Author: Sophia Hinkebein | Major: food Science | Semester: Summer 2025

Caption for Photo 1:
Here I am in Florence peaking my head out of the window of our Air BnB to see a perfect view of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

For my summer study abroad, I spent 4 weeks in Pieve del Grappa, Italy– a charming town of less than 10,000 people, tucked at the base of the Italian alps. I didn’t choose this program solely for the location, but rather for the reputation of CIMBA, the organization behind it. CIMBA’s popularity is well-earned: the program consistently brings back dedicated faculty year after year, offering courses that are engaging, thoughtfully structured, and taught with both passion and expertise.

Italy had always been on my travel list, but I hadn’t heard of Pieve del Grappa before enrolling. What I found was a hidden gem—peaceful and scenic yet surrounded by a surprising number of major industries. The region is known for its prosecco production, and nearby Montebelluna, once the global hub of the shoe industry, is rich in manufacturing history. We also explored companies like Alpinestars in Asolo, known for action sports gear, and Nardini in Bassano, Italy’s oldest grappa distillery.

Through the study abroad program I took a Business Law class and a Marketing Strategy class. Every day we would have an hour and a half block designated to each class and a longer 3-hour afternoon session per class that was normally designated for field trips or hands-on learning.

The classes largely worked off student engagement, incorporating industry and real-life examples to help further explain content. The faculty were not only knowledgeable in their subject areas but also deeply familiar with the Italian cultural context, often weaving in thoughtful comparisons that brought the material to life. One afternoon in my Intro to Law class, we toured a shoe museum in Montebelluna to explore the evolution of the shoe industry—an experience that perfectly complemented our class discussion on intellectual property. For my marketing class one afternoon we toured the Alpinestar facility and learned about their business model and product development process, which related to class topics on competitive strategy.

Pieve del Grappa being in northern Italy, and only an hour from the train and airport made weekend travel easily accessible, another characteristic that CIMBA is largely known for. That said, I’ll be honest: studying abroad can feel overwhelming at times, especially if you’re trying to explore multiple places on a tight schedule.

One of the best pieces of advice I can offer future students is to become familiar with local transportation systems and download key travel apps before arriving. In our case, the train system was our primary mode of travel. Planning ahead helped—but even then, unexpected challenges were part of the journey.

For our first weekend, we traveled to Florence—right into the chaos of a train strike. I thought I’d learned a lot in class, but this experience took learning to a whole new level. We frantically had to figure out which trains would still be running and buy new tickets while seats were quickly sold out. Through teamwork (and a fair amount of stress), we managed to get our whole group on the same train and made it to Florence for a fantastic weekend. We gazed at stunning views of the Duomo, shopped at the beautiful leather market, and ate the best gnocchi I’ve ever tasted.

Overall, my study abroad experience taught me a lot in and out of the classroom. With every mistake and every small success, I’ve built a mental database that helps me feel more grounded — not just as a traveler, but as a person. These uncomfortable moments have taught me how to adapt, observe, take initiative, and bounce back. They shaped skills I know I’ll carry with me long after I return home.