Our trip has come to a close here in Milan. Today was our last day in this amazing city, and we depart for the airport bright and early tomorrow morning. The trip has been an incredible experience and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with any other group of amazing people. On our last…

We have started our goodbyes here in Italy. Today we were treated to a lecture from Francesca, a professor at both Bocconi and Cattolica, local universities in Milan. This lecture was focused around the topics of sustainability in the fashion industry and the different business models of the different types of fashion retailers. After this…

We are quickly approaching our final days here in Italy. We made the transfer back to Milan yesterday for our final site visits and tours. Today we had the pleasure of learning about Velasca, a men’s shoe making company. This morning, we were given a presentation by Paola, the head of Digital Marketing. This presentation…

Today was an amazing day. After our last night in Verona, we packed up for our two site visits. This morning we had the honor of visiting Sartoria Cavour, a tailoring company located about 30 minutes outside of Verona. This company is dedicated to making handmade tailored products for men. They make high-end suits, jackets,…

Day 9 in Italy was a good one. There was nothing going on this morning, so we had the opportunity to explore the city before our site visits. It was fun to just aimlessly wander Verona. One thing we have had a lot of time to do is wander throughout the five cities we have…

Today we took a day trip to the island city of Venice. Venice is about an hour train rain ride west of Verona, and as you travel to the city by train you pass over a bridge that was built as recently as the 1800s. Before the train system was put into place when Italy…

Today we left the tourist destination and made our way to the crossroads of the area, Verona. Upon entering Verona, I noticed how quaint of a town it was compared to the ones we have visited recently, but I will go into the details on the comparison later in the blog post. Upon getting to…

Today during our second day in Florence, we were able to visit the Scuelo del Cuoio. This is the local Florentine leather school and workshop. The school was founded after World War II, when the friars in the area decided they needed to help the large number of orphans in the area. They then asked…

Today we made our way to the third city of our tour of Italy. Florence is about a three-and-a-half-hour bus ride from our base city of Milan. Florence is an incredible city, with narrow streets and incredible architecture. In fact, Florence is the capital of Renaissance in Italy. Because of this, many of the aspects…

Today we had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful city of Como. Como sits right on Lake Como in northern Italy. In fact, if you climb the Brunate Funicular (basically a Duquesne Incline on steroids), you can see Switzerland from the top of the mountains there. Como is a very beautiful area, with a historical…

Inventors are the way in which the world moves forward. Without their creativity, the world would never advance past the “modern” devices of each time period. The names of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (inventor of the microscope), Ben Franklin, and Thomas Edison all are some of the great inventors that have helped to move society forward….

The incredible times here in Italy continue to roll in. It’s hard to believe today is only day two because of all we have done already. Today we visited Duomo square and saw the Cathedral and Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II while there. We took a guided tour through this area, visited shops in the Ticinese…

After 3 airports, 2 flights, and a 2-hour delay, we have finally made it to Milan! And what a trip it was. The past few days have all been drawn together into what seems like an endless 48-hour blur, but we have reached our destination. The long trip was definitely worth it. The Milan airport…

Hello everyone! My name is Matt Fletcher, and I am studying Industrial Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering. I’m originally from Chicago, Illinois, but have definitely found my home at Pitt. This summer, I will be traveling to Italy for the Plus 3 Program to focus on textiles and supply chain. As an IE,…