Author: Jordyn Bailey | Major: SEVI and Marketing | Semester: Summer 2024

This is me in front of Riomaggiore where Luca was based

I studied abroad in Rome Italy because I wanted to be in the heart of it all. Rome allows me to get the city and neighborhood feel, especially because I am in the Trastevere district which is known for its great foods and hospitality. I get the full cultural feel and submerge into the Roman day to day lifestyles. What sparked my interest in this part of the world was that Italy is a country that has a vast scenery and cultural feel across the country. From countryside, to oceanside, to cities, it has it all and I can see it all just from training to each city. It also sparked my interest that I would get to experience so many different foods, drinks, experiences and traditions as well just from this one country. I am here for a little over a month, from May 16 to June 26 and I get the opportunity to travel to Venice, Como, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Lugano and of course live in Rome.

I am here studying at the American University of Rome. I am taking International Business and Marketing Organization and in Italy.  My teachers here, although just a 4-week program, have been so passionate and inspiring. They show how much they love their industry and how much they care about each and every one of our futures after this as well. I have learned so much about the Italian business culture and how to work to live and not live to work. To soak up the little moments and value our family and health. I have got to work on many group projects that have been about different important industries in the Italian business realm like the wine, fashion, food, tourism and automobile industries. In international business I have learned more about Multinational Companies and globalization than I have my two years of college so far. I have gotten a better idea of the impacts of imports and exports, the importance of the dollar, and how much each country needs each other. I have learned so much valuable material that I will be able to use for my future career aspiration of starting my own company and expanding.

Some personal experiences I have had while abroad is that I have realized how much I love to explore the world. I have been blessed to be able to even study abroad in Rome, but while I have been here, I have been able to take the opportunity to travel around Italy as well. I have been to Como Italy, and there I took a boat tour to Lugano Switzerland and Bellagio Italy. I got to try the amazing Switzerland chocolate and the freshwater seafood in Bellagio and Como. While on my tour I got to see the numerous villages and villas around the lake, I even saw where the Heinz family villa is and multiple gorgeous weddings along the water. My next favorite place has been Sorrento and Capri. We took a ferry boat over to Capri and rented a private for a couple hours and it took us around the whole island, showing us the Blue Grotto, Heart Cave and numerous beaches where billionaires go. We got to go swimming and one of my friends actually got stung by a jellyfish while we were swimming, it was not the highlight of the day lol. I had the best Seafood pasta with a huge king crawfish inside and the Sorrento specialty gnocchi with shrimp as well. Definitely love traveling to places by the water in Italy because their seafood is so fresh. I have also traveled to Florence and Tuscany, loved all the leather and jewelry markets and definitely the wine tours and tastings in Tuscany, but places near the coast are definitely somewhere I would prefer because I love the sun, water and seafood. Lastly, I ended my trip in Cinque Terre which truly was an experience. These 5 cities are along the coast and only about 3–5-minute train ride away from each other. They have beautiful ocean views; amazing hiking trails and each city has its own specialty. I got to have a beach day in Monterosso, explore Rio Maggiore where the film Luca was based out of and even eat in Veranzza and try their famous seafood risotto. This trip has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for sure. I have had my highs and definitely have had my lows. Homesickness hits you randomly just because you aren’t just a easy drive away from family. You are on a completely different continent and in a different time zone, which makes communication a little hard sometimes. But the people I have met, the foods and drinks I have tried and the photos that will last forever made it worth it. I will never be this young again in Europe and I got to do it thanks to the University of Arkansas.