Hello everyone! I am now in my third week of classes at Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento, Italy. For the first two weeks, I spent lots of time getting acclimated to the city, new friends, and my classes. My housemates and I all sat down and started talking about places we wanted to take weekend trips to and started booking some fun adventures. Honestly, I am shocked by the price of travel right now. Everyone always says, “Traveling around Europe is so cheap and easy,” which I have not found to be the case. I guess right now everything is priced super high because of inflation, but it has taken some digging to find good deals worth the time and money. The first trip we booked was to Rome! We wanted to start with something small and close to Sorrento so we could get familiar with the trains and buses before leaving Italy. I’ve heard you only need to spend two days in Rome, and I couldn’t agree more! We saw everything we needed to see in two days, and I felt perfectly content knowing we spent our time there usefully. Sorrento and Rome could not be any more different. Rome is very fast-paced and crowded, whereas Sorrento is very slow-moving. I like experiencing both, but I must admit it felt very comforting getting off the train and walking into Sorrento!
We booked this trip last minute and didn’t plan much to do there. We played it by ear for the most part and somehow everything fell into place. Before booking a trip, I would always recommend researching Airbnb, hostels, restaurants, and sights you want to see before. Our Airbnb was directly next to Vatican City, so we had the chance to go into a Mass service and see
the Pope! That was an unreal experience I will never forget it. The church where Mass was being held felt so magical. After that, we headed towards The Trevi Fountain, The Colosseum, The Pantheon, and of course the four-story Zara! We had the best time acting like complete American tourists taking all the famous pictures you see on Instagram. I did notice we felt much more stared at and targeted in Rome versus anywhere else I have traveled. You must be careful of people trying to scam money from you! Lots of locals were shoving things in our faces and asking us to buy them, keep your head down and keep walking, they’ll eventually leave you alone! This was my first official weekend trip, and I cannot wait for all the exciting plans I have to come. We are now into our third week of classes, and I feel officially settled in my apartment! Some nights my friends and I hop around apartments making dinners and drinking wine with each other. It is a great way to get to know people and expand your group while abroad. It can be easy to feel lonely but it’s crucial to reach out to people and make plans because things move fast. It gets easier every week!
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