A month in Italia with AHA

Writing a review of any given month is a hard task. Writing a review of an entire month in Italy with Art History abroad is truly gargantuan. The sheer variety of activity from reading Dante in Verona, joining the victorious contrada for their triumphal banquet in Siena to learning how to be a Gondolier in Venice is extraordinary and it would be an easy task to write an extended piece about any of these events.
It was such a pleasure and a privelege to be so immersed in Italian culture lead by tutors whose passion both for Italy and the art we saw was so infectious that I believe anyone no matter how uninterested in art would have enjoyed themselves and profited greatly from the trip.
The organisation was thorough both on an overall level and day to day. Everything was pre booked and there was not a single moment in a month when there was any logistical hiccup, testament both to the tutors on the ground but also clearly a well oiled machine behind the scenes.
If I was pressed to pick a single "favourite" aspect I would have to pick the atmosphere and the camaraderie present in the group. By this I mean the manner in which we as students were encouraged to discuss culture in a way that we do not normally have time nor the inclination to do so. This took place at so many different points and in so many different ways, from being asked to read poetry on our night time gondola ride to simply being challenged in our own presuppositions and perspectives. It is a hard thing to articulate but rather than being teachers and taught we were simply a group revelling in our surroundings and challenging each others perspectives on what we were seeing. I feel priveleged to have been a part.