Semester in Rome & Florence though City College of San Francisco

So I saved up for a long time in order to do this, and it was worth every penny. I was a little nervous before going and completely out of my element when I first arrived...saying hola instead of ciao, etc. But, as time went by, the other people in my program and I explored the city together and it was amazing. We met many people, saw the most beautiful churches, piazzas, buildings, and art. And the food, the cappuccinos, the gelato...need I say more? In any case, as much as you can romanticize about the Colosseum, the cafes, or the hills of Tuscany, it pales in comparison to actually being able to experience it, and through this program especially!
Both my apartments, in Rome and in Florence were incredible, the nicest places I had lived outside of my family home. In Rome they put us all in the same building which was super convenient and it was in Trastevere, the hip/young part of Rome. In Florence they put us in a beautiful and huge apartment on the same street as the Duomo!!! We would hear the bells ring every morning and see it outside our window. And what's great about the program is they find all of this for you, and it is included in the cost. Also all of the teachers were super nice and very intelligent. I still remember Italian even though I just took beginning and it was 2 years ago. This is mainly because our teacher's were so passionate about their home and their language that it was easy to pay attention and absorb. Lastly, the art history class was literally walking around the city for each class. That's the class! And we saw Michelangelos like it was the most normal thing. Oh, and lastly, the gelato. Go for the gelato.
And on a final note, I was surprised by how much free time I had, and I wanted to see if I could work or intern while there. So when I asked them about interning, within a week they paired me with the coolest marketing internship!