I had dreamed about spending spring break in Italy since the fall before my semester abroad. Before I left, everyone would ask me, “Where will you travel to?” And my list wasn’t very long. “Italy and Morocco,” I’d tell them. Morocco was a trip planned by the program, so I didn’t have to worry about those logistics. That left Italy as my priority. The food, the history, the food… how could I not spend my spring break eating pizza & pasta?
Many Pinterest boards were created, blog reading was done, and plane ticket browsing occured. I booked my arrival for Venice and departure from Milan. The rest was up to me! This was the first time I planned my own trip, so I decided to do it a bit unconventionally.
First, I wanted to do it solo. Traveling with others is fun, yet sometimes I feel myself compromising for the sake of the group. Unfortunately this did not resonate so well with my protective parents. I couldn’t understand why not. What’s wrong with a 20 year old girl being alone in a country she has never been to nor speaks the language of for 12 days??? Ok, ok, well when I put it like that I can maybe see where they’re coming from. So I struck a deal with them. I would meet up with other friends in Italy for about half of the trip and do the rest on my own. This put them at ease and ultimately they gave me the green light.
Second, I wanted to only take a backpack. My packing skills have really developed over the years, but I’ve never lived out of a backpack for more than a couple nights before. Finding clothes that wouldn’t wrinkle, were versatile enough for several outfits, and would work with any type of weather was an exciting challenge. I did it with enough room to bring back tea and chocolates on the return flight.
I could go on for hours about the food I ate, the experiences I had, and the beauty I saw, so instead I think I’ll spare you and leave you with some pretty photos I took (or asked some kind strangers to take of me). Ciao!
Venice
Florence
Rome
Perugia
Milan
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Hannah Geller
<p>I'm a junior at Penn State studying film/video, international studies & Spanish. I am very passionate about watching sunsets and eating french fries. Previous international experience includes an internship in Israel, a documentary shoot in London, and a service trip to Honduras. Fun fact-- I spent last summer on 3 different continents!</p>
