Published on August 14, 2015
Eight students from Eastern Connecticut State University recently traveled to Florence, Italy, with English Professor Christopher Torockio to participate in the course, “Creative Writing Abroad.” This intensive writing course encourages students to produce daily, original works of poetry and fiction in a foreign country.
“As writers, it is our job to capture the human essence as much as we can to make our work more believable, authentic and relatable to our audience,” said senior English major Mikayla Zagata. “In that respect, seeing people from a different culture and the distinct differences and similarities between us gave me a much better understanding of the human condition.”
Students used class readings and their surroundings for inspiration in producing original work every day. Zagata said of this experience, “One of the most challenging things was creating descriptions in our writing that accurately captured our surroundings. Florence is just so majestic that it’s hard to put into words sometimes.”
Students stayed within minutes of the famous Duomo, a cathedral that has been that main church of Florence since 1436. They also visited the Galleria dell’ Accademia which houses Michelangelo’s statue of David. They were also never far from a palace or grand building that was either under Medici control at one time or a former Medici residence. The group also had the opportunity to explore different areas of Tuscany such as Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa.
Written by Ryan King
