Despite studying Italian for seven years in secondary school, my interactions with the country itself were incredibly limited. Unlike most of my fellow A-Level Italian students, I did not have a ‘nonna’ to teach me the culinary specialties and how to use … colourful language in order to get my point across in the noisy streets of an Italian city. However, an appreciation for the uniqueness of Italian culture and the hours I’d put into learning the language meant that I could not (and frankly, still cannot) shake off the urge not just to visit the country as a tourist, but to immerse myself as much as possible. I am therefore incredibly grateful to LEAP for funding my travels across Italy for 2 ½ weeks in September, in Milan, Venice and Rome. As I already have a good knowledge of Italian, I wanted to avoid the obvious tourist routes in order to develop my language skills and increase my cultural awareness. Because not everything on this trip went entirely to plan, I learned a lot about myself and have developed a completely different perspective on a country that I have been so passionate about for so many years.

Solo travel is completely foreign (pardon the pun) to me, so I wanted to make my way to Italy in an unconventional and eco-friendly way. Over the course of fourteen hours on three different trains, I went from London King’s Cross to Stazione Garibaldi di Milano. A long journey across France helped me realise that I remembered much more French than I initially realised, and so I was excited to cross the border to Italy and put the language I’ve been studying to use.

Before starting my period of work experience at Intesa SanPaolo, I wanted to experience Milan and start using my Italian. After seeing the main tourist attractions of the Duomo and sitting in on a book talk, I wanted to see more of the city outside of what is commonly marketed to English visitors. On my first day, I stumbled across the ‘Festival Antirazzista’ in the Parco Sempione while trying to shelter from the heat. It featured live music performances, speeches, and discussions from anti-racist activists and performers based in Milan. I used my Italian to be part of discussions with these speakers, which completely changed how I understand such a romanticised country. This new perspective on Italy was a key takeaway from my trip: learning about how social issues manifest differently across Europe has helped me develop my opinions about the contrast between a ‘touristy’ Italy and the reality for many of those who live there. A trip to a flea market in the outskirts of Milan really emphasised this to me, as it gave me the opportunity to interact with queer circles in Milan who were trying to provide safe hubs for minority groups. I loved being able to communicate with other young people in their own language in order to better understand how we can best discuss how to deal with issues like discrimination and, especially in Italy, a lack of legal protection.

My favourite part of Milan itself was the day I spent in the Triennale museum. What was intended to be a morning visit ended up extending until the museum shut – the curators had collated pieces from across the globe to discuss the theme of ‘inequalities’ in an exhibition that spanned dozens of rooms across six floors. The collections ranged from studies based in Milan about the inequalities built into urban planning, to a short film called ‘Homecoming’ about the reconstruction of a Nigerian town decimated by Boko Haram. There were some truly chilling exhibitions as part of the collection – such as interactive materials calculating my life span and a mock interview with an AI-generated employer to highlight how new technology could worsen the job market. It gave me plenty to think and write about: I brought my notebook everywhere so I could respond to the inspiration I found across my travels and so these eye-opening discussions provided me with ample material to explore through my writing.

I then started my work experience placement in Intesa SanPaolo – Italy’s largest bank based in Milan – in the communications department. I shadowed a number of the subdivisions within this, such as looking into how a bank communicates with the wider media and how an in-house television studio works! Being part of a corporate environment was incredibly exciting as I could see first-hand how different divisions worked together to form a larger company. The Italian work environment was very different to anything I’d experienced before in London: I’ve never seen so many coffee machines in offices, nor the concept of a ‘corporate networking’ coffee bar. I worked with some truly lovely people who made me feel so welcome, even within the slightly intimidating building of a bank’s headquarters (thank you again to Elisa Duro for looking after me, and to everyone who facilitated the visit). I was unbelievably lucky to have a personal guided tour of the Gallerie d’Italia as part of this exchange, which holds a range of classical art that makes up Italy’s cultural heritage. I was especially moved by a photography collection by Jess Dugan that showed the many faces of gender fluidity across the United States and was really lucky to receive a book collating these photos accompanied by commentary from Dugan themselves.

After this packed week, I travelled to Venice to experience a completely different style of life. It was at this point, however, where my mental health started to take a toll. An important part of solo travel for me was realising where my own personal boundaries lie and in many cases, my knowledge of Italian made me realise that Italy still has a long way to go in terms of tackling harassment and general attitudes towards women. I was, however, determined to make the best of my trip even if I did have to adjust it to avoid damaging my mental health. In Venice, I had a really inspiring conversation with the writer Raffaela Serra about her writing process and how she gains inspiration from her environment, which I have implemented into how I approach my own work. The colours of handmade Venetian glass animals and the quiet of small, local piazzas was the perfect backdrop for me to start writing about my experiences. While undoubtedly scary, I used these unpleasant moments to inform how I wrote about these issues and this was only enhanced by being in this unfamiliar place.

Because I was struggling with my mental health by this point, I wanted to do something less intimidating while still finishing the trip on a positive note. I very luckily had a friend studying on her year abroad in Rome, so I was able to use her as a point of reference while I was in the city. While she was at work, I explored the city through walking tours that allowed me to appreciate Rome at my own pace. I was still able to connect with unique aspects of Roman culture, such as going to smaller food markets outside of the town centre and seeing the architecture in less crowded spaces. It was in Rome that I received the compliment that I spoke Italian like a native, which was a really special moment for me! Having a safe person to return to greatly reduced my anxiety and meant that I felt safer when exploring, so I could better enjoy my trip. I then returned to London feeling as though I’d really accomplished something that I was proud of.

The fact that I had to rearrange my plans made me come to terms with the difficulties that can come with travelling with disabilities but it was only through doing so that I could learn that I do not have to avoid opportunities because of it. I left with a different type of confidence based on the creativity that I had explored and through my choice to only communicate in Italian even when it was challenging.

I am incredibly grateful to the LEAP programme for giving me the opportunity to have these experiences that have truly helped me develop my sense of self. It was truly through facing these challenges and dealing with them independently and proactively that showed me that I am capable of more than I thought, and that I do not need to limit myself because of my disabilities. I am happy to say that this trip has pushed me to apply for work opportunities in Italy and to have the freedom to write creatively on my own terms. I cannot thank the programme enough for giving me the financial support and helping me to build this trip, as it is an experience that I will take with me forever.