Liese Piper

Ciao!

My name is Liese and I studied in Florence for fall 2011 and in Rome for spring 2012. I am anthropology major with an interest in art so studying in Italy gave me  art conservation experience as well as life experience living in a different culture. In Florence, I had the opportunity to restore shattered ceramics from over 2,000 years ago and clean paintings. Italy had a lot of hands-on classes, from art conservation, vegetarian cooking, drawing, and wine tasting, which fit my style of learning perfectly.

I loved studying abroad for two semesters in different locations because I had two unique experiences. I lived in home stays in both Florence and Rome. In Florence, I walked everywhere within the city, but in the larger Rome, I navigated through the metro and bus systems. My host moms were very different and I am glad I was able to be part of two types of Italian families.

I studied with the Lorenzo de' Medici Institute in both Florence and Rome. We had amazing weekend trips to Sorrento and Capri, Tuscany, Venice, and Umbria. During the week, fun activities like gelato making or cathedral tours were also available. Florence has a variety of clubs, like soccer, ballet, yoga, and photography, while Rome had Italian club, which had activities like watching a soccer match, learning about the Slow Food movement, and culture exchanges.

Now that I back in America, it is great to use what I learned in Italy back home in different ways, like taking ceramics at St. Lawrence to learn more about the production of ceramics after cleaning and working with ancient ceramics. My family and friends enjoy when I use my Italian cooking skills to make pasta or gnocchi for meals. I am excited to share my experience abroad and to help other students discover that adventure is out there.