Now that I have packed up and said goodbye to my 37 new friends, I can say this was the most rewarding trip I have ever taken. I wanted to use this last blog post to reminisce about some of the business visits we went on throughout these four weeks and touch on what made each one so special.
The first stop was a beautiful vineyard, Castello di Verrazzano, where we were not just tourists but welcomed as guests. We were led on a tour all around the inside of the facility, where we could see the massive, no-longer-used barrels and the different types of materials they use to make the current barrels, each contributing to the unique flavor of the wine. We even had the honor of meeting the current owner of the vineyard, who shared his perspective on what makes this place so special. To quote him, he said it was the large amount of ‘good vibes.’ Now, I am not a wine drinker- I stick to my idea that it is an acquired taste; however, this trip was still so exciting, and I enjoyed hearing what makes wine, wine!
Next is the place all my friends back home think is the coolest business visit possible: Ferrari. We sat in our own type of ‘car classroom’ where we learned about all the marketing strategies Ferrari uses to separate itself from other companies. This kind of felt like a VIP learning experience. After some time spent in the classroom, we could walk around the Ferrari Museum, where we saw cars that dated back to the 1940s up to 2024 models; it was so interesting to see how different each car was and what led to the changes. I have never understood the need for more than one car, but I can now see how the intense exclusivity of Ferrari can excite people.
The last two places I want to discuss are the Circular Mushroom Farm and Zer0Lab Fabric Factory. We visited these two places on our last day together on our month-long trip to Italy, which made these trips incredibly bittersweet but still so insightful. Before these visits, I had no idea what to expect from either place, but I was delightfully surprised by both! The Mushroom Farm taught us about the ability to grow mushrooms from used coffee grounds and then let us all have the chance to pull the fully-grown mushrooms out of the grounds ourselves. At Zer0Lab, the co-owner was there to explain what precisely this factory did and what made it different from others- they are supplied the leftover fabric from huge stores that would otherwise be thrown away, and they turn it all into new products to give them a new life. It was inspiring to hear why the owner wanted to start this business, and it was fascinating to see the different cut-up fabrics used to create new products. Lastly, we made our own little wallets as a take-home gift; it was nice to be a little crafty after a month of learning. Overall, a great day full of sustainability knowledge!
I cannot believe this trip is over, but I could not have asked for better professors or friends to embark on this journey with!
