Study abroad students are so near and dear to my heart since just three years ago I boarded a plane to leave my mom, home town and everything familiar for the longest stretch of time to date. I often look back on that baby version of myself with compassion. I loved Florence, I loved being … Continue reading Surviving a Semester Studying Abroad
Italy is a beautiful and sometimes confusing country. As embarrassing as it is to admit this now, I knew really nothing at all about Italy when I first went. I'm talking about "what's the Ponte Vecchio" and "is this the Duomo" (when passing Santa Croce) nothing. However the things I wish I knew before I first … Continue reading 10 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I went to Italy for the First Time
When I took my first art history class, I didn't really know what art history was but I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like it. Five courses later, hours memorizing titles, artists, years and mediums, and countless visits to museums all over the glob in search of seeing the works I learned about in … Continue reading Not an Art Historian? A Beginner’s Guide to the Uffizi Gallery
Just before I left New York to study abroad for a full semester in Florence, Caryn introduced me to Girl in Florence - American expat ( & immigrant, as she often points out) who wound up in Florence and has become guru for all things Italian. I scoured through her blog, soaking up all of the recommendations … Continue reading Escaping Crowds: Going off the Beaten Path while Traveling
I don't take buses. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood in upstate New York where cars ruled the road. Just now, in 2017, has one singular bus appeared. So with that background information in mind, let's get into my harrowing tale of getting stranded on the side of a Barcelona highway. I went to … Continue reading Getting Lost: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Italy twice throughout my four years in college – I spent five weeks in Pisciotta, a small mountaintop town near Salerno, and a semester in Florence, the cultural mecca of Italy. I hold both experiences very close to my heart and fell in love with both places for different reasons but I feel I need to make a case for venturing off the beaten path and going to a small, unknown (to tourists, at least) town.
I studied abroad for the spring semester of my junior year and fell in love with the city and culture. I have spent my fair share of Saturdays in Florence, and have come up with a pretty sure-fire way of spending them. Florence, especially on the weekends, is always buzzing with tourists and locals, so it’s best to head out of your hotel/airbnb/etc with a plan in mind so you see as much as you can! Here’s my list of what makes Florence so unique:
