Today was both the best and worst day in Italy for me. I woke up to our guide of Italy Luca waking me up, since none of my roommates on this trip wanted to wake me and I have been battling my problems with insomnia and sleep deprivation here. He was completely understanding although, because I try to understand him and talk to him about history and culture in Italy easily ten times as much as any other Pitt student does. I think we have a lot of respect for each other, and he even told me when I was frantically upset over the lack of real respect for one of my biggest hero’s ever Galileo, because even Luca said I was smarter and a better candidate to give a tour in the official Galileo Museum than the actual one the museum forced us to pay for. The rest of this blog will be positive, so please continue reading if you have already started.
The first thing we did today was visit a traditional leather school who makes the finest leather in the whole world with several very recognizable clients such as Erin Brockovich. I admit I did not know a lot about Brockovich until one of the best friends I made on this trip explained her story to me, and now I can say with confidence she is one of my biggest female hero’s of all time. Then my two Industrial Engineering friends went with me to a very nice Italian restaurant where I got some of the best Buffalo mozzarella I have ever had. After this we went to the Gucci Garden, which I can say with confidence is probably my favorite art gallery/historical documentation place in the whole world.
No where else have I seen such a unique place as unique and special as the Gucci Garden. My least favorite designer of all time is Tom Ford and it was refreshing to hear our tour guide disrespect him. I also very much enjoyed learning more about who runs their company now Alessandro Michele. Alessandro sees the world in such a creative and positive light and this is why Gucci is the second most profitable Luxury brand in the world. He is easily my favorite fashion/business hero and influence in the whole world. I also learned how the markets for Gucci are very different in the American, European and Asian markets. For example no one at the Gucci Garden had even heard of the Gucci flip-flop, which dominates the flip flop market in the states thanks to the hip-hop artist Future Hendrix. This image below was my favorite piece of art in the whole Gucci Garden, because it reminds me of who raised me and influenced me the most in my life my loving step dad and mom. I really have a lot of respect for my step dad, since he has been a big part of my life ever since a child and love and supports me more than anyone in my life. At least he would’ve been at the entire engineering conference (if he didn’t work one of the most stressful and honorable jobs at one of the most understaffed air traffic facility’s in Detroit); where I achieved my proudest accomplishment of most sustainable and best bioengineering technology paper and presentation.
This is a day that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life thanks to the wonderful world class University of Pittsburgh. I can finally say I am truly happy I did Plus3 Italy instead of Plus3 Germany now even though I was raised in a family that abides very strictly to the German way of life.
