Today was another beautiful day in Milan for walking. We started our day by traveling to Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, a Catholic university in Milan. We started with a lecture on supply chain sustainability. Although we do not necessarily know every step of the supply chain, it is our responsibility as consumers to ask questions of the fashion suppliers to encourage change. Recycling practices are a fantastic thing to investigate. Patagonia, for example, recycles all of the polyester from their products. Creating this circular relationship, where the consumer interacts with the producer beyond the final sale, is one example of sustainable practices. After the lecture, we were given a tour of the campus by students. The campus, although relatively small, hosts around 40,000 students. It is lively with plentiful greenspace in an urban environment and various traditions, such as jumping over the courtyard bushes for good luck. Many classes are taught in English, so a large emphasis was placed on potential study abroad opportunities in the future.

After touring the university, we travelled to Museo nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia, a museum that displays various scientific milestones. The first part of the museum that we visited contained a collection of models derived from Leondardo da Vinci’s sketches. Using an interactive computer, we could read about the purposes and get a basic understanding of the science. The next part of the tour took us through various scientific advancements, such as plastic creation. Other parts of the museum had focuses on industrial machines or even space travel. One of the most interesting exhibits was a moon rock donated by President Nixon. The final part of our tour focused on larger machines. Beyond the submarines, airplanes, and ships were recycled creations of plastic that could move (pictured below). When the wind hit the sails of some, the legs would begin moving, and momentum carries the creation further. Another would dig a stake into the sand if the wind picked up to avoid flying away.

Our day ended with free time that I used to initially to nap because the past few days have been absolutely exhausting. For dinner, a group of us travelled by metro to the canal district of Milan. We went to a restaurant that had a buffet of appetizers ranging from bruschetta and tortellini to french fries. The meal was delicious and let me try a lot of new foods and desserts. I definitely want to go to a similar restaurant again.