By Alexander Principe
Ciao a tutti! My name is Mac Principe, and I am a Biochemistry and Italian Transcultural Studies double major. My experience studying Italian has been one of the most rewarding at the University of Arkansas. I have been taking Italian every semester since my first. This past summer, I had an exciting opportunity to study abroad at the University of Arkansas Rome Center, and it was a trip I will never forget. I stayed almost three months, from mid-May to early August, in Rome. I traveled all over the nation during this time, including cities such as Turin, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Naples, and many others.
In Italy, multiple amazing moments and museums stand out to me. I attended a soccer game between AS Roma and AC Milan at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. This was an unbelievable experience as the stadium was packed with 75,000 Roma fans all singing and chanting together as Roma beat Milan 3-1 that night. I also attended a Ghali concert in Rome which was an equally unforgettable night with the crowd singing every lyric. Two standout museums were the Galleria Borghese in Rome and the famous Uffizi Museum in Florence. These two museums were so large that I could’ve spent an entire day in each. I was also astounded by the number of beautiful paintings and sculptures contained in one place. Studying Italian has changed the course of my life for the better, and I can’t wait to see where it will take me next.