A typically beautiful evening glow over the Green
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A panoramic view of a bright blue lake nestled in between green mountains. The sky is bright blue and full of clouds.

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.

LEFT: A photo of four people standing and smiling together. My friend Isadora is standing in the middle of the group and holding our host family's dog, Yuma! RIGHT: A landscape with a mountain in the background and a purple flowering bush in the foregroun
L: My host parents, Massimo and Marina, were the sweetest! (And our dog Yuma was a great sport).
R: Every sunset in Orvinio was stunning!

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.

LEFT: Two students working together to roll out a piece of dough. They are looking down at a cutting board and both have their hands on the dough. RIGHT: A student holding a ceramic plate that he decorated with paint.
L: Asfand and Witt working together to make pasta for the first time!
R: Asfand's plate, inspired by pottery from his home country of Pakistan!

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!

LEFT: Students in the middle of a game of tug in war. They are standing in a stone piazza, and in the background there is a pink building and a beige building. RIGHT: Our meals were often accompanied by breathtaking views of the countryside.
L: Tug of war with the children of Orvinio was one of the highlights of the week.
R: A table set with glasses and a red tablecloth. In the background, there is a landscape of green hills and a bright sky full of clouds.

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