A Day In The Life

After moving into our apartment (below), meeting with a man from the housing company and unpacking, we set off to see what we could find around the city. Most shops in Florence open in the morning and begin closing around 4. As a result, we had a hard time finding somewhere to eat at 4:30, as most places do not open for dinner until closer to 7:30. We also had a tough time finding a grocery store, and the one we did was more of a one room shop than the Giant Eagles we have in the United States. We returned home somewhat frustrated and slept off the jetlag for an official tour in the morning. 

Living Room

Kitchen

Hallway

View to Street

View Out Window

An actual night of sleep and a tour "off the beaten path" was a great improvement from the previous day. The "tourist" center of the city lies on the north side of the river around the radius of the Duomo, however, most native Florentines live on the south side of the river where one will find more traditional italian places, less tourists, and most importantly, lower prices. We got to the south side of the river via the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge which is lined with shops of jewelers and artists. During World War II when the Germans invaded Florence, the Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge not destroyed due to an express order from Hitler to salvage it. Across the bridge we were shown the locations of museums, gardens, the art store, and many places to eat and grocery shop. We found a small place for a slice of pizza and calzone for lunch and ate outside watching the active city. In Florence the majority of shop owners speak enough English such that you can get around without any Italian. However, they seem to enjoy when you take the effort to stumble through a few words. Its enough to say "ciao" when you enter, point and attempt to say the name of the food, pay, and end with "grazia," however I will try to improve my Italian as the semester progresses. It is also customary to stand and eat your lunch, either right in the shop or outside. Sit-down restaurants are very expensive and expect that you order multiple courses, while sitting down at cafes sometimes comes with a fairly higher charge. We have found a grocery store, an ATM, and some cheaper places to eat just minutes from our apartment. It is nice to not have to rely on a car at all. We also toured the school, the Palazzo Dei Cerchi. We begin orientation tomorrow. 

View From Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio

"Be The Change You Want To See In The World"