50 Shades of Leather

Today I found that it IS possible to drown in leather. But, before I get into that I should probably talk about the company we visited today. The company itself was called Lineapelle. Now, I have to use the term loosely because they are more than just a business. Lineapelle is more like a consortium,…

Gettin’ Schooled

I never thought I would say this, but Italy can even make sitting through class fun. The room might have been stifling hot but the presentation itself was very informative and eye opening. I enjoyed learning about everything from the general business models to the sustainability of the fashion industry. The first thing we learned…

Big Shoes to Fill

Velasca is definitely one of the smaller of the businesses that we have visit since we have arrived in Italy. It only has a total of two storefronts, one in Milan and one in Rome, which was just opened very recently. The company itself was started by two men and has expanded since to about…

Double the Visits, Double the Refreshments

Today was pretty busy. Not only did we pack up to get ready to move to Milan, but we also had TWO professional business visits today. This was more than normal so we definitely had a lot of information thrown out at us but, overall, it was a very productive and eye opening day.  We…

The Squad

Today we learned about the Consorzio Della Moda, or Mozzecane Fashion Consortium in English. This business trip was much different than most of the business that we have already visited because, well, it really wasn’t a business. The consortium and what it was proved to be a very challenging topic for many of us but…

The Lagoon

Today was, for me, one of the most anticipated days of the trip. Venice has always been one of those cities that had been high on my travel bucket list and I’m so happy that I had the chance to see it. The train ride in was perfect because it was not only comfortable but…

The Persona of Verona

               Verona was incredible today. The town itself was so old and was filled with so much history that I was barely able to keep track of all of the facts that were being thrown out to me. Similarly to Milan, the city itself had a mixture of old and new. A big difference however…

The Art-is-an the Leather

Today we made our second major business visit. We visited Sculoa del Cuio, which is a leather trade school that teaches students how to work with leather. One of the first things we did on this tour was meet a man by the name of Francesco. He gave a live example of how they create…

Getting Cultured in Florence

Today  we made a major change in scenery. After a three hour drive, which was only broken up by a single pit stop at a gas station where I filled up on as much Italian candy as I could, we made it to the beautiful city of Florence. After we were given an hour to…

Spa Day

Today was out first major business adventure! We started the day at the heartbreaking time of 8:30 when we all met in the lobby to head out to the Montero Spa. Now I was pretty excited for a spa day since the jet lag was still pretty tough on then mind. When we got there…

The “Duh” Vinci Code: A Brief History

After waking up a few hours earlier than any of us ever really want to, the gang made our way down to the Da Vinci museum to learn a little about arguably one of the most influential humans in history. We saw a lot of different aspects of his creations from the inventions themselves to…

The Sad Adventures of a Child with no Money

Above: This picture was taken inside of If bags Today we visit a much more commercially active part of Milan. Not only did we see incredible architecture from older time periods like in the Duomo, but we also experienced many different shopping centers. We started the day in the square where the Duomo is located….

The Beginning: Blog Numero Uno

The first day in Milano was definitely an eye opening one. After getting little sleep the night before, and then having to sit through an eight hour flight following an hour and a half delay due to a fellow passenger getting violently sick right before take off, we finally made it into the Milano airport….

Survival in Italy: A How to Guide

Ciao amici miei! (if google translate didn’t fail me, this says “Hello my friends!”) My name is Nick Trinovitch and I am a freshman Chemical Engineer and the University of Pittsburgh. I am from Scranton, Pennsylvania , and I love traveling. This is why I’m so excited to have the opportunity to explore so much…

Meet Plus3 Italy 2017!

Welcome to the Italy Plus3 Study Abroad Program! Professors Jack Patzer and Mary Duquin are traveling to Milan, Italy with 20 College of Business Administration and Swanson School of Engineering students from May 6 – May 20. In addition to numerous cultural experiences, the trip will include visits to Como Textile, Milan Textile, MF1-Mario Faroni Knitwear Factory, Sartorial Cavour Tailoring Company,…