Throughout my time in Sorrento with CIS, we were able to experience so many incredible things that I never thought I would be able to experience. Between a gorgeous boat tour to Amalfi to incredible dinners, it truly was the best five weeks of my life. I met so many incredible people from all over the United States and got to see the most breathtaking places. Italy truly is one of the most stunning places I have ever been to and the food was incredible. All around, the five weeks I spent in Sorrento with CIS were some of the best weeks of my life and I would do anything to be back.

I absolutely loved every single second of studying abroad at Santanna Institute in Sorrento, Italy. Through their immersive program, I was able to attend weekly cultural immersion events and really dive into the local community. Santanna Institute has classes Monday-Thursday and encourages students to travel safely on the weekends. With this opportunity, I was able to travel almost every single weekend making my time abroad just that more magical. Not to mention I met some of my best friends and made memories I know will stay close to my heart forever. My best advice to someone who is thinking about studying abroad is to just do it, I can guarantee that you will not regret it.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned regarding travel came in the form of getting gelato in Florence. The CIS ambassador touring us through the city made sure to highlight what signifies that the Italian dessert is in its authentic form. I realized the mountainous piles of gelato I had seen in pictures, pictures that made me want to travel to Florence, were just a variation of ice-cream whose excessive appearance marked a successful attempt to attract tourists. It is little pieces of information like that, gained with the help of on-site CIS representatives, who are locals within the area, that transport students into a wealth of knowledge that they did know they would receive from the beautiful city surface that drew them there in the first place. The people who make up this program make sure that you become a part of something real, by showing you how locals live in the city, making the commitment to this period of time in a foreign place a truly unique and fulfilling form of travel.

Studying abroad was easily one of the best decisions I have ever made. The benefits go beyond what the classroom will give you. During studying abroad, you will encounter challenges including navigating language barriers, new cultures, new locations, and travel plans (making them and all that can go wrong); the list goes on! These are common, though challenging, occurrences that give you the opportunity to adapt and put your problem-solving skills to use, sometimes on the spot. Being overseas will also give you a level of independence that you may not have experienced before! This is a great thing! Without the immediate support of friends and family, it pushes you to rely on your own skills and trust your instincts to make decisions and how to spend your time. It may seem like even just a semester is a long time, but it isn’t going to be enough for you to do all you want. Trust me! I thought I had so much time at the beginning and the semester flew by! Sure, living abroad is amazing. But the soft skills you gain, the character development and growth that come from how you chose to handle the experiences will be invaluable.

Going to Italy was an amazing experience not only for the food and scenery but for the adventures and friends that were made along the way. When I first found out I would get the opportunity to go to Italy it was a surreal moment, and my experience abroad was one filled with many memories. While abroad I experienced culture shock because I had never been out of my home state, let alone the US. However, I learned to take it one day at a time and live in the present moment than trying to process everything all at once.

I spent the fall semester of my senior year with CIS Abroad in Florence, Italy. I had a fantastic time and would go back again in a heartbeat. I only took gen-eds, so my coursework was pretty light but I really enjoyed the "walking" classes that focused on seeing different parts of the city through an academic lens. The city is incredibly walkable, and you can find just about anything you need on the same block as you live. I stayed in the Social Hub, a hotel that hosts long-term students. I liked it because of security, utilities, and kitchenware was all provided. There is a restaurant in the hotel that you can get a prepaid meal plan for, but there is also kitchen space if you are more of a cook. Groceries were very inexpensive, so it was easy to get by without being an extraordinary cook. The hotel was also only a 10/15 minute walk from the train station, which made it super easy to travel on the weekends. The on-site staff were super responsive to outreach and had all of the resources you could possibly need.

Florence Italy is a beautiful city full of life and wonderful people. It is a melting pot of other cultures and is the perfect place to meet people from all over the world. Not only did I spend four months diving into the rich art and life-changing food, but I also had the chance to experience life in a walkable city full of history. Florence is also the perfect location to be able to travel to other cities in Italy such as Pisa, Bologna, Roma, Milano, etc. Living so close to the Santa Maria Novella made it so you could hop on the train and make your way over to another beautiful city and their own unique culture. And being a tram ride away from the Peretola Aeroporto made it so we could fly to the other surrounding countries, for example, a trip to Germany!
I stayed in the Social Hub Firenze, where although we had a few struggles with laundry and hotel staff, we had some pretty amazing opportunities. We had access to a rooftop pool and bar with a beautiful view of the Duomo, our kitchen manager Valentina was there to teach us authentic recipes, and access to a dining plan where we could have lunch or dinner and an amazing spread for breakfast, and some amazing events such as Vintage Pop-Up markets and art installations.
I would choose CIS Abroad over and over again if I had to redo my study abroad experience. Our program staff that were in Florence with us, Martina and Romina, were amazing. Not only did they create amazing and unique trips for us to go on as a program, but they also were there to listen to us and consider our ideas. They went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable in our living situations at The Social Hub Firenze, and when we were struggling they were right there with us trying to find a solution.
They also made sure we were equipped with a full guide to the city with food, shopping, and museum recommendations, making sure we stayed away from the blue and yellow ATMs! It meant a lot to me and the friends that I made in my program that we had people who were in our corner and wanted to make sure that we could make the most of our trip.
I can't think of any way that my trip abroad could have been more life-changing or life-fulfilling, and I recommend CIS Abroad to anyone interested in studying abroad.

The town of Sorrento was a beautiful place to spend 4 months abroad. Classes at Sant'Anna Institute were relatively easy with little homework, but all had strict attendance policies. I loved waking up every morning to the view of the ocean and fishing boats in Marina Grande. However, the dorms were messy aside from the weekly cleaning and linen change from the staff. Nonetheless, I made lifelong friends with students and locals, especially at Orbit where I got my daily boba tea just to chat with the owners. The CIS director hosted many delicious meals at local restaurants and took us on several excursions both in and out of Sorrento to show us even more Italian culture. The support from CIS Abroad made my first time outside of the United States comfortable and enjoyable.