Bowdy’s study abroad trip

Monday–Wednesday:

This week started off as another round of thesis days. I spent most of the time reviewing and organizing everything for my final submission. By Tuesday, I officially turned it in, which was a huge relief. The rest of the time was just double-checking and wrapping up any small details before the trip later in the week. My thesis ended up being almost 300 pages.

Thursday – Reggia di Caserta & Sorrento:

We had an early 5:00 a.m. departure from Urbino and arrived at the Reggia di Caserta later that morning. The Reggia di Caserta is one of the largest royal palaces in the world, built in the 18th century for the Bourbon kings of Naples. The palace has over 1,200 rooms and massive gardens that stretch for miles, complete with fountains and sculptures. I learned that some scenes from Star Wars were actually filmed there, which made it even cooler to see in person. After the tour, we enjoyed some lunch and continued on to Sorrento. The views there were unreal-the cliffs overlooking the water and the overall scenery were amazing. We had free time that evening to explore and grab dinner in town.

Friday – Pompeii:

We started the day with a trip to Pompeii. It was super cool to see the preserved ruins and get a glimpse into what daily life was like back then. The scale of the city and how well it’s still intact after all this time was impressive. While walking through the ruins of Pompeii, we noticed several carvings and sculptures shaped like penises engraved into walls and streets. Our guide explained that these weren’t random- in ancient Roman times, these symbols were actually meant to bring good luck, fertility, and protection. They were also used as directional markers pointing the way to brothels, which were common in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. It was definitely one of the more unexpected (and funny) things we learned on the trip. Afterward, we headed back to Sorrento and had more free time to walk around and enjoy the city.

Saturday – Naples:

Our last day was spent in Naples, where we did a guided tour through parts of the city, including Spaccanapoli and the San Gregorio Armeno area. For lunch, of course we had pizza. Naples is where pizza Margherita was invented, so it doesn’t get much better than that. After lunch, we explored the city before we began the long ride back to Urbino.