Pace junior John Vito Powell’s lineage traces back to Italy, which is why it resonated as a study abroad location. Florence was his final destination because he loved the rich art and history that still represents the Renaissance.

Powell lived in Florence his spring semester of 2016 where he discovered things about himself he never knew before.

“My favorite memory is riding and off-roading on an ATV through the mountains of Corfu, and going to the mountain tops to see the whole island and water below us,” Powell said.

While in Italy Powell traveled throughout Europe, as well, to locales such as Budapest, Hungary; Vienna and Salzburg in Austria; Barcelona, Spain; Paris, France; Corfu, Greece, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

“It’s so easy to travel to other countries in Europe because they are so close to each other,” Powell said. “I got to go all over to a number of countries and see other places besides Italy, which is why I would recommend studying abroad in Europe.”

While in Italy, he was able to travel to Rome, Verona, Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto. Among sightseeing, he experienced seeing The Duomo, Santa Croce, Piazza Della Signoria, The Statue of David, Ponte Vecchio, Boboli Gardens and Palazzo Pitti.

The Arts and Entertainment Management major liked that Italian culture is not as fast paced as American culture and that everyone is always in a good mood and kind to one another.

“In Italy, there are never strangers yelling at each other for small things like in New York where everyone is in a bad mood,” Powell said.

The Pennsylvania native’s biggest challenge abroad was meeting new people and becoming comfortable making conversation with strangers, American or not. He also had to gain confidence to navigate foreign cities alone, which was often challenging.

The learning style in Italy was different than what Powell expected.

“My classes in Florence were less demanding than my classes at Pace, but the expectation of what I needed to know was higher,” Powell said. “I needed to know more information already coming into class and all of my classes were lecture-based.”

The process of applying through the Pace Study Abroad Office was somewhat challenging for Powell, however.

“The study abroad office had all of the answers to my questions and helped me with my application, but sometimes I had to send multiple emails to get a response,” Powell said. “Also, getting credits transferred from Florence to classes at Pace was not easy at all. A number of Professors gave me a hard time about it and seemed like they didn’t want to help me, which is my only complaint.”

Powell recommends that everyone should try studying abroad at some point, even if it’s just taking a travel course.

“You learn so much, not just about where you travel to but also about yourself and your own potential and capability,” Powell said.

Powell would definitely study abroad again and he would either go to London because he has not experienced the United Kingdom yet, or Paris because it was so beautiful when he visited.