Hello! My name is Jacob Weiszer, and I’m a third-year International Affairs and Management Information Systems double major. This semester I studied abroad in Verona, Italy through the Verona Spring Study Abroad Program. Over two and a half months, I had the opportunity to take courses about Post Industrial Democracies, Human Rights in the EU, The Holocaust in Italy, and the European Union.
The program started in Rome, where we got to visit the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. After 5 days, we headed to our home base for the next two months: Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet. Here, all 20 program members took two sets of classes for four weeks each. Only having classes Monday through Thursday was nice, and four full free weekends of travel were allowed during the semester.
This free time gave me the opportunity to explore Amsterdam, Warsaw, Madrid (and Toledo), as well as London. Being able to catch a flight and make it to almost anywhere in Europe in two hours was a truly unforgettable experience and one of the biggest perks of studying abroad in Italy. Not only was I able to immerse myself in Italian culture, but traveling around Europe further fostered what I was learning in the classroom about the European Union.
In addition to being able to travel on the free weekends, we took program day trips to Bolzano, Venice, and Lake Garda. These were great opportunities to explore all that Northern Italy has to offer. During the semester’s midterm, we spent three days in Florence, where we had the chance to visit the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, and Palazzo Vecchio. I learned a lot about art history in a class I took last year, so seeing the statues in person was really interesting.
The program concluded with a five-day trip to Munich, including an excursion to Salzburg and a tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp. Visiting these sights right after taking a course on the Holocaust helped me better visualize what life was like during the war.
Being a part of the Verona Spring Study Abroad Program was an experience I am truly grateful for and an opportunity I urge students from any major, especially from SPIA, to take advantage of. There are plenty of scholarship opportunities available to help make the trip more affordable, and SPIA does a great job of helping you find them. Ciao!
