A Freshman’s Tale: An Italian Travel Memoir

Abstract

In the summer of 2016, I went on a two-week study abroad to Italy with the MTSU Honors College. Our trip was led by Dr. Philip Phillips and April Goers, and I was one of seventeen students. The goal of the journey was to study famous Italian writers and follow their footsteps in various cities. Our writers included Vergil, Boethius, and Dante Alighieri and our cities included Rome, Ostia Antica, Pompeii, Florence, Ravenna, Pisa, and Venice. This thesis is a creative writing account of my study abroad. It covers my thirteen days in Italy and the adventures I experienced. This work is an example of a literary memoir, a journey of a young person as she interacts with various texts and places. This work wrestles with various authors and literary works, as well as history and art, as they organically weave into the experience of being abroad. This is a creative project with an emphasis on perspective and the nature of memories as a person recounts past events. Also included are my hand-drawn illustrations depicting various events and works of art.