Today was sadly our last day in Verona. I took advantage of our free morning by catching up on my Zzzs and sleeping till 10:30. I woke up and quickly got changed to spend the rest of the day appreciating the city of love. I met up with my friends and made sure to keep my bright yellow umbrella handy as it rained all day long. We walked to the shops and spent a couple hours drooling over what Italy does best, the clothing. I do not have tons of money to spend on this trip which really is a shame, but splurged on a Champion sweatshirt exclusive to an Italian store called Aw Lab, a really dope store centered around more sporty-stylish apparel. I also bought my boyfriend a not too expensive Adidas t-shirt to spice up his wardrobe.On the way back we quickly grabbed some Mickey D’s, which I still can’t believe how good the chicken nuggets are from there. As good as Italian food is, I will be excited to return to America and get some variety besides for different combinations of wheat, tomato, and cheese.

Next we took off for our next site visit. It was a clothing company called Mero & More. We started by getting a quick lecture (translated by our wonderful ISA guide Luca) from the Consorzio Della Moda, the fashion store’s consortium. They talked about how they improve the quality of other brands’ quality in their products, and how as an Italian consortium, they stress how fashion should be unique and how important quality is in clothing. They source all of their fabrics from local businesses to give them more control over what they are using to produce clothing.

Then we toured the facility to get a better idea of how the clothing is produced for the store. First the ideas are all just sketched out using paper and computer software. Then physical prototypes are made by hand with an old school sewing machine (as pictured). We saw how mass amounts of fabric are cut into different shapes by a machine that can cut through numerous layers of fabric at a type. Then we went to the ware house where past fabrics are kept and the finished products are stored waiting to be shipped out. The guide talked about how fashion works on an 8 year cycle, so pretty much all fabrics are kept in the hopes that they will be reused in the future.

We finished up by taking a look at the actual Mero & More shop which is directly attached to the production center. I saw many things that I know my mother would love, and was tempted to purchase, but again I don’t have the €€€ for these items. We finished at the café which was next to the store. We had pizza, sandwiches, lasagna, fries, and cake. For how skinny Italians are, I have no clue how they eat like this because wow, I feel like I’m about to burst any second with this food baby I’ve been carrying around.

I’m nervous for tomorrow since we have three site tours, have to be ready by 8:45, and are moving back to Milan. Just one of these activities are exhausting for me, let alone all three, so you know ya girl is about to be cranky tomorrow. Hoping for great food to help me make it through it. See you then!