For Tommaso, Spain was a natural choice for his Erasmus + destination. He was studying Spanish as part of his degree, and Valladolid meant he could use the language outside the classroom: in lectures, in the residence, around the city and in the ordinary conversations that make up student life abroad. 

When he arrived, there were the usual things to work out: new classes, new timetables, a new city, and people he had not met before. But he also brought with him something familiar. Swimming had been part of his life for years, and he was not ready to put it on hold. 

So, he looked for a way to keep training. In the first weeks, while much of Valladolid was still new, swimming gave his days a familiar rhythm. It was one part of the home that he could carry into a different routine. 

Taking swimming with him 

Tommaso had been swimming for many years before his Erasmus+ experience. 

Once in Valladolid, continuing to train was important to him. University, new friendships and life abroad could easily have pushed sport to one side, but instead he joined a local team. 

Suddenly, swimming was doing more than keeping him active. 

Training introduced him to Spanish athletes and gave him a social circle outside the usual Erasmus+ environment. It also meant discovering different approaches to a sport he already knew well. 

The pool became another place where he could speak Spanish, meet people and become part of a group. 

For Tommaso, that was one of the unexpected advantages of continuing something familiar in a new country. He did not need to reinvent himself simply because he was abroad. 

Instead, something he already cared about helped him discover a different side of Valladolid. 

Studying in Spanish 

Universidad de Valladolid gave Tommaso another opportunity to use the language in a different context. 

He studied communication in Spanish, bringing together his degree at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore with the practical challenge of learning and participating in another language. 

Living in Spain meant that Spanish was no longer something reserved for lessons. It was part of university, training, friendships and everyday conversations. 

That combination made the language part of his daily life in a way that would have been difficult to recreate at home. 

Learning to improvise 

Not everything abroad becomes a major life lesson. Sometimes independence starts with much smaller things. 

Tommaso lived in a university residence close to campus, which made daily life easier in many ways. Some practical arrangements, though, were less clear when he arrived, especially around the kitchen. For a while, he had to improvise: using what was available, asking questions, relying on friends when needed and working out a routine as he went. 

Living away from family meant dealing with these ordinary situations himself. They were not dramatic, but they asked something of him each time: finding a solution, making a decision, or accepting that things might take a little longer than expected. 

When Tommaso reflects on what he discovered about himself in Valladolid, one of the words he uses is adaptability. It fits perfectly for an experience made up of small adjustments: a new residence, a different rhythm, practical details to solve, and a city that became easier to read with time. 

Three friends, three countries 

Tommaso was also sharing the experience of being abroad with two friends from Università Cattolica, even though none of them were in the same place. 

While he was in Valladolid, Federico was in Lyon and Alessandro was in New York. 

The three kept in touch and created an Instagram page where they could share moments from their different international experiences. 

It became another way of staying connected while each of them was building a life somewhere new. 

Keeping what matters, discovering something new

Tommaso did not return from Valladolid as a completely different person. 

And perhaps that is what makes his story interesting. 

He took something that already mattered to him, swimming, and discovered what could happen when he placed it in a new environment. 

It led him to Spanish teammates, different training methods and friendships he might never have found through university alone. 

At the same time, studying and living in Spanish gave him greater confidence with the language. Everyday practical situations tested his adaptability. Living independently showed him that he could find solutions even when he did not immediately know what to do. 

His Erasmus became a combination of the familiar and the new, and when the time came to think about what might happen next, Tommaso did not rule out another international experience. 

His answer was simple: Spain, part two, is absolutely possible. 

That might say more about his time in Valladolid than any long reflection could.