Harvard Student Agencies - Lets Go Italy: The Student Travel Guide

LETS GO

www.letsgo.com

researcher-writers

Nicole Fearahn
Reina Gattuso
Christopher Holthouse
Michelle Oing
Sofia Tancredi

staff writers

Sophie Angelis
Matthew Becj
Linda Buehler
Juan Cantu
Madeline Ford
Amy Friedman
Rachel Granetz
Mikia Manley
Bronwen OHerin
Delphine Rodrik
Sofia Tancredi

research managers

Haley Bowen
Linda Buehler
Billy Marks

editors

Spencer Burke
Claire McLaughlin
Michael Goncalves

managing editors

Michael Goncalves
Chris Kingston

NICOLE FEARAHN. Nicole took her mission as a researcher-writer to heart. From parties on Ios to protests in Syntagma, she let nothing short of Zeuss intervention get between her and her coverage of Athens. Nicole then switched from one ancient civilization to another, trading the Aegean for the Adriatic as she did a stint in Venice.

REINA GATTUSO. Carrying only a sundress and a Virginia Wolfe novel, Reina followed the scent of jasmine through northern Italy. With politics and silly faces as her only weapons, Reina gathered a gang of Korean hostel owners, Canadian yoga instructors, and old Italian professors and set out to conquer every museum in Italy. Wandering the Cinque Terre with her new-and-improved calf muscles, she contemplated starting an international campaign for art appreciation but decided that Italy was so bella, it wasnt really necessary.

CHRISTOPHER HOLTHOUSE. Chris traveled over 600 miles down the coast of Italy in a tumultuous love affair with the Italian treno. Though his attempts to become a monk were shamelessly rejected, Chris turned quickly to the new religion of espresso and put 7 years of Latin training to good use when he cried and waxed poetic at Virgils grave. On a one-man mission to become the next Ansel Adams, Chris spent the rest of his route eating climbing intrepidly to the tops of things and narrowly avoiding lightning.

MICHELLE OING. A true academic at heart, Michelle flexed her superior art historian muscles, beautifully depicting 14th-century wooden crosses, martyrdoms, and the ever-popular Roman ruins. Despite her hatred of Ms. Hepburn, she starred in her own Roman holiday, partying in Termini, fawning over the ubiquitous stray cats, and endlessly searching for the perfect Roman bath(room).

SOFIA TANCREDI. After leaving her broken computer in the hands of a stranger named Carlo, Sofia showed Florence and Tuscany how budget travel should be done. When she wasnt on her eternal quest for Wi-Fi, she pulled out all the stops, donning the most conservative of conservative outfits to infiltrate churches, monasteries, and Tuscan towers. Through her travels and pints of gelato, Sofia discovered she can take herself anywhere.

For the home of the papacy, Italy certainly knows how to do sensual pleasures right: stylish Vespas, intoxicating vino, vibrant piazze, and crackling pizzas covered in garden-fresh produce will light up your eyes, ears, nose, and taste buds as you make your way across the Mediterraneans favorite boot. In a country where la dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) is a national pastime, you will nonetheless find yourself with a wealth of opportunities to pursue la dolce vita. And as a student traveler, you are uniquely situated to experience Italia in all its ridiculousness and sublimity. Striking out on your own, likely on a budget, you will open yourself up to what someone who stays in the swankiest hotels and eats at all the five-star restaurants will miss: making connections with the people and the way of life in Italys many storied cities and towns. Wander your way along the canals in Venice; marvel at the famed mosaics of Ravenna; hang with beach bums in Rimini. Try to dodge the sharp glances of the fashionistas in Milan and discover the moving stories of the flood-ravaged Ligurian Coast as you make your way along the Cinque Terre. Eat pizza in Naples, climb the Duomo in Florence, and explore ruins in Sicily. With its Renaissance art, Roman grandeur, and religious relics, Italy presents curious and intrepid travelers with an experience that is at once cultural, historical, and truly divine.

The sights and beauty of Italy are best enjoyed in the spring or fall, when the tourist hordes of summer and the chilly weather of winter wont detract from the countrys splendor. But if you cant figure out a good excuse to spend a semester in Italy and have already booked Cabo for spring break, prepare for crowds, humidity, and summer heat that can climb into the mid-90s in Rome and Florence. Theres a reason most Italians go on vacation in August, so follow their example and find somewhere else to be during this time of year. (Alaska, perhaps?)

You can expect cooler temperatures during the winter, especially in the north, where ski resorts capitalize on the snowfall. Many sights keep shorter winter hours, and some hotel and restaurant owners leave on vacation during this part of the year. Then again, when the line to enter the Vatican is only 10min. and doesnt involve heat stroke, you might be glad you chose to endure the minor inconvenience of packing a coat and mittens.

top five places to be sacrilegious

5. MILANS DUOMO: In a salute to the citys fashion gods, don a Versace sheath dress and bare your shoulders under the soaring ceiling of Milans central basilica.

4. VENICE: