Tim S. in Italy

As an Art History and Archaeology double major it was clear that I would study abroad from the moment I picked my majors.  After all, one of the main reasons I picked archaeology was to travel.  Evansville has a fantastic program for study abroad at Harlaxton in England, but it just didn't seem right for me.  With my interests in Renaissance art and Roman archaeology, Italy and the program with AIFS seemed like the perfect match, and I have not been disappointed.  Studying abroad in Rome has been the best experience of my life, and I am not exaggerating.  The classes I took were Italian, History of the Italian Mafia, Drawing, Art and Culture in Rome, and Renaissance and Baroque Art.  As part of the program, I spent two weeks in Florence taking an intensive Italian class.  When I got to Rome I continued taking Italian so I could learn the language and be able to order and hold small conversations in Italian.  The History of the Italian Mafia class has been very cool.  It was interesting learning about the origins and history of the mafia as well as the Italian state and government.  It has also been great learning how to draw in Rome.  Almost every class is spent at a piazza or a famous monument like the Pantheon.  My favorite classes have been my two art history classes, Art and Culture in Rome, and Renaissance and Baroque Art.  Just like drawing, I have spent very little time in a classroom; instead we went to places like the Vatican museum or the Borghese Gallery and studied the works of art of the great painters in person.  There is nothing quite as fantastic to an Art History and Archaeology major than seeing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling or holding class in the Coliseum.  Classes were held four days a week so I had three day weekends to go exploring around Rome or visiting a different city in a different country.  I visited many cites in Italy like Venice, Florence, Palermo, and many others, as well as Paris France, Interlaken Switzerland, and Barcelona Spain.  Most of the Italian visits were scheduled as part of the AIFS program. This adventure has been absolutely amazing, and I highly recommend when it comes to study abroad to follow your interests whether they lead you to Harlaxton England or Rome Italy.