UT student Amanda blogged about her EducaƟon Aboard Experience
to Italy in the Fall 2013, read about her experience below:
AboutAmanda
Ever since I was li le, I ventured all over my back yard and into the woods and around the mountains of Roanoke,
Virginia dreaming of traveling. Now, I prepare to travel to Italy for a semester gaining a whole new perspec ve. As a
junior studying Informa on Systems at The University of Toledo, I am excited to return in January to share my
experiences and encourage others to study abroad. Many memories will be made, but none will be regre ed. Many
exci ng people will be met from toe of Italy to the mountain tops of Norway. Boarders will be crossed.
NoSuchThingAsItalianCuisineOctober22nd,2013
As I began my Italian Cuisine course, I was astounded at the fact that to an Italian there is no such thing as Italian Cuisine. This
being extra ironic as I learned that Italian Cuisine does not exist in an Italian Cuisine course. Though this may come as a shock to a
lot of you as it did for me, Italian Cuisine in the view point of an American consists primarily of pizza and pasta. At least those are
the foods I immediately think of when referring to Italian Cuisine. Italian Cuisine in the view point of an Italian does not exist.
Instead they divide their cuisine by their specific region. For example, in Torino they have Piedmontese cuisine. Instead of cuisine
remaining consistent throughout Italy, cuisine is divided by the twenty regions in Italy. Each region cooks their pizza and spaghe
and gnocchi and so on vastly different from another region.
As stated by Marcella Hazan, a famous writer on the food of Italy: “the first useful thing to know about Italian cooking is that as
such it actually doesn’t exist. ‘Italian cooking’ is an expression of convenience rarely used by Italians.” As I have learned in my
Italian Culture class, there is not much na onalism within Italy. Instead, regionalism remains most prevalent. It was stated in one
ar cle I read in Italian Culture that: “most people express loyalty more to a town or village than to the state or even the administra‐
ve region.” Where I thought I encountered an Italian instead I’ve met the Piedmontese, the Floren ne, the Sardinian, the
Milanese, the Neapolitan, and the Bolognese.
Norberto Bobbio, a veteran poli cal philosopher, explains how “Italy is no longer a na on in the sense that in the new genera on
there no longer exists a na onal sen ment. Italy has become li le more than a geographical expression and the Italians are
becoming once more a common mass with no name.” I was surprised by this statement and even more shocked when out of 406
students surveyed, 41% of them were in complete agreement with Norberto Bobbio’s statement. Although, over half (58%) did feel
na onal pride during spor ng occasions such as the World Cup Finals and the skiing champion, Alberto Tomba. A famous quote
from Massimo d’Azeglio: “With Italy made, we must now make the Italians.” This statement made a er the unifica on of Italy in
1861 points out the division that was apparent in Italy. Although, there is patrio sm revolving around food and football; the food
s ll vastly varies across Italy.
Sources:
Dickie, J. “Imagined Italies”. In Italian Cultural Studies: An IntroducƟon. Eds. D. Forgacs and R. Lumley. Oxford UP, 1996 (pp. 19‐33).
Richards, C. “Il Belpaese and le bella figura”. In The New Italians. Penguin 1995 (pp. 15‐27).
Richards, C. “Regionalism and pasta sauce”. In The New Italians. Penguin, 1995 (pp. 79‐108).
Richardson, B. “Ques ons of language”. In The Cambridge Companion to Modern Italian Culture. Eds. Barànski, Z. and West, R.J.
Cambridge UP, 2001 (pp. 63‐79).
Oktober–Oktober–Ottobre–Októ berOctober31st,2013
There are millions of amazing places to go in Europe – it’s so difficult to decide which ones
to go to during my four months here. In my second month, I definitely chose some of the
best ci es and had the me of my life at each one. The below are the places where I spent
my weekends in October. I highly recommend each of the following!
1) Munich, Germany – Oktoberfest
I think this should be on everyone’s bucket list. Even though I only spent a day in Germany, I loved every second of it.
Oktoberfest was so much fun! I can’t compare it to other Oktoberfests located in the states because I’ve never actually
been to one (since I just turned 21). Munich was amazing though – at least the two streets that I saw and the en re fair
that Oktoberfest consumed. I hope one day to be back, though. I really want to explore more of Munich as well as
Berlin. The language is amazing and I wish I could learn it – I did a empt it with some Germans I met while there.
Oktober–Oktober–Ottobre–Októ berOctober31st,2013
2) Interlaken, Switzerland – Paragliding and the Alps
I’ve never seen anything more beau ful in my life. Every way I turn another tall green mountain blanketed in a thick
white sheet. I can’t believe my life – I have been to the top of the Swiss Alps and glided around their significant beauty.
If you ever get a chance – especially if you win the lo ery – come to Switzerland. It was super expensive especially since
we decided to go paragliding and then venture to the top of Schilthorn (around 300 Swiss Francs with just those). One
meal is around 15 to 25 Swiss Francs. Super expensive, but it was worth every franc/dollar because of the amazing
beauty of the Swiss Alps as well as the authen c Swiss chocolates, Swiss knives, and Swiss watches.
Oktober–Oktober–Ottobre–Októ berOctober31st,2013
3) Reggio Emilia, Italy; As , Italy; Alba, Italy – Day trips in Italy
This was the one weekend in October where I stayed in Italy. I took a day trip on Friday to Reggio Emilia, a new loca on
for those interested in studying abroad. It is a medium sized town and a happy medium between the large city of Torino
and the small town of Viterbo. It is located near Bologna and was very cute. I greatly enjoyed it and recommend it to
anyone interested in studying abroad in Italy. It is the perfect place to study!
The next day I went on a day trip with the USAC group to As and Alba. In As we were able to explore a castle which
had a museum about wine inside. We saw some nearby vineyards and then headed off to Alba for the truffle fair. At
first I had no idea what truffles were, but they are kind of mushrooms that grow underneath the ground. They have to
search for them with dogs smelling their loca on. They have quite a strong and unique smell – and from the spreads I
had with truffles in them, they are very delicious. They are also super expensive – 300 euros for a hectogram (.1 kilo‐
gram or 100 grams).
Oktober–Oktober–Ottobre–Októ berOctober31st,2013
4) Budapest, Hungary – Buda & Pest
I have officially been to Hungary! And it was amazing. I had so much fun although there were some struggles and
traveling was stressful and painful and made our group slightly irritable. Overall, it was an experience unlike any other.
And I am so glad that I was able to go with a great group of friends. We met such amazing people while there and I
learned so much about Hungary’s history. We went to see a church and a castle in Buda our first day. They were
absolutely stunning. The parliament building across the river was gorgeous. The next day we got a tour around Pest
and went into a church and to the parliament building. I learned so much about Budapest and all weekend long I ate
and drank tradi onal Hungarian foods. They were all super delicious. I had so much fun, and wish I could have spent
more me there exploring Buda & Pest.
TheOpenMarketNovember5th,2013
A er taking two day trips, one on Friday to Reggio Emilia and one on Saturday to As and Alba, I was ready to take it
easy on Sunday. When I got up, I decided to venture to a new area and a empt to find the open market. I was
surprised how easily I found it. I was sure I would get lost. I only knew that it was off of the Nizza metro stop. I was
ready to explore and see what the market offered. It was 11 am on a Sunday and the threat of rain lingered in the skies.
All along the sides of the street lined vendors with food, clothing, appliances, and much more. Both ways down the
street had sta ons for different items. I turned right first and observed the never ending path of different items to
purchase. I mostly looked for clothing. When in Reggio Emilia and Alba, I no ced the clothing and shoes they had at low
prices at many booths that ran down the middle of some streets. I hoped to find similar items. And I did. There was so
much going on. People surrounded one booth giving a presenta on on what looked like a lemon‐squeezer. The people
seemed very curious and interested in the product. The man had a microphone a ached to him and he impressively
showed and explained the exci ng aspects of his product.
Not far from the man was a stage. It was empty at the me, but I imagine that someone performed or gave a presenta‐
on about a product. Across from the stage, two girls around 10 years old laid out some toys. I assumed they were old
toys they had lost interest in playing with. It reminded me of what you would see at a garage sale back in the states. I
con nued down the street ogling at delicious food and pre y scarves. The streets were fairly crowded with people of
all ages. Primarily an older crowd wandered down the street gathering fruits and vegetables, occasionally slowing down
to eye some clothing.
When I reached the end of the street I turned around ready to examine anything I had missed as well as explore the
side I had not yet been down. At the various tables I saw pillows and blankets and a beau ful shirt that was unfortu‐
nately over 60 euros. Scarves for Juventus and Torino FC bordered the edges of one booth. Most vendors sat back and
waited for customers to approach the table. They weren’t in your face with their product as I was used to seeing in
malls back in the states. The booths that lined the middle of malls always had a person roaming around it. If you ever
got too close, the person would immediately yap about their product to you. Not in Torino – instead they would calmly
sit behind their booth or maybe float around it wai ng for anyone interested to come to them. And that’s how most of
Italy is with customer service. As a customer, you have to approach them with whatever you want. In most stores and
especially at the open market, if you are interested in anything or have a ques on, you have to ini ate. They will not
approach you asking ‘how may I help you’ as it always occurs in the states.
HostelsNovember12th,2013
My first experience in a hostel occurred when I went to Switzerland and it turned out to be a great one. Since I roomed
with a few other random people from around the world I was a li le nervous of ge ng my personal items stolen espe‐
cially valuables. In our hostel we met an amazing new friend, Laura, who was from Australia. She was very nice and we
talked a lot about her travels around Europe. She had been away from home for nearly a year. Her story was incredible
and I was glad to have met her. The hostel’s staff was very friendly and helped us figure out our daily plans. They
helped us contact the company in which we would go paragliding, enlightened us on the weather, and encouraged us
to do various ac vi es based on our budget and the clear skies. We couldn’t have had a be er me while in Interlaken,
Switzerland.
The hostel had a bar on the first floor where we checked in. My room was on the second floor. It was a mixed dorm –
which I didn’t realize how much it was like a dorm un l I got there. We shared three showers and three bathrooms with
a couple other floors. Not sure how many rooms. But there were two floors I knew of and around six people in each
room. I didn’t even realize that there wouldn’t be towels provided. And Laura was surprised when I told her I had not
brought a towel. I think I had said I forgo en one, but honestly I had no idea that I needed to bring one in the first
place. I luckily brought a t‐shirt which I used as a temporary towel. I was overprotec ve of all my things and worried
too much about my suitcase ge ng stolen. I put a lock on the suitcase, but before I went to sleep the second night I
tucked my purse inside forge ng the key was clasped to my purse. The second before I went to bed I remembered my
mistake. I easily broke into my own suitcase and retrieved the key. Now I had realized how pointless the lock was. And
the lockers that were provided in the rooms didn’t even have the locking capabili es. You could shove a lock on it, but
when you turned the knob it easily opened. Completely pointless. I felt worried for the rest of my clothes that sat
helplessly inside the darkness of my suitcase. There were strangers in the room. But they were all harmless and nothing
vanished from the locker while I was there. It was a very comfortable place, so I had nothing to worry about.
Walking through the bar of the Happy Inn Lodge to the very back around a corner and up the stairs – around a couple
more corners to the room I called mine for two nights in Interlaken. There were three bunked beds pushed against
three of the four walls of the room. The fourth wall had a window, sink, mirror, and one working outlet. It was a
func onal room, but smelled odd. I’m not sure if it was the feet of one guy in the bunk to the right or if it was the on
and off smoking of the guy in the top bunk to the le . Possibly both. It was slightly sickening, but I survived the smell
and was rarely in the room due to the many adventures I had while in Switzerland. It was the only unpleasant aspect of
the hostel. The room was very warm compared to the shivering Italian bedroom I’d escaped from for the weekend and
of course the low degree Celsius that chilled the outside.
As we talked with Laura about our future travels around Europe in the Happy Inn Lodge, we men oned our trip to
Budapest, Hungary. She immediately began telling us about party hostels around the area as well as others in Europe.
She men oned Retox and Grandio located in Budapest. I thought it was interes ng how they had party hostels around
Europe. I should have expected it from young travelers looking for an extra fun experience in the ci es they visited
throughout Europe though. I wrote down the names interested in finding out more about party hostels. In two weeks I
would be going to Budapest with Ciera and Paolo. I men oned the party hostel to Ciera par ally joking about actually
staying there and mostly thinking she would rather not. Instead, as an expert hostel‐goer, she was very interested in
the experience. It was something completely new and different. We talked to Paolo about the idea and he didn’t seem
to care, as long as we found a place. I was very excited for the experience – they sent us an email about different
ac vi es that they would be doing as a hostel. The ac vi es included a boat party down the river that divided Buda and
Pest, but unfortunately we arrived the day a er the boat party. I was a li le disappointed in missing it because a girl we
met at the hostel said it was very beau ful. The others were a pub crawl at the Ruin Bars and Sparty (spa party) in one
of the baths in Budapest.
Hostelscontinued….November12th,2013
When I first arrived at the party hostel, my first thoughts were that it was a mistake to stay there and that I would be
way in over my head. I judged the place too fast, though. And by the end I loved the atmosphere and the amazing
people I met from all over the world. One of the girls said that Grandio was one of the craziest party hostels she’s ever
stayed in – and she had stayed in many around Europe. It slightly worried me, thinking I should have started with an
easy‐going party hostel first. By the end, I really enjoyed Grandio and I wouldn’t have minded staying for a few extra
days. Grandio had a great atmosphere and a unique personality. The hostel room we stayed in was very different than
the first and you could immediately tell that it was a party hostel. There were fi een other people in the room I slept in
compared to the five other people who shared a room with me in the hostel in Switzerland. When first entering the
room, there were two bunked beds in a small room and then another doorway to a larger room with six bunked beds –
three on opposite walls. There was a room with two showers and another room with a sink and toilet for the en re
room to share. Since everyone was out and about, either exploring the city or hanging out in the community room
down the hall, there was not any problems with it feeling crowded or anything. The experience was a great one.
All the people there were friendly. Overall, Budapest was absolutely amazing and I wish I could have had spent more
me there. S ll, I had a great me and saw so much of Buda and Pest. I absolutely recommend staying at Grandio to
meet amazing new people and enjoy the exci ng atmosphere. We hung out quite a bit with two other girls studying
abroad in France. There was another rather large group that was studying abroad in Europe – I believe France as well –
who all went to Vanderbilt. Others were from Australia, Germany, Great Britain, and many more places throughout
Europe and around the world.
My favorite thing about hostels (party hostel or not) are the people I’ve met from all over the world. It’s exci ng to
hear their stories and adventures and language/accent.
‐ Amanda ‐
Interested in more informa on? Click links in text above or the following:
Happy Inn Lodge (Hostel in Interlaken, Switzerland): h p://www.hostels.com/hostels/interlaken/happy‐inn‐
lodge/3463?source=hcgadgenericsprpn1all&gclid=CMqUr‐Kf37oCFQdY3godcjAA5w
Grandio (Party Hostel in Budapest, Hungary): h p://budapestpartyhostels.com/pages/index.php?page=gr&cont=zero
Ruin Bars (Budapest, Hungary): h p://travel.cnn.com/budapests‐best‐ruin‐bars‐051056
Sparty (Bath Par es in Budapest, Hungary): h p://www.bathsbudapest.com/budapest‐bath‐par es
GelatoTuesday,November12th,2013
Gelato…I have made it into my daily reward.
Whether I successfully talked to an Italian – in Italian or it’s just a gloomy rainy day –
I’ll find any reason to reward myself with delicious gelato. Every me I approach the
counter one of two things occurs. Either I will have the combina on of two flavors
strategically planned in my head or I hesitate for about ten minutes a emp ng to
formulate the perfect gelato combo. When ordering gelato, I usually get the smallest
size which allows up to two different flavors. Since, I am obsessed with chocolate I
immediately add that into the equa on. Some of my favorite combina ons consist
of the chocolate covered strawberry (cioccolato and fragola) and
“Nutella” (cioccolato and nocciola).
For more informa on on Gelato, I found a great ar cle on the different flavors:
h p://www.italylogue.com/food‐drink/italian‐gelato‐flavors‐decoded.html
Flavors Tasted and Approved by me:
Chocolates
 Cioccolato fondente
 Bacio
 Gianduja
Nuts
 Pistacchio
 Nocciola
Others or “Oddballs”
 Stracciatella
 Puffo
‐ Amanda ‐
Cream
 Fior di la e
 Crema
 Caffè
 Cocco
Fruit
 Fragola
 Limone
 Pesca