While far from the reaches of wireless 3G in the Dolomites, our group took advantage of the beautiful natural scenery to reflect on their time with their host families in Lucca. Here are the students’ favorite moments:

Sarah H: “My favorite parts of the homestay were our various nightly trips to beautiful places in Italy like Pisa, Siena, and Abetone. It was great to see so many interesting and different parts of the country with people who knew them well.”

Madeline P: “My favorite part of the homestay was all the homemade food my host family made – it was so good!”

Lindsey T: “My favorite part of the homestay was going into Lucca to meet with my host sister’s friends. I also loved beating the Putney gelato record by eating six gelatos in a day.”

Amelia D: “I loved experiencing the everyday life of my host sisters who were around my age. We cooked tiramisu, spent time with my host sisters’ friends, biked around Lucca, and explored the Lucca town center.”

Sophie E: “My favorite memory was going to Pisa with my host sister and her friends. We saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa, went shopping, and ate lots of gelato.”

Darby M: “My favorite part of the homestay was hanging out with friends and seeing how similar the teenage culture here is to teenage culture in the United States.”

Claire N: “My favorite part was the incredible view from my homestay. I also enjoyed spending time with a very international crowd and realizing how many people spoke multiple languages. There was also a very interesting chicken.”

Spencer C: “My homestay highlight was meeting all of my host brother’s friends and realizing that though language barriers exist, they are far less limiting than I anticipated.”

Max R: “My homestay highlight was swimming in the pool late at night with my homestay brother and his friends.”

Fiona B: “My homestay highlight was the adorable little host brother I had who didn’t speak any English but still wanted to interact with me.”

Jonah S: “I liked that they offered me coffee at every possible moment.”

Julia B: “My favorite part of the homestay was meeting my host sister’s friends and playing monopoly with them on the beach.”

Jaclyn H: “The best part of my homestay was cooking with my family. We made tiramisu, pasta sauce, and pancakes, and they all turned out great!”

Maxwell G: “I loved being a part of the traditional Italian family with the grandmother living with us and the aunt living next door. Also, I loved that we ate gnocchi two different times and that one of those times the gnocchi was huge.”

Jessie M: “My favorite memory was watching tourists outstretch their arms while posing in front of the Tower of Pisa.”

Jake S: “My most awkward moment was when I kissed my Italian grandmother on the nose by accident when I was trying to do an Italian greeting.”

Aubrey R: “My favorite part of the homestay was watching the Harry Potter movies with my host sister. It was nice to see how some things can transcend cultural and language barriers. Also, Harry Potter is awesome no matter where you are.”

Alexander P: “My favorite part of the homestay was that everyone came together at the end of the day to eat dinner together.”

Stay tuned for more soon!
– Alicia, Jonathan, & Tim