Overlooking the Roman Forum
Author: Maggie Green | Major: Journalism | Semester: Fall 2023
Ciao! My name is Maggie Green. I am a Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Journalism major, and I studied in Florence, Italy for a whole semester with CIS Abroad!
In the fall of 2023, I studied travel writing, street photography, Italian, and Italian culture at Florence University of the arts. I chose this city for its central location and rich history, but everything is condensed into a smaller city that was easy to learn to navigate. The classes were actually helpful to learn more about Italian culture since all the professors lived there. I learned how to judge good wine and olive oil while making traditional cuisine in my food and culture class, which allowed me to participate in the rich realm of food Italy is famous for. My street photography class forced me to get out into the streets to practice my art every day, and I came away with some of the best work in my portfolio that represents how it felt to traverse the streets of Florence. Nine of my photos made it into a gallery hosted by the university! My travel writing class helped me to reflect on my experiences and to consider my personal journey in tandem with the physical journey I embarked on. The professor of this class selected me to speak at a conference about the author, Italo Calvino, whose book we read. Because the university was smaller, there were many opportunities to show off my work to people beyond my class and even in the community.
I discovered that I loved becoming a regular in a new city. I loved being recognized at my favorite cafe, or the German pub across the street that my friends and I went to every week for the best chicken nuggets in the world. I miss the busker that would say my name and smile when he saw me in the crowd as he played my favorite songs. I loved the silent solidarity with strangers as we napped on the trains, especially the elderly woman with the dialysis scars who I chatted with about her purse in my broken Italian and her limited English. I miss the waitstaff at the restaurant downstairs that said they missed me when I was out of town. I miss eating peposo all week with Maria when it came back on the menu. I miss hearing, “Ciao! Buonasera!” and “Che bella!” in the streets. I even miss the ruthless pigeons that were always at the elbow of anyone with a croissant, and the intricate facades of the buildings they so casually nested within. I remember the way my breath caught when I saw the duomo for the first time, and the reverence for the city as I moved and lived within it for four months.
Before I made the jump across the Atlantic, I had idealized the whole experience. I thought I would have an apertivo on Lake Como every other weekend, or that I would spend most of the days on the beach in another city. However, I had also created a new version of myself that could fit within that lifestyle (and afford it, travel is more expensive than you might think). I had to come to terms with the fact that I could only do so much until my battery was exhausted and I needed to rest. I was hard on myself when I was scrolling through social media and saw acquaintances in different countries every weekend. I put an unrealistic expectation on myself for what life abroad should be. In the end, it was more about appreciating my city, the wonderful friends I made there, and the professional opportunities I capitalized on. Not every day was a vacation or “instagrammable.” It just became normal life, and it was good.