FIRENZE!

...It's everything I've ever dreamed of and then so much more!

The Duomo

We made it to Florence by bus which took 4 hours, but it seemed like a lot longer. Once arriving in Florence, the anticipation was dragged out because we had to get off the big bus and wait at a bus stop for a smaller van (which could fit down the alleys) to come get us. Of course we were the last apartment out of 80 people to get picked up. We waited 2 and a half hours for this van, making the eventual arrival to our apartment that much more exciting. Our apartment is adorable, and a lot different than I expected, but in a good way. We are on a quiet, authentic street with all Italian families living around us. At first we didn't like the fact that we weren't near everyone else in our group, but now we appreciate it, and are glad that we aren't in a new and renovated touristy area on the river. To be living with 8 other people would just be too overwhelming, so having just 4 is a good size for us. Our apartment has 2 bedrooms with 2 twin beds in each, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living area, and a balcony! Our balcony, which is connected to the living area as well as our bedroom, overlooks a little square with other apartments backing up to it. We cannot see the Duomo or the river from apartment, but it is very quaint, private, and authentic Italian living.

On the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River

The good luck to return to Florence pig

We turned on the Italian radio while unpacking, and then headed to a corner cafe (which has become one of our favorite spots) and got a panini and glass of wine for only 5 euros! That evening, we headed to our orientation, which was followed by our welcome dinner on the terrace of a hotel, overlooking all of Florence. The next morning, we had a guided walking tour through the historical center of Florence, seeing all the markets, gardens, museums, statue of David, and much more. I touched the nose and put a coin in the mouth of the pig for good luck to bring me back to Florence (an old tale). We learned about the history and architecture of the Duomo and ended by enjoying a light breakfast at a place called Oblate. The Duomo was built in 1436, by 8 teams of men who worked all hours of every day and only got to leave every 15 days. We then had a very long academic orientation, receiving all the information on our classes and Lorenzo de' Medici school services and activities offered. After this, Carly and I walked around collecting necessities for the apartment and some prosciutto and melon to bring back for later.

Our group cooking class

That evening, we met on the bridge and went to our group cooking class with about 25 others at La Tavola. We were divided into smaller groups and our group got to go in the private kitchen to cook while everyone else was in one big room. We made from scratch an appetizer of eggplant stuffed with potatoes, zucchini, and cheese. For the entree, two pasta dishes where we hand cut and rolled every noodle after making the dough, tossing them in a meat sauce as well as a light tomato garlic sauce. For dessert, we made tiramisu which was so unbelievably easy to make. It tasted delicious and we were all so proud of ourselves and excited that they gave us the recipes to take home with us. API has done such a wonderful job so far, planning cultural and welcome activities to get us accustomed to the Italian lifestyle, I had no idea all of this was included, but so glad that I picked the best program!

Carly & Travis in the street act

After dinner, we watched men on roller skates do tricks and then a separate street performance. We were sitting on the curb when he picked out of the crowd our friend Travis who was across the road and then Carly. It was so ironic out of the hundreds of people there that the two of them got picked. He made them do funny things in his acts, but they were up there for a very long time. On the way home, a few of us sat outside at a cafe, and chatted over a glass of wine. Florence is an amazing place and I couldn't have picked a better city to study abroad in. I must live here someday!

La vita e bella (Life is good) in Italy!

Ciao,
Tarra