As a first generation Italian American with family scattered
throughout Italy, Switzerland, and Spain, I figured I would one day visit
Europe, but never thought I would get the chance to study and live in Italy for
a full year! Ciao, mi chiamo Anthony Manzi. I’m a senior at CUNY College of
Staten Island, and I studied abroad in Rome during the spring semester of 2010
and in Florence during the spring semester of 2011. After living on Staten
Island for a number of years you get the feeling of being cooped up in a small
place with a whole world out there to explore.
The first time I ever stepped foot in Europe was Fiumicino
International Airport right outside of Rome. I will never forget my first day
living in a different country, taking on the great adventure that is the Eternal
City, meeting my five other roommates, making new friends and meeting locals of
Trastevere and Monteverdi (neighborhoods of Rome).
After living in New York and frequenting Manhattan on almost
a weekly basis you already have a sure feeling of how living in a major city
would be – skyscrapers, fast living, lots of people, sightseeing, etc. – until
you arrive in an ancient city such as Rome, with world famous structures and
sculptures such as il Colosseo, la Fontana di Trevi, la Scala di Spagna, la
Piazza del Popolo, and of course the center of the Roman Catholic Church, la
Citta del Vaticano. These historic structures, a couple of them even considered
some of the greatest sites in the world, are places you don’t get to see very
often in your life, let alone live by them!
While living in a travel hub, with a schedule of 12 credits
and decently difficult classes, I had a good amount of schoolwork to do, but
also some time to travel throughout the great continent of Europe. I’ve visited
eclectic cities from Madrid, Spain to Paris, France to Sofia, Bulgaria to
Athens, Greece to Dublin, Ireland, and many more, including the Islands of
Malta and the Canaries. Each country, but more specifically each city, has its
own unique culture and lifestyle to it, which I’d rather you find out on your
own and not spoil it for you!
Since the beginning of my initial study abroad experience in
Rome of Spring 2010, I believe that the travel bug has bitten off more than it
can chew when it comes to my expeditions- gazing over the snow covered Swiss
Alps, sailing on a private yacht around the azure Mediterranean islands of
Malta, island hopping right through the scenic Greek Isles, wine tasting
throughout the province of Tuscany, even enjoying a cold one at the Guinness
Storehouse in Dublin. Travelling has become a big part of my life, so much that
I have recently acquired a job for the fall semester of 2012, with one of
Europe’s best student travel companies, Bus2Alps. Not Only will I be able to
live in Europe once again, I will be travelling every weekend and work as a
tour guide - not to mention getting paid to do what I love! So, for any of you
students that are thinking of studying abroad in Europe, hopefully, I will see
you on the other side. Arrivederci e Buona Fortuna a tutti!