The Intercultural Communication Course Blog
Authors: Kelsey Palmisano (Roanoke College), Danielle Turnbull (UConn), Aaron Vieira (RWU)
Florence in the late summer has proven to be hotter than we, American students, had expected. To escape the heat, we traveled to the Italian Riviera and to Croatia.
Cinque Terre is about two and half hours away from Florence and is composed of five seaside villages with breathtaking views. We went to four out of the five towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, and Monterosso. In the first three stops we had about an hour in each to explore and get some food. Our favorite meal was the pizza and seafood cones at Mamma Mia’s in Riomaggiore. Once at Riomaggiore, we were given the option to hike along the coast in Vernazza or take the train to Monterosso. Upon arrival in Monterosso, we spent all our time swimming in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.
Croatia is a small country that is about 12 hours away from Florence by bus. Split is an amazing city to be able to visit and has a lot of interesting culture. As much as I dislike tours, the short walk I went on was informative and told the story of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who, at the turn of the fourth century AD, ordered the construction of an incredible palace on the south bay of the city. On the second day, we were able to go the small island called Brac, just off the coast of Croatia. We had a great day on the beach, soaking up the sun and admiring the views.
The last stop we made on the trip to Croatia was Krka National Park, which has one of the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen. The Skradinski buk is one of the most attractive parts of the park: a massive, clear, natural pool, where we swam, with high waterfalls at one end and cascades at the other. After having some time to enjoy the incredible nature, we stopped at one of the restaurants to eat lunch before leaving to return home. The restaurants were conveniently close to the lake and very cheap since the Croatian currency (Kuna) is weaker than the Euro.
Overall the trip was a great experience and should definitely be made by everyone!
