Excursion teaches about culture

Jessica Bjorklund
The Drury Mirror

Italia! This past week I was able to visit the beautiful, romantic, and sunny country of Italy. Having completed a 3 week intensive German course after arriving in Lüneburg, all of the international students had a free week before school started (It is a bit crazy, but October 12 was the first day of official classes at the university). So instead of staying in chilly Northern Germany for the week, three of my friends and I decided to book cheap airline tickets and spend an entire week in Italy!

With a Europe on a Shoe String guidebook and a desire for a little adventure, the four of us arrived in Italy not really knowing what to expect or how to get around. We flew into Pisa, and of course had to find the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Deciding not to take a bus, we left the train station in search of the famous tower with our cameras and luggage in hand. Not really knowing where we were going, after about an hour of walking we finally found the Leaning Tower. And it really does lean at a scary angle, just like all the pictures and movies show.

Spending a few hours in Pisa, we then took a train to Florence, where we would be staying for three nights. Finding the hostel was a bit complicated, and after a few hours of walking the dark streets of Florence, we finally called a taxi. The taxi driver, our hero, brought us to a beautiful countryside villa called Ostello Villa Camerata. A 17th Century villa surrounded by vineyards, located in the beautiful hills of Tuscany.

Having Florence as our base, we then took a day trip to the one and only famous floating city of Venice. It was beautiful. My friend and I spent the day wandering around the streets, visiting all of the little boutiques and outdoor shops. Some of our favorite places were the gelaterias serving countless flavors of gelato and the bakeries with shelves upon shelves of pretty little pastries, chocolate-filled croissants, éclairs, and cookies. We of course had a lot of sampling to do...So sweet!

The next day we explored the city of Florence. With a list of world-renown museums to visit, at the end of the day the Galleria dell'Accademia was my favorite. Here I was able to stand in amazement and awe and just stare at Michelangelo's David. An absolutely amazing piece of art, it was so much bigger than I had always imagined. It is hard to believe that the 17 foot marble statue was sculpted over 400 years ago. An unforgettable experience.

Saving the best for last, the final four days of our trip were dedicated to Rome. Over two and half thousand years old, the Eternal City truly does takes a lifetime to explore. Knowing our time was short, we set out with a list of famous places to visit. To name a few, we were fortunate enough to see the Pantheon, the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel, which houses the famous Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo. Rome is a breath-taking city. All in all, Italy is a charming country that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.