Vineyard in Frascati

Author: Jaden Hendrix | Major: International Business

I studied abroad at the CIMBA program in Paderno del Grappa, Italy for four weeks this summer. As a program that offers primarily business courses, CIMBA seemed like the perfect program for me academically. I never could have imagined how much I would come to love all other aspects of this program.

Paderno del Grappa, Italy is a quaint town of unique beauty surrounded by many other towns of the same quality. Its location is perfect for both traveling to big cities in Italy on the weekends and enjoying evenings in the nearby towns during the week. Asolo, Bassano, and Padova—all towns within an hour of Paderno del Grappa—were some of my favorites. It was in these towns that I took pasta-making classes, went to museums, and tried new foods at local restaurants. I loved being in a small town because I was able to embrace the Italian culture instead of falling into a habit of frequenting places that are attractive because of their familiarity. Although it was overwhelming at first, I came to love the unfamiliarity of an entirely new culture. I found that in times when it seemed nearly impossible to connect with people of a culture so different from my own, the most meaningful connections were made.

All CIMBA students take two courses, or six credit hours, while abroad. I decided to take global economics, a business course that would contribute to my major, and classical mythology, an elective course that would add to my learning about the culture around me. Classes at CIMBA were smaller in size than most classes at the U of A and most assignments were done on paper. We had each of our two classes Monday through Thursday mornings as well as a three-hour class two afternoons out of the week. Both of my teachers were amazing; they made each lecture interesting and frequently shared their own experiences in Italy and suggested places for us to visit. I made a lot of new friends in class who I studied with during the week and traveled with on the weekends. For global economics, one of our field trips was to Montegrappa, a manufacturing company of luxury pens founded in Bassano del Grappa in 1912, just half an hour from the CIMBA campus. We learned about the fine art and Italian culture that are incorporated into the process of making these pens as well as their economic relations as an international company. In classical mythology, we had a field trip every week. We went to the Antonio Canova Art Museum the first week, the Scrovegni Chapel the second week, and local villas the next two weeks. At each of these places, our teacher taught us about mythological paintings and sculptures dating back to as early as the 1300s. Everything we learned on our field trips correlated to the literature we studied throughout the course: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, and Metamorphoses. It was surreal to be so close to and understand the meaning behind Greek and Roman art that I’ve heard about my entire life.

Each weekend, starting Thursday afternoon after class ended, we could travel anywhere we wanted. With the group of friends that I met at the beginning of the program, I went to Lake Como the first weekend, Rome the second weekend, and Cinque Terre the third. We traveled by train to each of these places, a form of transportation that most of us were completely unfamiliar with prior to this trip. We had our share of problems—like missing a train and unanticipated transportation strikes—but we found a way to solve each one together and learned from it. Each destination came with its own culture that was slightly different from the last. There were new foods to try, beautiful scenery to see, and historical landmarks to learn about. I loved Lake Como, but this weekend was shorter than the others and we had problems navigating different transportation systems, so we didn’t get to see as much as we would have liked. We went to a beautiful villa and mostly walked around, taking time to enjoy the views. I would love to go back someday. Although it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite weekend, I think Rome was my favorite. We went to the Colosseum, the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Roman Ruins, and more—all the places I have always dreamed about seeing. We also toured a vineyard in Frascati, a town about forty minutes outside of Rome, and learned about how wine is made from the family who has owned the vineyard for centuries. On the first day in Cinque Terre, we spent the morning buying fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, and breads from local farmers at the fresh market before taking a boat tour on the Mediterranean Sea of the Cinque Terre coastline. We spent the second day on the beach and went on a beautiful sunset cruise in the evening. Each travel weekend, I found myself making connections from landmarks, art, and business culture that I saw to what I had learned during the week in each of my classes, making what we learned feel even more meaningful.

My advice to future study abroad students is to embrace every aspect of your time abroad—both the travel destinations you’ve always dreamed of and the difficult situations you never could have prepared yourself for. Everything won’t go exactly as you plan, but every unfamiliar situation I encountered that came with struggle came too with growth. I have never felt so challenged and fulfilled at the same time until studying abroad. Studying abroad was a large step out of my comfort zone that I will forever be grateful I made.