A Taste of Italy: Students Discover Florence’s Food-Based Economy

The cobblestone streets of Florence, Italy, are renowned for their larger-than-life architecture, one-of-a-kind art, sweet desserts, and sunset views over the Arno river. On a month-long trip abroad, juniors Madeline Bolger and Natalie Miller learned how crucial another facet of Florence was to the country’s economy — food.

Traveling to Florence this past summer, they both left the familiarity of home to experience the culture of one of Europe’s oldest cities. 

Bolger, a media and journalism major at Bloomsburg, studied in a “Culture and Cuisine” course where she learned how to make pasta from scratch and tour the markets of Florence for the best produce. 

“The class integrated me within the culture rather than just telling me about it. Classes were very discussion-based,” says Bolger. “We would make trips to local bakeries, take pasta-making classes, cheese tastings, and other hands-on things that brought us deeper into the culture.” 

Miller, a marketing major at Bloomsburg, learned the ins and outs of the luxury wine business in her “Economics of Wine” class. 

“The professor’s family owned a wine estate, so she had us learn about the important role wine plays in Italy’s economy. It was very market-oriented, discussing how to sell luxury wine and other costly food items,” says Miller. “It was a much more personal way of learning, she would take the class to her vineyard or various restaurants to try wines and learn about pricing.” 

Living in such a different environment was a culture shock to both students, who were used to the faster-paced society of America. “Getting into the slow-paced work culture was an adjustment,” says Miller. “It was good to have a friend with me while adjusting to the new world.” 

“It was a good bonding experience to travel with a friend,” agrees Bolger. “We had each other to lean on.” 

Together, they explored the city from their base — an apartment nestled between the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, known for its artwork by Michelangelo, Donatello, and Giotto. 

“Being surrounded by art and walking through the city was one of our favorite ways to pass the time,” says Miller. “The buildings are gorgeous, our apartment even had art on the ceilings, so we’d fall asleep looking at art.”

Both students would frequent the Piazza Santo Spirito markets before and after class, searching for something new to discover and try. They also visited local cities — taking day trips every weekend to a different town, they visited Monterosso in Cinque Terre, Chianti, Rome, Pisa, Fiesole, Ravenna, Siena, Porto, and Barcelona. They saw firsthand how the culture circles around food and art throughout Italy.

“A lot of these places have rolling hills and large countrysides,” says Bolger. “Just twenty minutes outside of a city could look completely different. That closeness allows the fresh food to become a major part of their culture. Fresh produce and meats are crucial to Italy, allowing the country to market reasonable prices without pesticides in a food-centered economy.” 

“It was cool to see how the fresh food wasn’t just a crucial aspect to Florence’s tourism industry, but necessary for most cities as well,” says Miller. “It’s very obvious now that Italy’s market is focused on food quality, whereas America is economy focused,” says Miller. “People there work to live, we live to work.” 

“It’s much more relaxed,” agrees Bolger. “I came to love aperitivo, a happy hour where restaurants give free snacks and drinks for workers to relax with friends and family. Maintaining relationships and connection is a big part of the culture.”
Their shared experience shaped a new perspective on how they view learning. “I’m used to economics classes being more generalized in the States. In Italy they are very specialized. They were much smaller as well, everyone was able to get to know each other and the professor well,” says Miller. “We got a glimpse into our professor’s life and how her wine business works in Italy’s economy. You don’t normally get that.” 

“I didn’t realize how much of a bubble I was in,” continues Miller. “I feel like I have a much better perspective of the world and that helps the international management and international marketing class I am in now.”

“Everyone always remarks that traveling abroad with change your life, but there is truth in it,” Bolger agrees. “Studying abroad will change your life, I feel more engaged in my classes now and can be much more independent. Facing challenges is not scary anymore because I have more confidence in my ability to navigate something new.”