My Travel Diary - a summer in Italy
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As a student, deciding on how to spend your Summer is always a struggle. Most are torn between searching for that placement that’ll “look great on my CV” and scouring Skyscanner meticulously, plagued by wanderlust, in the hope of jetting off somewhere exotic for three months for next to nothing. As an ex ab initio student, I quickly realised that I wanted (and positively needed) to spend some time in Italy. Through the help of AIESEC Bristol, I applied for a 7-week internship working in an asilo nido in Brescia which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
It was an invaluable experience, both linguistically and professionally. I worked six hours a day, five days a week looking after 1-4 year-olds; bombarding them with English songs and nursery rhymes, to the delight of their parents. I lived with three different Italian families, who hosted me for free. Their warmth and generosity was incredible and I immediately felt like one of the family. What’s more, some of the family spoke little to no English, which was both excellent and horrifying for testing my newly-acquired Italian skills…
What I loved most about the internship was the opportunity it gave me to explore Italy in a unique (and cheap) way. My weekend ritual was to take the first bus of the day to Brescia train station. For just a few euros, I could take the train to Lago di Garda and spend the day lazing around the (utterly justifiable) tourist trap of Desenzano, the gorgeous shores of the Sirmione, or take the boat over to picturesque Bardolino. I even spent one weekend with my host family at their house in the charming lake-side town of Salò. Along with Milan, Verona, Venice and Padua, I certainly managed to do my fair share of day trips, despite my constant misfortune with the treni regionali and their delays…
I had a week off work for Ferragosto, so naturally I seized the opportunity to do some travelling a little further afield. Buying an Interrail Italy Pass (which allowed me three travel days within one month) ended up saving me an absolute fortune. The first stop was Naples, after which I can firmly attest to the old adage of ‘vedi Napoli e poi muori’. It was an intoxicating 3-day trip. I stayed in a tiny hostel in the centro storico, and my ultimate highlights included seeing the Cristo velato in the Cappella Sansevero, the stunning Santa Chiara church, the island of Ischia and the ancient underground military passage turned-air-raid-shelter, Galleria Borbonica.