Ciao!

         Ciao everyone! My name is Victoria Lucarelli and I am here to document my journey leading up to Italy and my adventures through Florence, Venice, and Milan. To introduce myself, I am from Frankfort, Illinois, a short distance from Chicago. I am currently a student at Purdue University studying First Year Engineering with a minor in Military Sciences.

         Although I have been outside of the country, this trip will be my first time in Europe. My interest to see Italy stems from two branches: family heritage and history. Notably, as indicated from my last name, my family is Italian. I first learned from my grandfather about my family history: we are from Calabria and my great grandfather left before the World War. I am excited to see Italy and to see where my family used to live, even if it isn't the same region. Next, I truly desire to see the history of Italy through architecture, paintings, and stories. I grew up reading the ancient roman myths, which eventually nurtured into learning the politics of ancient Rome, beginning with the great emperors and battles into the unification of what is now known as Italy. Most importantly, during this study I want to experience, first hand, the places the stories I grew up on come to life. Through elaborate paintings and great structures, I believe this goal can be accomplished. 

        These dreams flow into my concept and idealization of Italy before the trip. I imagine a country with ancient buildings, where cities are walkable and dinners are enjoyed thoroughly. I firmly believe the culture shock between Italian time versus American time (as in how time is more or less appreciated) will be far from each other. Now, in America, the time moves too quickly, there are never exceptions for working ahead or managing extra work. I imagine, in Italy the time slows down, where family dinners are expected and appreciation of little things is encouraged. I hope from this trip I'll be able to appreciate my own time more. To appreciate time is privilege enough. Overall, I imagine Italy to be a different world from our own. Where the buildings, the bustling restaurants, the talking people, the lit up streets, and the overlapping waves all move differently, but still in sync. In my mind Italy is eternal. I want the culture shock of differences and similarities to American culture. I hope to leave Italy with the good notions of what I'll discover.

     On the topic of expectations, I want to leave this post with what I hope to discover/learn more about during the trip:

•    The first includes Leonardo DaVinci. As an engineer, most of my knowledge on DaVinci includes his creations and contributions towards sciences. Often times I catch myself underappreciating the smaller things in life. STEM fields help us understand the world, but taking the moment to appreciate the ground at our feet is amazing. So, as a way to 'see' something I never would consider before, I chose to study DaVinci's botany lessons. Plants are often overlooked in the world, here in Italy I hope to appreciate and learn every small thing offered. Even if it means to stop and smell the flowers.
  
  

•    Ancient architecture. America is known for having vastly different architecture from Europe, as a whole. Where our cities are tall, blocky, and modern, the cities of Italy flow with color. By the end of this trip I want to have many photographs of different types of Italian buildings, from ancient structures to modern shops to everyday life. These photographs will help comprehend the shift from older times to post modernism.

•    Museums. Need I say more? I have never been to an art or history museum, even in America. I'm excited for my first time to be in a new country where I will have the chance to learn and document their history. I thoroughly want to discover the famous renaissance paintings. At the end of this trip I want to document my favorite famous painting, but also a piece of art that is sometimes overlooked. 

     Lastly, I want to enjoy the trip in full. Whether it be through the people I meet, the places I see, or the food I eat, at the end I want to say I was happy and learned everything I could.