Boot-shaped, fashion-forward and a foodie heaven, Italy is a country which will never cease to impress even the more jaded pesto-lovers. From gorgeous beaches, relatively secluded islands (Sardinia and Sicily are more than just the canvas for sweet brochures and gangster movies), impressive cities (La Bella Roma where Western civilization was founded...), beautiful lakes and even mountains, Italy is for tourists and long-term visitors the country of choice.- Culture Shock in Italy
- The Mole Diaries: Florence
- The Mole Diaries: Ferrara
- The Mole Diaries: Milan
- Italian practice online
- Languages and dialects in Italy
- Top ten tips for survival in Italy
Why should I choose to spend my year abroad in Italy?
Fresh food, faces and fashion pepper the country left, right and erm, length-ways; you'll be hard-pushed to not fall in love with the good, the better and the best this country has to offer. Italian influence is nothing new to the world, nor nothing short of incredible, pervading itself in the world of the Arts, science, philosophy, architecture, law... to name but a few.
The Italians still show us the how to, their country being one of the most popular destinations for travellers worldwide each year. With a history that stretches over millennia, it should come to no surprise that Italy attracts, fascinates and enamours the adventurer with its class, heritage and countryside. Not to miss are the vineyards in sunny Tuscany, culture and ancient architecture in Rome, the infamous Vatican City, Venice with its canals and elegantly-decaying Medieval buildings, scoffing some Vin Santo and cantuccini in fabulous Florence and some seriously beautiful beaches on the Amalfi coast. If the cheese, meat, pasta and wine aren't quite to your taste (try them out in different regions and you'll be converted), then there's always Milan to keep you slick and sleek in the fashion department, not to mention the numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites for the historian and/or curious-minded. In contrast to the classics, contemporary Italy also impresses with its plethora of clubs, bars and eating hotspots. Whether a feature of nature or a flourish of architecture, Italy literally languishes in historical splendour. Be it food, art, music, or just to get some good old gioia di vivere, there is a never-ending list of treasures to discover in this Mediterranean haven.
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Grace is a Lancaster University student who studied at The University of Ferrara in Italy for her first semester and is interning at a Turin translation agency for her second. She is blogging about her experiences Grace goes to Pizzaland, but here she passes on her top tips about survival in Italy for foreign students. -
The Authentic City
Ferrara is often overlooked by many tourists, which makes it the perfect destination for your year abroad. The place is just as pretty as any other Italian Renaissance city, except you won’t have to deal with the hordes of visitors seen elsewhere, in Venice or Rome, for example. Nestled in the North East of Italy, Ferrara is close to Parma and Venice, meaning you could easily drop by, for a brief visit. But then again, there’s so much to enjoy here, you might overlook travelling, and with good reason, too! The beautiful cathedral and Ferrara’s cobbled streets lead the way to what can only be described as one of the most picturesque cities in Italy... -
The Paradoxical CityNot necessarily the top destination for many tourists and foreigners visiting Italy, but the gritty city of Naples has a lot more to offer than meets the initial unapproving eye. Sure, some quarters are not as pristine as the rest of Italy, graffiti offering a modern take on typical Italian frescoes, but you won't be disappointed if you're looking for something a little more rough and ready. Naples has had bad press, but what it does offer is a contemporary Italian lifestyle — a city founded by the Greeks all those centuries ago, it sits between a sleeping volcano and the Campi Flegrei caldera, offering its locals and visitors a real cosmopolitan experience.
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City of Culture In central Italy, among the rolling hills of Tuscany, lies the stunning city of Florence. Small but fierce, Florence is a great city to wander about by foot, as you can cover most of it in just under an hour. But don't be fooled by its relatively small size - it is heaving with things to do, masterpieces to see and good food to devour. Famed for its revolutionising artists, rulers and thinkers, Florence was, during the Renaissance period, THE powerhouse of Europe. Everywhere you look, you can see beautifully preserved medieval alleyways and bridges (take a stroll along the River Arno past the Ponte Vecchio or bicycle down the cobbled streets in the city centre). -
The Historic CityLess touristy than similar-sized Italian cities, the dynamic metropolis of Turin can found be to the north of Italy right at foot of the Alps. With its astounding Baroque buildings, wide promenades and museums, some Italians say that Turin is more like a French city than an Italian one.
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Thinking about spending your time abroad in Italy? Don’t know where to start when it comes to accommodation? Check out these websites! -
Surely you’ll be absolutely fine speaking Italian in Italy? Well, presumably, but Standard Italian is quite a modern thing – just think back to when Italy was unified: 1861! Until then, what we now call Italy was just lots of different states, and each one had their own language or dialect. For several reasons (its literary prestige, amongst others), the Tuscan/Florentine dialect was taken as the language of modern Italy, but its standardisation was slow. Italian wasn’t widespread and spoken by everyone in Italy until the 20th century, but nowadays it is spoken by around 60 million people. Because Italian was adopted so late, some dialects survived despite being spoken only in small and remote regions. Here’s a list of the most common regional languages and dialects you’ll find in Italy nowadays (as you can see, Italy’s neighbours have a lot of influence!) -
The Medieval CityAt the heart of Italy lies the capital of Umbria: Perugia. With its old, sand-washed buildings perching atop two hills, this vibrant medieval hill town brims with an almost storybook-like charm. Glancing at the sloping steps, sweeping arches, open squares and the snaking cobbled streets, it's almost as if this setting had been created by the very pen of Shakespeare himself. Perugia rolls in romance. At its heart is the Piazza IV Novembre, an open square with the grand Maggiore fountain pinpointing its centre. From its carefully carved panels illustrating fables and mythical beasts to its pink and white stone finish, it makes for an intriguing starting point to this relatively tourist-free town.
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City of AcademiaBologna, home city to the famous "spag bol" (ragù in these parts), has as of yet never really been prone to floods of tourists. As such, the city known for its food (and boy, is it good here!), student demonstrations and political activities is well worth staying put in. You'll struggle to hear any English, improving your Italian and your understanding of the country as a whole. Because Bologna doesn't just give its name to the classic Italian dish, restaurants literally climb on top of one another, offering you the very best in Italian cuisine.
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The Picturesque CityJust a stone's throw away from Venice in the north of Italy, is the vivacious student emporium that is Padua. Famed for its history (boasting its famous university, founded all the way back in 1222, and the oldest botanical gardens, Orto Botanico, whose flora can date back to the 16th century...), Padua is an attractive option for Italian-speaking students..
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