I can’t believe I’m finally in Italy and here to tell the tale! So far, our first day in Italy has been full of new experiences.
The day started off with a rough start (literally…. the turbulent plane landing traumatized us all), but we were grateful to finally step foot on Italian soil. After exiting the airport, we took a scenic tour of northern Italy as we drove to the hotel.

As we neared the city, it was interesting to see the stark contrast between metal Milanese skyscrapers and historic store fronts in the city center. 
Then, we ate a fantastic group lunch at a local restaurant, which greeted us with a four-course meal that included bread, antipasti, a main course, and dessert. I cannot stress this enough – this meal was probably one of the best I’ve had in my life. Not only was the food incredible, but the staff was incredibly kind and professional. I was even surprised to see that they prepared me a special main dish to cater to my lactose intolerance.


After lunch, we checked into the hotel and had a quick health and safety orientation to acquaint ourselves better with the city. Then, we were allowed to fill our time freely for the rest of the evening. Friends and I visited a pizzeria in the Porta Venezia area and went shopping in the streets. There was even an H&M that carried many of the same fashions as my local US store, but was catered more towards Italian style. This contrast was interesting to note, and it made me very excited for fashion visits to come!


Out of all the new experiences today, one of the things I will definitely need to become accustomed to is the language. In the US, I didn’t realize how much I depended on written and spoken language to get around, especially while shopping and eating out. We didn’t know when any of the stores we visited closed, though there were announcements in Italian that could have helped. In addition, when ordering at the pizzeria, we quickly learned how to say terms such as grazie, prego, per favore, and controlli. The language barrier was frustrating at times, especially when we felt like we were inconveniencing Italians who don’t know English well.
I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep and seeing the Duomo tomorrow. Ciao!

Note: This blog post was posted a day late because of issues with the hotel Wi-Fi.