Summer Series: Chloe Conti

07/23/2026 | Women's Lacrosse

Hi, Richmond family! My name is Chloe Conti, and I’m a junior midfielder on the Richmond women’s lacrosse team. This summer, I’ve had the privilege of studying abroad in Europe and exploring the United Kingdom and Ireland with my best friends.

Before the craziness of heading overseas began, I spent the first part of my break working out and keeping up with my lacrosse training, coaching young players in my hometown and soaking up quality time with family and friends. I even took a quick family trip to Epic Universe and watched my brother graduate from FIT in 100-degree heat!

Now, on to my European summer!

I’m currently writing this from Perugia, Italy, a small, hilly city in the Umbria region, where I’m completing a five-week program. Before the program began, a few of my Spider lacrosse teammates — Nicole Kuhl, Anya Wardle, Maggie Mullen and my twin, Bella — and I traveled through the United Kingdom and Ireland. We explored London, Edinburgh and Dublin before I officially started classes in Perugia.

Our first stop was London, and OMG, the city was unbelievable. Maggie and I kept a strict itinerary so we could experience everything the city had to offer, from walking across Tower Bridge and eating our way through Borough Market to taking a day trip to the Cotswolds and Oxford. We really got to experience what it was like to be Londoners. The trip got even better when we spontaneously found our way into Wembley Stadium for a Harry Styles concert that has now completely changed my life.

Next on our journey were Edinburgh and Dublin. Edinburgh featured incredible castle views and a 13-hour bus tour through the Highlands, which ended up being one of the most beautiful days of the trip. We even got to watch Scotland play in the World Cup while actually being in Scotland — although we’re not going to talk about the 3-0 loss!

In Dublin, we enjoyed nights of dancing, great food and a boat tour around the small coastal town of Howth. Both cities were amazing to explore with my best friends.

Now, it’s time for Perugia!

This trip has been one of the best experiences of my life, but it has also been one of the hardest. During the week, I’m in class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then studying from 3 to 6 p.m. almost every day. No one warned me that you would have to speak fluent Italian in a 221-level class, so there’s definitely some catching up being done!

On the plus side, the view from our balcony and our weekend excursions make everything worth it. We also have cooking classes every Tuesday, which have given me some fun new recipes to try during the upcoming school year.

During our first weekend away, we explored Milan, where we climbed the Duomo and visited Platform 21, a powerful Holocaust memorial. Then, we headed to Venice, which is where I fell in love with Italy.

We did everything there, from taking a historic walking tour with a local guide to boating out to the islands of Murano and Burano, which were the cutest Italian towns I’ve ever seen.

This past weekend, we went to Florence, and I loved it just as much as Venice. I saw beautiful art in the Uffizi Gallery, explored the Palazzo Pitti on my own and had the best sandwich of my life at I’ Girone De’ Ghiotti.

This week, my parents are visiting and taking me to Rome. I’ll then return to Rome after finals for one last weekend adventure with my class. Let’s hope I survive finals first!

It’s crazy that my program is almost complete! I’ve been toughing out the hills to get my workouts in and embracing my eight hours of Italian each day. It has all been worth it for the experiences, adventures and memories with my classmates.

I can’t wait to be back at Richmond soon. Go Spiders!