Grazie, Orvinio!
I didn't think anything could be better living in Rome for the summer while studying abroad—but I stand corrected. Recently, my cohort and I had the chance to travel to Orvinio, a small village about an hour outside of the city. When we arrived, we were matched in pairs with host families for the week and signed language pledges to do our best to only communicate in Italian (even with each other)!
At first, I was incredibly nervous. I felt like I didn't speak enough Italian to get by, and I didn't want to embarrass myself with my limited vocabulary. But my host parents, along with my "sister" for the week (Isadora from our cohort), and my professor encouraged me to try my best! I surprised myself with the amount of Italian I was able to understand and produce after just a couple of months of studying the language.
I loved the tranquility and friendly atmosphere of Orvinio, a village of just less than 400 people. Everywhere I walked, people knew that I was one of the visiting Dartmouth students, and greeted me with a smile. I even befriended the local stray cats as I walked to the main piazza each day to meet the rest of the cohort for our activities!
Our activities in Orvinio varied widely, from mountain-summiting day hikes to chill DIY workshops. I loved both, and was grateful to have the opportunity to work with my hands and get outside! Some of the crowd-pleasing activities were our pasta-making workshop and a ceramic plate painting workshop. These activities gave everyone a chance to show off their creativity, and I was super impressed with my cohort's abilities.
Another incredible aspect of our week in Orvinio was the chance to interact directly with Italians for an extended period of time. In Rome, we talk to locals when we can—but we don't often get that opportunity in the hustle and bustle of city life. Life in Orvinio is relaxed and focused on connections and family, so it was the perfect place to try having more complicated conversations fully in Italian. After our week in the village, I was incredibly impressed by the improvements everyone in the cohort made with their comprehension and speaking!
Orvinio was the perfect place to escape to as Rome experienced an early-August heat wave. I'm thankful for my Dartmouth study abroad program, which gives me opportunities to see parts of Italy that most tourists aren't even aware of! I hope that I'm able to return to Orvinio one day, and speak even more confidently so that I can reiterate my gratitude for the hospitality of not only my host family, but the entire village.
For now, I can say this—grazie, Orvinio!