Ciao Tutti!  (Hello Everyone!)

One weekend trip down, only a couple more to go.  Time seems to be flying by.  Students returned to Bergamo after visits to Prague, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Florence, and Milan.  Everyone came back with great stories and even better pictures.  

 Wednesday evening we had a pizza party at Da GiGi restaurant, a pizzeria known for their meter long pizza!  It is Maura Cavalone, the Italian counterpart to the study abroad programs, "favorite pizza in the world".  At this party we sampled all different kinds of pizza, even American flavor (pizza with hotdogs and french fries on top...not the best representation!)  To finish off the celebration we exchanged T-Shirts with the Italian students.  We gave them a Mizzou T-Shirt and they presented us with a Bergamo University one, tons of pictures were taken of course.  

Thursday marks our second free day.  Many students are traveling to Venice, which will be a perfect day to do so as the weather continues to be great.  Others are staying in Bergamo to discover what the city has to offer, talks of a visit to the public pool are starting.  The weather here has been super hot, so a visit to a pool sounds like a good idea to everyone.

Friday, students will venture out across Europe again on their weekend visits.  There is a large group headed to Barcelona, Spain to get a little sun.  This weekend is special due to an Italian holiday on Tuesday, so we have an extra day to explore.  

Stay posted for pictures of the pizza party and weekend visits, once they get on Shutterfly we can put them on the blog!  

Free day and weekend travel

Ciao!


Yesterday (Thursday) students took advantage of their day off school to do a little traveling. Students headed to near by cities such as Lake Como, Milan and Venice for the day. The student managers took a group of students to Lake Como and had a blast, after a few wrong busses, missed trains and confusing train stops... but it was well worth the hassle!

Today (Friday) after classes we are all heading off to different countries for our first weekend! Some students are staying in Italy to visit Rome, Cinque Terre, and Florence while others are heading to Amsterdam, Prague and Paris.

Check back Tuesday to hear all about everyones weekends!

Ciao!

A few days into the trip and things are going great!  The students are starting to learn their way around the city and discover all it has to offer.  We mainly travel via the public bus system, and while it can be confusing at first, everyone has started to master the routes and schedules.  It really is a quick and easy way to get from place to place. 

Last night we had a party at a local favorite, Velvet Pub.  A friend of the program, Diego, organized the get together for American students and Italian students--it was a night of fun, dancing, and getting to know one another.  Everyone had a great time and made a lot of new friends.  Velvet Pub is in the central part of Bergamo, Porto Nouva, not too far from the hostel.  Tonight many students will venture up to Citta Alta for a bite to eat and maybe some vino before our day off tomorrow.  With the first free day of the program, most students are looking into visiting Lake Como, Milan, or even Venice--all just a short train ride away.  Look for pictures to be posted soon on our ShutterFly website soon!  

Stay posted for more updates about class, Bergamo, and weekend travel!  Ciao!

First Day of School!

Ciao!

We are now at the University for our first day of classes! The students were on the buses to class at 7:30 am!

After arriving Sunday, the group went to dinner at a local restaurant for dinner sponsored by Mizzou. We enjoyed a meal of pasta and wine like true Italians.

Yesterday we went exploring in Bergamo. We went to Porta Nuova (downtown) and to Citta Alta (the high city) and had our first taste of REAL Italian Pizza!

Last night we had an orientation at the University where the professors introduced themselves and we had appetizers with the Italian students. After, we headed out to Citta Alta again to have dinner and enjoy the beautiful weather we are having at an outdoor bar.

Today we are at the University for a 3 hour class taught by an Mizzou professor and another 3 hour class taught by an Italian professor. It should be a loooooong day!

We arrived safely!

Ciao Everyone, we arrived in Italy safe and sound! It was a long journey, but well worth it. Everyone is settling in nicely and all of the students seem extremely happy to be here. We will be keeping this blog up to date so you can follow your students experience abroad.

Check back soon for picture and updates!