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Study Abroad Student Trip Report: Ella Fanning

            I studied abroad during the summer mini-term with the Human Factors and Art in Italy program. There were ten other students that were part of the program with me, and we were all Industrial Engineering students. Attendees ranged from freshman to senior, which ended up being really beneficial for the differences in perspective. The group was smaller than other trips, but we loved it because we were able to easily travel, hangout, or just eat together.

Group of students taking a picture in Florence, Italy
Students and professor studying on lawn in Italy

The program was based in Florence with a four day trip to Rome. Our class title was based around studying how the human form has changed with respect to art over time. We visited several famous art museums and churches, as well as artisan-based businesses, specifically to obtain this objective. This really allowed us to dive into the culture surrounding us and gain a perspective that we wouldn’t have gotten in the United States.

Shoemaker in Rome, Italy
Art museum in Rome, Italy

During the weekends, we were able to travel to other Italian cities. Some weekends the entire group would be together, while other weekends there would be several smaller groups. The cities that I visited were Lake Como, Milan, and Cinque Terre. This made me feel like I got the true Italian experience because every city can be completely different. The train tickets between each city are not expensive so it was very easy to go to whatever city you wanted. Cinque Terre was my favorite place so I included those pictures below.

Street lined with colorful buildings in Italy
View of Italian coastline