Italy Imagined Pt. 1

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I like to dream of far-away places, clear blue water, AMAZING food, and endless sunshine. When I day dream about Italy a few things come to mind, some probably closer truth, others farther away. I think of pasta, gelato, and cobblestone streets. I think of Roman Holiday, the Lizzie McGuire Movie, and the first and only hour of To Rome with Love that I have seen. I also unfailingly associate Italy with history. I think of Ancient Roman culture, the Etruscans with their hilltop cities, Medici patronage of the art, and of course, a brilliant renaissance.  

I am not quite sure what to expect in the coming week in Italy, but I imagine to find myself in a country saturated with history, the significance of which reverberates throughout the world and our day to day lives. One strong takeaway I had from what I read in preparation for this adventure, is that the renaissance did not just happen randomly in Italy. Leonardo did not wake up one day in Milan and look outside his window to find the world changing and decide to go along for the ride. Previous cultures and knowledge flowed gradually into Italy providing bright minds a foundation on which to continue to improve. For this to happen it took the right combination of geography, money, translators, and dare I say luck for the stars to align so perfectly that the world could change. In Italy, I am going to do my best to not just see the world at a surface level, but rather to see and acknowledge the history behind it.

As I am not practiced in international travel, I expect the first few days to be a bit of a "bloomin' buzzin' confusion" to quote William James from Paul Virilio’s article. Everything is going to be different; the money, the language, the culture. I have a million questions about the unknown. What if I accidentally offend someone? How do you pronounce the word Vaporetto? How will the language barrier affect us? I know in some countries English is more common than in others, and I do not know how prevalent the knowledge of English is in Italy.

I expect these questions will be answered quickly upon arrival. We'll stroll the streets and get the lay of the land, and it will all start to seem less foreign. As the unfamiliar becomes more familiar, I expect to see our confidence as a group and as individuals grow as we travel around the country. As Milan fashion week recently ended, I hope that we will see a bit of on-trend street fashion.

I imagine that in Italy we will get to know each other as a group in a way that we would not otherwise be able to at Purdue. We will be spending 24/7 together in a foreign country, so I cannot imagine any two people who begin the trip as strangers leaving as such.

One thing about Italy I enjoy imagining every time I'm eating soggy broccoli at Wiley is the food. I've heard some good things, especially when it comes to carbs, which are undoubtedly important given the amount of walking we are going to be doing. So I suppose that we have to eat all that pasta, you know, for energy. It's simple nutrition. Of course we need to balance our plates with dairy (gelato) and veggies (marinara sauce). I imagine that this spring break might not be the healthiest week of our lives. Maybe we can have some follow up group activities at the CoRec when we come back.

Of course, this trip is about more than food and cultural interaction. We are here to learn. I imagine that I will leave Italy knowing so much more than I ever thought I would learn about Leonardo Da Vinci, the Renaissance, and the significance of their developments. We can learn a lot from readings and class lectures, but to actually stand where it all took place and to see what we are learning about, I believe, will enhance our education from regular to extraordinary.

I'm sure that the reality of our Italian adventure will differ from and exceed my expectations. I have been looking forward to this trip for months and am enthusiastic to spend a week immersed in the scholarship of Leonardo Da Vinci and the culture of Italy with my fellow Boilermakers.

-- Ally

Sources:

Virilio, Paul. “Speed and Politics An Essay on Dromology”. Translated by Mark Polizzotti. Semiotext(e), 2007.

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