Author: Izabelle Simonian | Major: Biomedical Engineering | Semester: Spring 2025

Leaning Tower of Pisa: Holding up history–because someone had to!

The month of February gave me everything I could have hoped for, and more. Hi, I’m Izabelle Simonian, a biomedical engineering major on the pre-med track, and I have just wrapped up my second month studying abroad in Rome, Italy! This month was packed with unforgettable adventures, incredible food, academic experiences, and memories I’ll carry forever.

We kicked off February with a weekend trip to Florence, Italy, where I traveled with two fellow biomedical engineers. One of the coolest things about Italy is that on the first Sunday of every month, all national museums and landmarks are free to the public! This is something wedidn’t realize when we booked, but took full advantage of! We climbed the Duomo’s 463 steep steps (which felt even harder after a month of nonstop pasta), explored the historic PonteVecchio, and saw Michelangelo’s David up close. The detail and preservation were stunning! A fun fact we heard while there was that David may eventually need crutches because of his weight! We also wandered through the Pitti Palace and the breathtaking Medici Chapels, which might be the most beautiful church I’ve ever seen. I didn’t want to leave.

The next weekend, four of us flew to Athens, Greece. We were amazed at how quick and affordable European travel is, and we wanted to make the most of every opportunity. I found a hotel with a rooftop bar and a stunning view of the Acropolis, where we spent our nights playing Uno under the skyline. The climb to the Acropolis was very chilly and steep, but the views made it more than worth it. One of my favorite moments was meeting other American study abroad students at the Acropolis, and then randomly seeing them again later that night at a tiny hidden gyro shop! When traveling, I’ve loved diving into the culture, researching spots ahead of time, and experiencing every landmark and local food I could. And of course, the cats, especially the ones lounging around the Ancient Agora. I seriously had to stop myself from taking and adopting one!

Back in Rome, my classes were just as exciting. We had a practical lab for Biomedical Instrumentation and Biomechanical Engineering. One of our professors is actually the head of the biomedical engineering department at Campus Bio-Medico, and we had the chance to tour his personal lab and meet his Ph.D. students. During our 5.5-hour lab, we conducted two experiments. First, we built and tested a low-pass filter, measuring how it responded to different frequencies. Then, we designed and analyzed a differential amplifier using an op-amp and resistors to verify a 10x voltage gain. These experiments helped us connect theory to real-world applications and gave us hands-on skills using oscilloscopes and signal generators. Best of all, our professors took us out to dinner with their students and families. We tried their favorites, wild boar pasta and Bistecca alla Fiorentina, and it was easily the best meal I’ve had in Italy so far! Doing the lab in Rome gave us access to global research and expertise we wouldn’t have had back home in Arkansas, and I feel so lucky to get to experience this here.

Taking a break from our engineering courses, our To Rome with Love class had us laughing and enjoying ourselves with a hands-on cooking class! This course is really so cool, it blends Italian culture and language with real-world experiences. After class one day, we all went to a local restaurant where chefs taught us how to make homemade pasta and tiramisu from scratch. Rolling out the dough and layering desserts with my classmates was such awholesome memory. It’s not every day you get school credit for learning how to cook Italian food! Another highlight of my month has been a program called SLAM, which I joined back in January. Every Monday, we do fun activities around the city with other students. One week, we went to an Italian movie theater. Next, we tried famous aperitivo and gelato spots across Rome. My favorite activity was ice skating in the middle of a huge park. I started barely able to stand up, but by the end, I could glide across the rink in under a minute! SLAM has pushed me to try new things I wouldn’t normally do, and I’ve loved every second so far!

Somehow, in the middle of all the pasta and gelato I’d been having, I have found myself obsessed with a food I didn’t think I would be here in Rome: sushi! Two of my friends discovered a Chinese-Japanese fusion restaurant called Kung Fu just minutes from our apartments, and it completely changed my life (I’m not exaggerating!). I started ordering from them almost every day through Glovo, an Italian delivery app. I’ve probably eaten more sushi this month than Italian food, which is something I didn’t think I’d ever say! I didn’t expect Rome to be so diverse, which has been one of the coolest surprises.

I wrapped up this month with a Rome Center regional trip to Cinque Terre and Pisa in Italy. We took the speed train from Rome and started our coastal hike through the five villages of Cinque Terre. We also explored the town of Genoa. The hike reminded me, yet again, how out of shape I am, especially when it started raining toward the end of the hike. Still, the views were worth it, and I’m so glad I’ll always remember the laughs and unforgettable moments with all of my friends.

February was full of adventure and unexpected moments that made this month unforgettable. With the hands-on labs and breathtaking hikes, every experience reminded me why studying abroad in Rome truly is the sweet life.