Study Abroad Special Feature: Summer Study in Rome

Annika Dyczkowski ’25

Features Editor

As the temperature starts to drop and classes get into full swing, the Tripod had the opportunity to sit down with Corinne Bolding ‘24 and reflect on her time spent in Italy this past summer. Bolding is a double major in economics and neuroscience with a minor in urban studies. When asked what inclined her to study abroad, she said that Rome’s architecture and urban sprawl afforded her an incredible opportunity as an urban studies minor. The junior said that traveling abroad had always been on her radar, and she had been looking at Trinity’s study away programs before she even applied, “I just wanted to. I’ve always wanted to study in a different country, and this summer was perfect for that.” Bolding enrolled in Trinity’s summer study away program, as she is a member of the women’s ice hockey team on campus, and her athletic commitment spans through both the fall and spring semesters.

From late May to the middle of June, Bolding traveled through many large cities in Italy. She had a long weekend trip to Venice and Milan and a free weekend she spent in southern Italy exploring Capri, Naples, Pompeii, and Sorento. The remainder of her three-week program was spent in Rome. Out of everywhere she visited, she said that her favorite place is the orange garden right next to Trinity’s Rome campus. The garden is owned by The Royal Family, and she says that it offers “great views of the city.” The most unique place she visited was an artist’s house in Venice. The artist is friends with one of Trinity’s professors. Bolding said, “[The artist] and his wife are world travelers, very eclectic and very fun.”

Prior to studying abroad, Bolding had visited Sweden, Denmark, and Norway on a road trip. When asked about whether her academic obligations were hard to balance while also enjoying many new experiences, she said that “balancing it was great.” She continued, “There were two long classes a week, [another class] once a week was a walking tour.” She traveled Rome on foot, and once they left the “touristy” part, as Bolding called it, she could really appreciate the urban design and sprawl not otherwise on display in large parts of the city.

When asked about anything that was the most surprising or different, Bolding said that breakfast and coffee culture is incredibly different. People eat large meals to start the day, and morning espresso is a must. “[My professor] would meet us and be surprised when we hadn’t had espresso before our morning class. He would be like, ‘you have to have espresso before you start.’ It’s very cultural.”

Bolding said her favorite memory was the last night of the program, walking back from dinner at the American Academy. “The walk back was sad because of all the goodbyes; it was very sad but nostalgic.” Overall, Bolding is incredibly grateful for her experience, and said that it gave her an “experience you couldn’t get if you were just touring.” She highly recommends the Rome program and said it is amazing and very well established. “I was able to meet personal friends of my professors. It felt very authentic, and doing activities with event staff from Rome was really cool.” If you have any interest in studying abroad, you can visit the Office of Study Away on campus or set up a virtual appointment on the Office of Study Away’s website.