sweet summertime
My roommate Hiba and I were on the search for the perfect tanning spot which we found conveniently located in the Arno River. Many locals seem to use the river dam as the their own beach which made for a relaxing Monday afternoon. After that it was homework and laundry all day long!
Lastly, since I was here I became Financial Officer of the organization, Wishmakers at USF which works with Make-A-Wish Foundation, Autism Speaks U – at USF added ten new members, and I was offered an internship with Nielsen Company to work in their Global Trade department with buying and selling international businesses. OH. And I am officially a Senior in college – YIKES!
Here are a few top things for me in Florence:
- Best gelateria: La Carreria which is located on the other side of the Arno and is very cheap with around 25 flavors to choose from.
- Best gelato flavor: fondente (dark chocolate) or ananas (Pineapple)
- Best pizzeria: Gusto Pizza. 5 euros for a whole pizza and it is simply the best.
- Best view of Florence: Michelangelo Piazza – it’s beautiful.
- Best market: San Ambrosio (highly debatable!) small, but cheaper than San Lorenzo
- Best supermarket: Billa. Clean, friendly but don’t ask the baker for anything in English. She only speaks Italian and becomes frustrated when you can’t understand. Oh and they play Shania Twain there – ‘nough said!
- Best place to get pasta: Yellow Bar or O.K Bar. YUM!
- Must do: Shop on the Ponte Vecchio, go to a secret bakery, see the statue of David and the Gucci museum and rub the lucky pig statue for good luck!
germany bound
My day started off by going to the local markets in my cooking class as my professor, Chef Desy, told us about the different ingredients and the areas of Italy where they come from. We were sampling olive oils, balsamic vinegar, cheese, meats and olives at 9am, but it was the most amazing breakfast ever. The markets are filled with locals who typically run family owned stores that date all the way back to the 1800s – pretty cool stuff. Afterwards as a treat, he bought us some gelato where I was finally able to try the hazelnut flavor which was molto bene! (very good)
After Italian class, we then went to our family business course where we went around the city looking at family businesses and talking to the owners. They were all really sweet and it was sad to hear that so many are struggling financially when they have been around for centuries. Also, today we found out that an apartment full of girls was broken into and they had their laptops stolen. It really shook us all up but in a good way since we are taking more measures in being safe. They took nothing else and didn’t rummage through their apartment either – no windows or doors/locks were broken.
I might not be able to post much this weekend since I am leaving to go to Berlin tomorrow to see my friend Charlotte! I should get in around noon their time and I can’t wait to see and experience the different cities. Until then..
settling in
Ciao! Today was spent doing orientations, wine tours, and walking tours – all which were unique and incredible. I felt like less of a tourist today and had my first conversation in Italian (well sort of!). It consisted of me asking where a building was and him replying, in full fast-paced italian mode, then I panicked and said “si, grazie” and walked off not understanding one word haha.
The wine class was really fun. We sampled a Chianti which is the best wine that comes out of Toscana. I learned what to look for in wine (hold the glass slanted towards the light to look for particles then swoosh it around to see if it is fast paced or not. Fast paced = high alcohol), how to smell the wine to learn about the characteristics of it before I drink it (smell the wine once, then with that smell still fresh in your mind – smell it again. You will notice different scents everytime!) and also how to figure out if it has aged long enough (red wine should show an orange color when you tip the glass towards the light). Tonight, we had a dinner with the program which was fun hanging out with everyone and then we went down by the river to have some lattes. It’s still really cold here but warmer weather is on it’s way!
“Ciao Bella” count: 8.
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