When Gianluca Latina started at the University of Connecticut (UConn), studying abroad for a semester was one of his biggest goals, but after changing his major from finance to accounting, he realized that his academic requirements would no longer allow him to spend an entire semester overseas. Instead of giving up on studying abroad altogether, he found another path.
After exploring his options, Gianluca enrolled in the UConn Mediterranean Diet & Food Culture Summer Program at ISI Florence in Italy, a decision that would connect his academic interests, Italian heritage, and lifelong passion for food.
“Although it has nothing to do with accounting, I decided on the Mediterranean Diet program. Coming back to my roots and finding out how everyday things that I eat and see are made, like Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamic vinegar, and then doing cooking classes–that’s only going to help me and my personal goals.”
Despite coming from a business background, Gianluca embraced the challenge of studying nutrition and food science as a novice. With support from his professors and classmates, he found himself enjoying an academic experience unlike what he was used to in his undergraduate degree in accounting.
“I have not taken a science course since the beginning of high school,” he explained, “so coming back and starting that was definitely a challenge, but with the help of the professors and my friends, who all study Allied Health, it was easy to get on the same page, and diversifying my curriculum has really helped me.
Among the many field trips included in the program, the one that stood out above the rest for Gianluca was a visit to a Parmigiano Reggiano producer.
“It’s something you always see at home at the dinner table. You grate it, you eat it, but you never think about how it’s actually made. Seeing how it’s produced, stored, and shipped completely opened my eyes.”
However, academics were only one reason Gianluca decided to come to Florence. With all four grandparents originally from southern Italy, studying here became an opportunity to reconnect with his heritage and improve his Italian language skills.
“Being Italian, finding my roots again has been more than amazing.”
He reflected how living in Florence introduced him to aspects of Italian culture that went beyond the surface-level tourist attractions.
“When you look up Florence, you see pictures of the Duomo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce and all these beautiful places, but by coming here, I was able to discover the other parts of Florence that honestly outshine the places everyone knows. Taking a side street, finding a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and connecting with people has been a great pleasure.”
This enthusiasm also extended to newly acquired values inspired by the Italian day-to-day ways of being.
“At school, I usually grab food and eat by myself,” he said. “Here, I was eating with friends and practicing the Italian concept of conviviality, which has been great.”
Reconnecting with his passion for food in Italy also reinforced a personal mission that has become increasingly important to him: preserving his family’s culinary traditions. Gianluca recently began documenting his grandparents’ recipes on video as part of a project that aims to honor generations’ worth of history passed down by his ancestors.
“Last year I bought a camera to start recording my grandparents’ cooking to figure out how they make everything, because whenever my grandmother tells me how she made something, and I try to replicate it, it doesn’t come out quite the same. So over the coming years, I want to document and preserve my heritage and my culinary past. This is a main objective of mine, and I feel like it aligns closely with the Italian way of life—preserving their lineage and honoring the practices of past generations. It brings me great pleasure and gives me a lot of satisfaction to keep these traditions alive.”
Beyond the cultural and culinary discoveries, Gianluca says studying abroad also helped him grow personally. Although he considers himself an extrovert, he admitted that he would at times shut down in front of large groups. Living in Florence encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone.
“Coming here and just throwing myself into it, meeting a new person, going out, talking to another professor or a different ISI staff member, enriched my experience. Not only did I connect with them culturally, but it’s also good that I got to practice this cold approach, let’s say. At home, there are so many times when I have to go to a career fair or a certain meeting where I’m meeting people I’ve never seen before, and I typically shy away. Getting into the rhythm of being more extroverted has definitely been the best practice for me because when I go home, I can take that and foster better relationships with people.
Now looking ahead, Gianluca shared that he imagines combining his accounting career with his passion for Italian food and culture, for example by working with Italian companies. His advice to students who think a study abroad program doesn’t “fit” their major is:
“It would be very unfortunate to pass it up. Even though I’m not in Allied Health or science at all, this has been one of the greatest experiences of my life.”