The Grand Tour is a cultural trip in Europe that was taken by young men in the upper classes during the 18th century to expand his education. The Grand Tour is a search of the arts, culture, and the roots of western civilization.
On May 9th, 2017, my class and I started the Grand Tour in Italy with my Honors College professor, John Bailly, as our Cicerone (a knowledgable guide or tutor).
​
​
Dancing in Piazza San Marco, Venice
Photo Credit: Camila Machado
As an Economics major, I am not at all exposed to art, history, culture, religion, or science. Being in the Honors College at FIU has allowed me to incorporate these disciplines into my education. The Grand Tour in the Italy Study Abroad program goes into depth and allows each student to explore and see through their own lens how Artemisia Gentileschi overcame sexism and oppression (Uffizi museum), how the Medici's ruled through capitalism and banking, how the Renaissance gave birth to science and humanity, how the idea of Rome coming before family is not at all crazy, how connected the town of Orvieto is to the mountains around it, how Catholics and Protestants went to war, how tourism can kill the culture of a place like Cinque Terre, and how multicultural Venice is.
Above you will find tabs of all of the cities or towns visited in Italy on this modern day Grand Tour. Each city will touch on a major topic that will link the past to the present. I believe each individual city shined light on one topic more than the other cities. These topics are going to root from my own individual reflection.
First night in Italy - a view of the Colosseum at night.