Sadly, I am now back in the States and have left Italy behind, for now at least. Before ending my blogging career, I would like to end on a summary of my study abroad experience in Italy regarding the fashion supply chain. First, the greatest challenge that I faced while in Italy was definitely the…
Tag: Ryan Mowry
The Last Supper
Today was our last day here in Italy. I’m sad to go, but it was a great day to end on. We started by taking a tour of the Milan Fashion Library. It was very interesting, and something that I didn’t really expect. The library was essentially just an archive of fashion magazines that date…
Holy Cannoli
Today our group started the day by taking one last walking tour of Milan. We got to see some of the commercial city, and got to walk through the Excelsior mall. The mall is seven stories tall and filled top to bottom with only the highest quality luxury brands. One of the seven floors was…
Episode VI: Return to Milan
Today our group said an early morning goodbye to Verona, and boarded the return bus to Milan. Interestingly, we were apparently riding in the tour bus of a famous soccer team from Verona. Just driving down the road we turned a lot heads and drew a good amount of cheers, and we even got a…
Cloudy with a Chance of Lasagna
As you might have guessed from the title, today was a little bit cloudy and rainy. That didn’t stop us from enjoying Verona though. We had a free morning to explore the city, so I went out with a few friends and climbed the 365 steps of the Lombardi tower. It offered a beautiful 360°…
The Tourist of Venice
Today our group had the pleasure of taking a day trip to the floating marvel of Venice. The city was just as impressive as we expected, and we had wonderful weather to go with it. The city is inaccessible by car, you either walk or boat in the canals, which are just as numerous as…
Primavera a Verona
Today our group bused to Verona. I was sad to leave Florence, but the scenic countryside quickly changed my mood, and upon arriving in Verona, I was (once again) very impressed. Verona is another one of those towns that seem to have jumped out of history. That seems to be another recurring theme here in…
Into the Duomo
Today our group had a chance to catch up o some much needed sleep since we didn’t meet until noon. Once we did meet, we were lead on a tour of another art museum. This museum was smaller than the last, but it included many impressive works, a large amount of which were produced by…
Firenzi Leather
Today our group took a trip to the Florence School of Leather. It was a great experience and we got to see the whole process of making leather goods from purchased, raw leather to a finished product fully equipped with embroidery and all. We were allowed to feel the leather made from lambskin, goatskin, deer…
Buongiorno Firenze!
This morning our group said goodbye to Milan and took a bus to Florence. The bus ride was long, but the Italian countryside was very scenic. We drove past fields, mountains, tress, and farms, all of which contributed to an enjoyable trip to Florence. Once in Florence we settled into our hotel, and it is…
Lakeside Priority
Today our group took a day trip to the city of Como. It was the most beautiful city I have ever seen! It had the feel of a medieval castle thanks to stone walls and towers, ornate building facades, and the same winding, narrow, cobblestone roads that I loved in Milan. Como was even more…
More Tours and More Pizza
Today was another great day in Milan. We started the day with a lesson in fashion markets at the Cattolica University here in Milan. It was very informative about the various business models of different fashion and luxury companies. We discussed the different models and niches of luxury brands, designer brands, industrial fashion brands, and…
The Acclimation
The first two days in Milan were wonderful. The streets are beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food is amazing. After landing, checking into our hotel was super easy and the workers are extremely helpful despite the language barrier. After checking in, we had a three-course group lunch that somehow managed to exceed already…
Guarda I’Italia, Eccomi!
Hi, I’m Ryan Mowry. I just finished my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. I am studying to become a chemical engineer, and plan on receiving minors in both chemistry and petroleum engineering along the way. At the University of Pittsburgh, I also participate in Pitt Serves, the American Institute…