Author: Alexander Principe | Major; Bio Chemistry | Semester: Summer 2025

Walking out of the beautiful Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

Ciao a tutti! My name is Mac Principe, and I am a Biochemistry and Italian Transnational
Studies double major in the Fulbright Honors College of Arts and Sciences at the University of
Arkansas. This past summer, I went on the trip of a lifetime and studied abroad in Rome at the
University of Arkansas Rome Center. With my family being from Italy, and my dad growing up
in Rome, it had always been a dream of mine to live there as well, even if it was for a short time.
That’s why from the moment I enrolled in the University of Arkansas, I began looking for the
perfect time to study abroad in Rome. Originally, I wanted to spend a whole year abroad, but
since it was difficult with majoring in Biochemistry, I decided to spend a whole summer instead.
While most people only stayed for one 5-week summer session, I stayed for 2 summer
sessions, totaling 80 days abroad. The first program was called Self-Fashioning in Renaissance
Rome. In this class, we looked at different texts and art from the Renaissance in Italy to show
how the idea of identity and the self grew during this period. We took many memorable field
trips in this class, but the most memorable trip was the weekend we all spent in Florence. Along
with the Self-Fashioning course, during the first month I also took an Italian Conversation class.
I really enjoyed this class as we also went on many trips and had many interesting assignments.
My favorite trip for this course was to a small neighborhood in Rome called Tor Marancia that
had many beautiful murals painted on the sides of the buildings.
During the second summer session, I was in a program called Italy and the Transatlantic
World in a Global Perspective. The two classes in this program were two modern history course
called Transatlantic Relations and Modern Italy and the World. I really enjoyed this program as I
learned many knew things about modern European and Italian history and politics that I had
never even heard of before. We also went on many field trips for this course as well. The most
memorable one for me included a class trip to the magnificent Basilica of St. John Lateran.
Whilst these programs were amazing and I looked forward to going to class every day,
the most memorable parts of the whole experience were the personal trips I took outside of class.
The most memorable places I visited in my free time were Bologna, Naples, the Amalfi Coast,
Turin, Switzerland and Germany, Venice, and San Marino. Two trips in particular stood out to
me: the one to Switzerland and Germany and the one to Turin. Despite being only an hour flight
away, Switzerland was much, much different than Italy. The people, weather, architecture, and
food were all drastically different than in Italy. I loved getting a different perspective of Europe,
and it was a bit of a refresher after a first month in Italy. The trip to Turin was special to me for a
couple of different reasons. Firstly, it was the only solo trip I went on the whole time, and I was a
little nervous about spending a whole weekend by myself in a city I’ve never been to. The
experience turned out to be one of the most special ones of my life as Turin is a beautiful
Northern Italian city, and I loved exploring every bit of it. Secondly, Turin is home to my favorite
soccer team, Juventus, and I booked a tour of the museum and stadium for myself. It was an
incredible trip, and it is one I will never forget.
If I had any advice to give to someone considering studying abroad, I would just say go
for it! Of course I was nervous leaving for a foreign country for two and a half months as I knew
no one coming in, but I left with so many friends and life changing experiences.