studying in florence

Whenever I hear someone mention they're thinking of studying abroad, I usually interrupt them with "DO IT." Whatever city you're drawn to, GO. You will learn so much. There is no better investment you can make in your education than a semester or summer out of your comfort zone.

Disclaimer: Florence is drenched with American students, in particular American girls, during the summer. If you're looking to learn the language, study in a smaller city where locals will actually speak Italian to you. However, if you're looking for a hub of adventure, history, art, and culture, Florence is a dream.

Using the Arno or Duomo as north stars, it was easy to scuttle about the city to stumble upon obscure map shops and leather goods that were much more reasonably priced than the touristy markets. I often explored smaller roads in an attempt to cut across the city and avoid tourists, who predictably and suddenly would come to a stop in the middle of a road to take a photo of one obscure thing or another.

We hiked up the Poggi Ramps quite a few times to enjoy the panoramic view of the city from Piazzale Michelangelo (see first photo above). This is an especially amazing place to watch the sunset behind the city; people sit along the west-facing steps and enjoy a bottle of wine with friends and new acquaintances while witnessing the sun's beautiful daily ritual. You can take in the entirety of the historic city from this one spot.

Why spend a few Euros to climb the Duomo? Because seeing it from the outside is amazing but climbing up the winding steps along the inner shell of the dome and admiring The Last Judgement up close is mind-boggling. The use of perspective is so neat- you'd never know from the sanctuary below, but up close the scene is grossly disproportional.

If you can only spend one day in Florence, make it June 24th. It's the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, Florence's patron saint. All sorts of events are planned throughout the day, including a  procession of the entire clergy of the Duomo. In the evening, stake out a spot on the banks of the Arno River for the best view of the fireworks and then the most magical lantern send off.

A short to-do list for Florence:

Get lost

Rent bikes

Climb the Duomo

Piazzale Michelangelo (during the day & at sunset)

Boboli Gardens

Uffizi & Academia Galleries

San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale in Piazza dell Mercato

Best eats and treats in Florence:

Gusta Pizza

The Oil Shoppe (Best sandwiches. Ever.)

Gelateria on the Arno (sounds strange, but try the sesame flavor)

Napo Leone (amazing spot for dinner, away from the tourists)

Take a quick train from Florence to:

Milan

Venice

Cinque Terre (absolutely must- check out my previous post about the area)

Pisa (try to go for Luminara of San Ranieri, on the evening of June 16th)