March has been a busy, yet amazing month! We were able to travel to Cinque Terre, Pisa, Siena, and Lucca. Could it get any better? Cinque Terre was absolutely amazing and might be my favorite place that I have been to so far. It’s an incredible place; made up of five villages and right on the water. The day was very rainy and the trails to hike were closed, but it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The rain created a beautiful eerie setting with the dark clouds and letting the bright colored villages really pop. Pisa, Siena, and Lucca was our next trip which are all apart of the Tuscany region. Tuscany was exactly what I picture when I think of Italy. It was gorgeous with the green hills and the mountains. We stayed in Pisa for the whole weekend, but traveled to Siena on Saturday. Siena was a cute little town with a famous plaza where their annual horse race takes place. We shopped and explored the town before heading back to Pisa. Pisa is a small city, but very busy. The leaning tower was not what I was expecting; very small with a lot of amazing detail to it. But, boy does that thing lean! Sunday morning we left Pisa, and headed to Lucca. Lucca was beautiful with very good gelato! After Lucca, we traveled back to Milan and went right to bed after a very eventful weekend.
The classes at NABA have been absolutely terrific! In my shoe design class, we got to tour the Manolo shoe factory and were actually able to see the shoes be made right there. Throughout the semester, we have been creating our own shoe line through sketches, so after attending the shoe factory I was able to apply what we have been learning in class to reality. However, Fashion Styling has been my favorite class throughout the entire semester. This past week, we were able to style our own editorial shoot. The class had to gather inspiration from around Milan and apply it to our shoot. A professional photographer was brought in and everything! The entire class had an amazing time and we will be able to see the final product in the next couple of weeks. I am learning so much in Milan, not only at NABA, but within the culture, people, the way of life, traveling etc. Being able to study abroad has been so eye opening and a wonderful experience. Now, we have a week off for Spring Break where my roommates and I will be heading to Santorini, Greece. Until next time, Ciao!
– Olivia, Columbia College Chicago
