Vic Cosmo

Una Vita Piena – A Road Trip Through Italy

All Dartmouth study abroad programs incorporate a break week that allows for students to travel and get a more profound notion of the country in which they study. My break was during our sixth week in Rome, and for it, I decided to plan a three-day road trip from Milan to Val D'Aosta, a ski town on the northern border of Italy. 

I called one of my old friends, an Italian native to Milan who had studied abroad at my high school. Her name's Iside, but I call her Isi. She spent a year in the U.S. as a senior, and we got to become very close friends and graduate together. Having only seen her once, and wayyy too briefly, since we graduated—though we do text all the time—I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to spend meaningful time together. 

Isi and I right after meeting up for the first time in soooo long!

When classes got out, on Wednesday, we all decided to have dinner together before parting ways on our many trips. Some had chosen to go to Venice—for carnaval, or Florence—for the sandwiches, or even Pisa—for obvious reasons—but I was beyond excited to catch up with my friend. 

On Thursday morning, I got up at 6am and began the journey to the bus station—really made me miss the Dartmouth Coach, actually—to catch my 7am bus to Milan. Having arrived and finally found my spot, I sat down and prepared myself for the eight hour ride! It went by quickly, honestly, and I found that gazing out the window at the fields that passed before me helped pass the time. Our bus ran late, and by the time I met with Isi in the center of Milan, the sun was almost setting over the Duomo. She had me try these lovely Panzerotti—fried pizza pockets that are super well known in Milan-– before we headed on our walk throughout the center. Milan was decked out for the Olympics, and she decided that I needed to see the Olympic torch—I obliged, of course.  

We sat and listened to the band that played in front of the Arco Della Pace, chatting while watching the sun set over the park. The Olympics' volunteers weaved through the crowd of tourists, their bright uniforms covering them in logos from head to toe. 

The Olympic Flame in Milan!

After sunset, we headed home and I got to meet her family's three cats, dog, and two hamsters: Sun and Moon! Oh and also her fifteen year old brother, Valentino, who I chatted with about pop culture and video games. Her mother, who was beyond sweet, and so well travelled, asked me many questions about the study abroad experience, and I felt so at home. 

Their fridge was covered with magnets from different places, from Botswana to different islands in Greece, and I spent a long time—the next morning, before we left—sipping my coffee and staring at the colorful map of memories. 

Leaving Milan around nine in the morning, we planned on arriving around noon and having lunch in town. Our driving, however, was so scenic that we stopped a billion times on the way for pictures and stretching and taking deep breaths while basking in the sun. We arrived at Val D'Aosta around 2:30pm. Enjoying a late lunch and fresh fruit from the markets, we spent the next hours walking around the small town and chatting with locals. We met Italian college students who had come out for the skiing, and they told us of how dreamy the town felt, almost frozen in time—the view of the mountains immortalized in grandiosity.

Val D'Aosta!

I remember thinking to myself that small towns like these remind me so much of Hanover. Especially this one, with its many outdoor clothing stores, and people so interested and invested in going outside. It made me think of the Dartmouth Outing Club, and I felt a deep longing for the communities I'd created in my time at college. It was amazing to feel so connected to a place so far away from me, to draw a parallel to the almost inimitable charm of the place I get to call home. 

Yours in Driving Stick Through the Mountains, 

Vic Cosmo