Bobcat Abroad: Nicole Santosuosso



Michelle and Nicole in Switzerland!

Age: 21

Nickname: Snooks

Location Abroad: Florence, Italy

Other Countries You Have Visited While Abroad: Switzerland, France, and Spain.

Institution Where You Are Studying: Syracuse University in Florence

Favorite Class:  Italian 101 and Family and Gender in Contemporary Italy.

Last Meal You Ate: Pear and cheese raviolis! So delicious!

Last Historic Site You Visited: I spent my spring break in France and Spain. I was able to see so many amazing sights but my favorite was definitely the Royal Palace in Madrid, the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family.

Favorite National Artist (Music, Arts, Etc.): My favorite Italian architect is Donato Bramante. I was able to see his most famous work, St. Peter’s Basilica, when I visited Rome.

Favorite National Athlete: I do not have a favorite athlete but my favorite team is of course Florentina, the professional soccer team of Florence. I am going to my first game this weekend against their biggest rival.

Favorite Local Eatery: Gusta Pizza. It is the best pizza I have ever had!

Favorite National Fashion Trend: Leather jackets and scarves.

Favorite Foreign Word(in your host country’s native language): “cucchiaio” (spoon). I also love the expression “Allora,” which is used all the time to mean “well” or “let’s see.”

Describe Your Favorite Experience To Date: Skiing the Swiss Alps in Interlaken, taking a three hour bike tour through Barcelona, and spending a weekend in Venice for Carnivale!

What You Are Doing To Stay In Shape: Biking, running along the Arno river, and sprinting to the bus stop every morning!

What You Miss Most About Bates: The team! Commons. Hanging out in the basement of Club Ladd.

Anything Else About Your Experience: Michelle and I are living with an Italian host family, an older retired couple who have been hosting students for 15 years. They speak very little English so there have definitely been some difficult but comical issues of miscommunication but our Italian is getting better every day. They are so nice and our host mom Giovanna is also an amazing cook!