Candela Gonzalez Marengo

Day 13 – Free day

We were all pretty tired from the entire trip, so this free day was very much needed! We slept til the 11:00am and then we decided to go souvenir shopping. We went to the the stores that are down by the port area as well as the classical Via XX Settembre stores. Around 3pm, we went to a restaurant that is close to the port to have our last lunch together! Throughout the day, I was kind of sad the the program was coming to an end. After that, we decided to head back to our apartments to finish packing and get ready for dinner!
We got all dressed up and went to our last group dinner to the Michelin star restaurant Rosmarino. The food was absolutely delicious! Also, after dinner, we decided to hang out a few more hours in Piazza della erbe. This was the last time I saw all the students that participated in the program. I was sad that the program was coming to an end, but so happy to have made all those wonederful friends that I’ve never would’ve met if it weren’t for Hospitality in Genoa.
Moreover, that night the local soccer team had won an important match, so people were out celebrating on the streets. It was pretty cool to see this celebration! What a coincidence that it happened in our last day!

Day 14 – Departure

All my roommates had early flights, around 3- 5 am. Therefore, we said goodbye to each other the night before.
When I woke up, the apartment was empty. I had to take out the trash and clean the apartment a little to leave it ready for the housing agency. Since I am staying one more day in Genoa, I packed my bags quickly and decided to chill in the apartment til it was time to leave.
I am honestly going to miss that apartment and my roommates so much! The connections we made in this trip are forever and I really hope we stay in touch!
Throughout the day, I kept thinking about how much I enjoyed this trip. I had a great time with all the students and the professors! It was my first study abroad, and I can say it was unforgettable.
I hope I get the opportunity to do this again in the future.

Day 11 – Rome & Genoa

We started the day off by going to the Spanish steps located in the city of Rome. Professor Rice explained the history behind them, and he went on to give us a quick tour of the major sites of the city, including the Trevi Fountain, and the Panthenon, the oldest Roman temple. It was impressive!
After that we had some free time to wonder around Rome. After eating at the famous sandwich shop, All’antico vinaio, we rode the city bus with the tickets Professor Rice gave us. This was a unique experience, since we felt like locals taking public transportation to the city. We finally reached the colosseum and wondered around the area. We did took a lot of pictures from different angles of the colosseum and even ate a restaurant that is just in front of it! Honestly, this day felt like a dream, since I’ve been watching TV shows and moves about this wonderful city for so long!
In the afternoon, we found the rest of the students around the area too and we decided to take the metro back to the hotel. From there, we took a 5-hour train ride back to Genova Brignole, which the train station we recurred to during the program.

Day 12- Milan

This was the last day we had a “day trip” from Genoa. We were all very tired from the day before, but at the same time excited for Milan! We dressed nice and went to the train station were I got a delicious focaccia to enjoy on the train ride over there.When we got there, we went on a quick tour of the city, including the Duomo di Milano, galleria Vittorio Emanuele and the Quadrilatero fashion area. After that, we went shopping to the shops closer to the duomo, which were the ones we could afford. After, we decided to go to an Asian restaurant, where they sold bowls, to take a break from pastas.
From there, we went to the Fernet Branca Distillery. I was very excited for this experience, since I am from Cordoba, Argentina, where the famous drink of “fernet with coca-cola” was invented. The tour and our tour guide were awesome, very interesting and it honestly taught me a lot I did it know about fernet. Additionally, it was also fun to see how excited Professor Dodge was, he was so happy during the tour, clearly he loves fernet!

Day 9 – Pisa, Lucca and Florence

This is when we started our mini trip, where we left Genoa for 3 days. We started the day off by taking a train ride to Pisa, which is further south in Italy. Professor Rice gave us a quick tour around the city and then we went to the leaning tower of Pisa. Surprisingly, I expected the tower to be more inclined, but still, when I saw it for the first time I was shocked. After taking a million pictures of us and the tower , me and my roommates bought tickets to the church and baptistery that surround the tower. Everything was really beautiful!
After that, we took the trenitalia to the city of Lucca. This is a smaller and less touristy city compared to Pisa, you can find wonderful views of the mountains and the Tuscany landscapes. After a quick tour, me and my roommates went on a city bike around the city wall that surrounds Lucca. This was a very fun and beautiful experience! After getting gelato and walking around the city, we headed back to the train station to go to Florence.
In Florence, we had a group dinner. We enjoyed Tuscany cuisine, including what Professor Rice recommended, the florentine steak. Honestly, it was too raw for us, but it was still delicious!

Day 10 – Florence & Rome

This was a rainy and cold day, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the wonderful city of Florence. I had watched a TV show about the Medici family before coming here, therefore, I was very excited to visit this city. I LOVED IT! This was my favorite city that we visited so far! The duomo, the ponte vecchio, the palazzo medici, and all the incredible sculptures and artworks that the city has! I am definitely coming back here. Although this was a very touristy city, compared to the other places we’ve been going to, the city layout, the river, and all the sculptures and history that Florence offers make it my favorite city!
After spending most of our day there, we took a train to Rome, where we had a group dinner. I got the carbonara pasta, since it was created in Rome.

• Day 7 – Cinque Terre

Where to start? I loved cinque terre. I have to admit it wasn’t like I expected. I thought the towns were together, I was not aware that te towns were far from each other, and that you have to take a train to visit each one of them. I decided to go on the hike Professor Rice suggested and I am so happy I did it! It was exhausting and physically demanding, but the views were worth it! After the hike,  me and my roommates, including another program participant, Masiel, skimmed through the 1st and 2nd town til we got to the 4rd one. There we found other classmates and decided to go to the Nessun Dorma, a restaurant with view of Manarola (4rd town). The food was amazing and it was nice to share it with almost the whole group.

We checked out the the last town, Riomaggiore, and took the train back to Genoa late afternoon. We were tired, so we decided to get burgers from a place Prof. Rice recommended and stayed in the apartment.

• Day 8 – Genoa Hike

Since we were all pretty tired from the previous day, we got a free day!

Me and my roomate we’re pretty tired, so we decided to have a chill day. We did laundry since it was a sunny day. I went shopping in the morning, then I went to buy some ingredients with my roommates cause we decided to cook! One of them, Gladys, is a chef so she made us a penne pasta with pink sauce. We also did a charcuterie board, caprese salad, and for dessert we had strawberries with cream. Everything was delicious! We cooked everything in my friend’s Masiel apartment, since she has a bigger kitchen.

We had a really nice dinner, where we laughed and talked a lot! I really feel like this was a bonding experience. 

• Day 5  – Genoa Local Cuisine

This was a rest day for me. During the morning, we had free time. Therefore, me and my roommates slept in that day and around 12pm we went to checkout the market fair that was at the port that Sunday. We bought some fried calamari  and ricolli and ate it in front of the Genova port. Right after, we head out to the Acquario di Genova, which is supposed to be the only aquarium in Italy. It was beautiful! From dolphins to penguins, the aquarium had a lot of variety and it was very interactive! Afterwards, we decided to go around Genova to buy some souvenirs.  Since we were in the cooking group 2, we had the cooking class in the afternoon. We took the bus and walked to a very resiendential area. We had a great time with Chef Francesco, he showed us his wonderful recipes! My favorite one was the pesto. After cooking, we waited a few minutes and got to eat! Everything was so tasty, specially the gnocchi with pesto sauce, which is Genoa specialty. We shared a nice dinner with the rest of the students and Professor Dodge.

• Day 6: Piedmont

1. We had to wake up super early this day to catch the bus that took us to Piedmont. It was a rainy and cold day, but I honestly loved it! It gave the Piedmont landscapes a different but nice vibe. After around 3 hours on a bus, we reached Piedmont. As I said, the landscapes were beautiful! The vineyards and houses we te very characteristic of the place. We went to the Agricola Brandini headquarters in La morra, where we went on a tour of their vineyard and their wine production. I got to learn a lot about the types of grape, the process of wine making and storage. Around 1pm, we got lunch, a wonderful 4-course Piedmontese meal with specific wines to pair each of them. My favorite part was the Moscato wine with the dessert (hazelnut ice cream and a brioche). Since it was cold and rainy, we went on a quick tour around Barolo, a town nearby, and then we returned to Genoa. I really liked this experience, since my grandparents were from Piedmont, I was excited to go there! 
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May 9th – This has been one of my favorite days so far! We started the day in Santa Margherita, a beautiful coastal town that was famous in the 19th and 20th century. I loved this little town, specially because it wasn’t filled with tourists and we got to walk around the town as locals. Moreover, I loved when we went into a small bakery and talked to the nicest Italian ladies that worked at the bakery! I also loved the views from the classical and beautiful Portofino, where we got to eat gelato! Thereafter, we took a boat to San Fruttuoso, which I would definitely come back to! This little place was very small but charming at the same time. First of all, there were a few tourists and lot of locals. Secondly, the beached were just amazing, with crystal clear water. Me and my roommates got to go to Da Laura, a trattoria under lemon trees! There I got to try a delicious pesto lasagna! To finish the day, we took a boat to Camogli, another coastal town that’s very famous. Although when we got there was cloudy, we sat by the beach and relaxed for a few hours.

May 10th – We started the day off by grabbing a quick snack for the train ride early morning. It was very early, but I love train rides so I enjoyed the ride to Turin. The ride from the train station to the Lavazza headquarters was interesting, taxi drivers in Italy are a bit crazy while driving, but it was fun! we got to Lavazza and we spoke to the senior coffee trainer that gave us a tour of the Lavazza training center and the factory. This was a unique and interesting experience that I never would’ve done if it wasn’t for FIU. I’ve never been to a factory before, so visiting a coffee factory was amazing, since it is one of my fav outfits drinks. I learned a lot of the coffee process and production. After that, we visited the Lavazza museum where our guide, Mattia, gave us a wonderful tour of the place!
In the afternoon, we got free time to enjoy the rest of Turin. We decided to visit the cinema museum, which is famous for its wonderful view from the tower. We took the elevator up, and enjoyed Turin from the heights!

It’s been a crazy couple of days! Where do I even start?

My journey began Friday afternoon when I left Miami. From there we had a layover for a connecting flight from Madrid to Turin. After arriving in Turin, we had to take a train to Genoa. From exciting to hectic, the trip to Genoa was long. However, luckily, I wasn’t going through it alone. I had my two amazing roommates, Melanie and Gladys, sharing this experience with me. We supported and helped each other throughout everything. We finally made it to our stunning apartments in Piazza della Erbe. Not only is very strategically located, but also is very lively and vibrant, surrounded by tiny restaurants, shops, and a gelateria!

– Day 1 in Genoa: We slept until 12:30 pm since we hadn’t slept in 24hs because of our flights the day before, so we used this day to recover our energy. We went to grab a quick coffee with a pastry before meeting with the rest of the group and the professors at Piazza de Ferrari. From there, we walked to nAscensore di Castelletto to the Belvedere neighborhood, where you have a wonderful view of the city of Genova. Also, Professor Rice took us on a quick tour around the city of Genoa so we could orient ourselves. We went to the port, via San Lorenzo, Basilica di San Siro, and more. Professor Rice also pointed out the restaurants, trattorias, and shops we could go to. Finally, we had dinner in Ugo Trattoria, where we had a 3-course Genoese dinner, including Fettuccine Al pesto.

– Day 2: I liked the Mercato Orientale we went to in the morning. At first, it looked like a very casual market with different fruits and fish, but inside there was this modern food court square with different types of food to have lunch! In the afternoon, we took a train to Nervi, which is at the border of Genoa. It was a beautiful coastal town with pebble beaches, parks, and delicious gelato! I also liked the free time in the afternoon when we got to explore the rest of Nervi.