doing research on their prison system and enrolling in five Italian language courses. I originally was accepted to the 2020 summer term, but the trip was unfortunately canceled for mysterious reasons (what could it have been!). While there, I enrolled in both a general arts course (to satisfy a fine arts credit) and a Rome Center-specific course titled “To Rome, With Love” that advanced both my skills with the Italian language(s) and understanding of the local and national culture. This trip also satisfied a region studies requirement for my Global Studies minor and will help support my future career in international law.
The classes I took at the Rome Center weren’t too unlike those here in Arkansas. Perhaps slightly more rigorous due to the five-week time constraint, but the professors were generally highly compassionate and willing to work with you on any troubles you were encountering. Every professor I had (there were multiple instructors for some courses, including one of mine) was bilingual, well-versed in the geography and culture of Rome, and an overall excellent resource to have on hand while in a foreign country. They even facilitated out-of-class adventures (literally- these were adventures) to go explore museums, restaurants, notable monuments, and famous piazze. The staff and faculty did a magnificent job of preparing weekend excursions for us to explore places like Florence, Vatican City, and the Colosseum, but I have to highly advise any potential future students to seek out excursions of their own.
Your opportunities to make these extra travels were few, but the beauty of intra-European travel (especially between countries) is that it is far easier to travel internationally than it is in the U.S. Going between countries like Spain, France, Greece, Italy, etc. is more akin to flying between California, Texas, Arkansas, and Florida than you would expect. On top of that, the prices for E.U. airfare are CHEAP (especially if you book early)! Staff members of the program are prepared to assist students undergoing these extra trips, so I cannot suggest highly enough that you take those opportunities and forge journeys of all your own. For these journeys, be sure to prepare in all the ways you can: linguistically (I think it’s important to at least have someone with you that can communicate with the people of the place you’re traveling to), itinerary-wise (plan your adventure!), and financially (it’s easier to go broke abroad than it is to go broke on Dickson after a Hogs win). I traveled to Greece, and several cities within different parts of Italy like Naples, Sorrento, and Pompeii. Those places slapped. I also highly advise you to make connections while you’re on this trip. You are part of a gathering of people that will otherwise likely never encounter each other again- take advantage of the resources now in front of you and start following people on Instagram.
The connections I was lucky enough to make included a master Italian chef with his own restaurant and cooking school, an acclaimed artist and former NYU art professor who was opening an exhibit in the historical ruins of the Roman baths, and a sweet restaurant owner named Maria who lived a couple doors down from my apartment. That woman fed my roommates and I throughout the trip, often with extra little goodies and delights added in. If you find yourself in Prati on Via Sebastiano Veniero, il Ristorante dei Musei Vaticani (Massa Giulio) is a must-have. Of course, if I tried to fit in all of the amazing places I ate delicious food at, I would finish with a novel. All I can say is this- trust TripAdvisor, recommendations from the locals, and don’t be afraid to try new, potentially weird, things.
Truthfully, the biggest piece of advice I can give is to try and make every day matter while you’re there. That doesn’t mean go off and do a million things every day, just be constantly mindful about how you’re spending your time. I spent at least two days in my apartment, on my bed, unmoving aside from the occasional click of the “Next Episode” button on The Boys. When you’re racking up 25,000+ steps a day in 100-degree heat (the consistency of Rome temperature and humidity is unlike anything I have ever seen. It rained once in the 35 days I spent there; this was the only change in weather I experienced during this trip.), breaks like this are necessary for your survival. Be mindful of your health and wellbeing but be ambitious as well. This trip was the best of my life, which I largely attribute to forcing myself out as much as possible to carpe every diem I could. It can be the very same for you- you just have to go for it.
Buon viaggio i miei amici!