Honestly, at the beginning of the enrollment I was a little hesitant but I am so glad I followed through. I learned a lot of new things and met amazing people throughout this program. I tried new things, experienced the life of an Italian, and I built bonds. I am so incredibly happy about this and I would one hundred percent do it again. My homestay family was really nice and they had amazing food. My favorite thing I ate with my family was tomato pasta. We all attended a cooking class and my favorite thing we cooked in class was lasagna. Every single food that I ate was so amazing and flavorful and I am definitely gonna try to make some at home for the family. I could go on and on, but 30 days might be a lot to explain. I would highly recommend.

This program was so fun, it was definitely a change from being home and sleeping in LOL. I got to see so many sights I've been dreaming about since I was a kid like the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel! I loved my homestay experience and family, they were so kind and funny! I loved making friends here as well and learning about Italian culture with them while also learning about where they come from. Culinary training was so fun, we got our own uniforms that we took home! We spent much time in the kitchen, preparing and cooking food as well as eating it. Yum!

The experiences I had while travelling in Italy will affect me for the rest of my life. Being able to see the history and culture of so many cities and interact with people, firsthand, is something that I would never have been able to do. It was a busy month, but there was a good balance of "down time" where we got to explore. The homestay is by far the most unique part of the whole trip. It was mind blowing to be so welcomed into a family and see what day-to-day life is really like. You can travel your whole life and never see that. I came into this trip with a passion for the culinary industry, however, this trip provided such a rich look at food on a world wide level. The culinary school experience is appropriate for all levels of skill. I learned so many different techniques and cooking methods that we just don't see at home very often. The tours we went on to different kinds of farms and restaurants were also something you cannot do without the Experiment. I met wonderful people, saw beautiful cities and museums full of art, and ate my way through every city. I am forever grateful.

Italy was really fun and I am glad that I got the opportunity to experience it. I learned a lot about the food and culture and it was really interesting. Seeing the different cities was wonderful and beautiful. While I did love Italy, I didn't like my group as much. Out of the whole group only two people were black and one of them was me. I just wish that the groups were more diverse. I also wish that I had someone my age when I did the host family. The host family was great but I was a little lonely with no one my again around.

This is a very impactful trip. I learned new things made new friends and have skills I can use later in life. When I met everybody we were all quiet at first but as we traveled more we all became really good friends. We all did not like the heat considering it was in the Hundreds. We all took lots of pictures at the art museums, at the restaurants and even at the country side itself. When we all went to our host families we all made some really good memories but they were very sad just like us when we had to go. But we all still remember and love them. This trip was so much fun I might think about coming back

I went on The Experiment in International Living's trip to Italy this past July and it was an incredibly unique and exciting experience. I got to see new places and experience new things all while learning about Italian culture and cuisines and connecting with the other kids in my group along the way. The in country partners and individual group leaders were amazing and really helped the trip go smoothly. Overall it was a very positive experience and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to really get a feel for many of the different parts of Italy.

On my trip to Italy, I did many different activities and explored many ancient places. I started off in Rome and I explored the ancient city and New Rome. I ate my first pizza in Italy and had delicious pasta. I got to walk around and go shopping and see the beautiful sites. I ate many flavors of gelato throughout the month and never got tired of it. It was a nice snack to cool down on in the hot weather. When I got to my homestay I got to meet my family and connect with them. They took me to their beach house for the weekend and they also took me on their boat. That was a nice way to spend time with my family and also get to relax on the beach. This was one of my favorite moments because the water was so clear and I was relaxing while having fun. My homestay family cooked many delicious foods that I very much enjoyed and I had a blast with them. On this trip, I also took cooking classes which were really cool because I got to learn how to cook traditional Italian foods and it came out great. I was able to take back what I learned back home and share it with the people I know. This was a once in a lifetime trip that I will never forget and something everyone should experience first hand.

Never did I ever think I would have the opportunity to cook in Italy!! It was so much fun, I ate more pizza, pasta, and gelato than I can count. Each place we visited: Rome, Cortona, Florence, Cosenza, Asti, and Venice, we all beautiful and all different from each other. I never got tired of eating the food and comparing ti from place to place! My favorite part of the trip was definitely homestay. Meeting people my age and seeing the differences and commonalities we shared were great! My host family was wonderful and I adore them all so much ! Experiencing a different culture opened my eyes to what I was missing in my life, and that I do need to travel the world and make multiple stops in Italy! I would do this program again if I could.