Study abroad is laden with socially constructed expectations informed by discourses of place, people, and culture presented through social media, pop culture, word-of-mouth, and marketing. These discourses can shape how students approach and interpret their host countries and study abroad experiences. To better inform language and culture curriculum in study abroad programming, this qualitative case study explored how 13 U.S. students in an introductory Italian language and culture summer course perceived their host country and culture before, during, and after a short-term study abroad programme in Italy. Framed by Urry's notion of the tourist gaze through a social constructionist lens, the study examined multiple data sources including interviews, participant observation, questionnaires, social media, and course artifacts. Findings identified that students curated their own Italian reality by filtering their experiences through existing frames of reference. They conceptualised Italy through a romanticised lens fuelled not only by stereotypes and singular narratives, but also by sheltered exposure to the broader country. Further, students perpetuated the tourist gaze by reproducing the same discourses that they themselves referenced. The implications support curricular intervention strategies to challenge existing frames of reference and to expose students to broader representations of the host country and culture.