Ciao Firenze!

One of my favorite parts of studying abroad is how you can just get up and go: anytime, anywhere. If you don’t have a spontaneous bone in your body: beware. One of my more recent adventures was a last-minute trip to Florence with three friends of mine. We bought a one-way ticket so that we could stay as long as we were having a good time….although I probably could have stayed there into the following week! Unfortunately I have school to attend…poor, POOR me J

When we arrived in Florence on Saturday morning, we had a plan-MISSION: AMERICAN BREAKFAST. The food in Rome is absolutely wonderful, but breakfast isn’t one of their strong points. Don’t get me wrong, the brioches and pastries are quite yummy, but if I have to eat one more Nutella-filled croissant, I’m going to explode! After my friend Matt read in his Italian Travel Guide that there was a bar in Florence that serves cheap, American breakfast, we made it our morning priority. After finally stumbling upon the “OK Bar” on a quaint side street, we situated ourselves at a table, scanned the menu, and ordered our omelets with ham. With much anticipation we waited for our meals, but what we received wasn’t quite omelets from the America we live in. These bad boys weren’t fully cooked and there was NO CHEESE. Helloooo Italy-the best part of the omelet is always the formaggio…get with it. After forcing our way through the meal, we left knowing now never to expect an authentic “American Breakfast” in Italy…we should have known better. I’ve never wanted a croissant more than I did following that meal.

Matt "enjoying" his cheese-less omelet

After our unforgettable meal, we checked into our hostel and ventured out to find the Duomo. After waiting in what can be a daunting line during busy hours and paying a few euros you can climb to the top of the Duomo and see some of the most breathtaking views of the city of Florence and Tuscan countryside. I was told by those who have done the climb before that it is quite narrow and steep at times…yup, I’d say that’s about right-this girls’ thighs were burning!! Fun fact: apparently I have a slight fear of walking up steep staircases which are enclosed in narrow passageways when hoards of tourists are passing me in the opposite direction on the same set of stairs….who knew?!?!?!

Duomo traffic jam on stairs

The views at the top were without a doubt worth it though: I could not believe how far into the distance we could see.

Amazing view atop Duomo

While at the top of the Duomo (because where ELSE would you decide to make small talk), we struck up a conversation with four college kids about our age. Not only did we spend a solid fifteen minutes getting all their tips and favorite places in the city, but they also offered to bring us to the place where you can get “the best gelato in Florence” after we finished our Duomo descent. I could not get over how welcoming they were…it was great! After what was indeed an amazing gelato experience, we decided that we all needed to get to know our new friends a little better so we spontaneously decided to all grab a sit down, Italian meal together. What followed was a full day with our new friends and Florence tour guides showing us around their city. We stopped by an International market complete with a Guiness Beer Tent, Dutch Cheese tent, and various other vendors selling everything from jewelry and art pieces to leather and more leather. We walked along the Ponte Vecchio and checked out the classic jewelry shops lining the bridge. I found that area so adorable and I have my eyes on a coral ring for when I make my way back to Florence-that baby is mine! That night we had plans to meet up with a good friend of mine from Northeastern, Sara, who just started studying in Florence for the semester.

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Dinner with Sara!

Our meals were amazing-I had penne alla vodka…to die for! We all needed to take a breather after dinner and relax for a bit back at our hostel before getting ready for the rest of our night. That night we met up with Sara for a few drinks at an Irish Pub (how Italian, right?) and then we were invited by our new Florence friends (I know, we’re just so popular!) to check the night club, Space, that they mentioned earlier in the day. After dancing the night away, we made our way back to the hostel and got ready for another day of exploring.

That following morning, our plan was to wake up at 7am, get ready and pack, check out of the hostel, get breakfast and then go to the Academia to see The David. The whole sleeping-until-10 thing pushed aside those ambitious plans though. Once we finally got up and made our way to The David, the line was not something we wanted to spend our entire day in…just one more justifiable reason why I will have to visit Florence again.

Ponte Vecchio in the distance

Instead, we stumbled upon a 2-day pottery market in one of the squares and browsed around there for a while. After taking a trip down the Ponte Vecchio again, we hit a key Florence tourist site: The Leather Market! I could have sat there for hours, taking in the new leather fragrance. They sell everything from purses and wallets to jackets and belts and so much more….I was in handbag heaven!! Leaving the market without making a purchase was not in the cards…I have some self control, but not that much. With new leather handbag in hand, we headed to the station to catch our train back home. Goodbye for now, Florence. Be back to visit soon!