Living in florence

SAI Study Abroad Florence, Italy

Week 1

I have traveled all my life, but today was different. I was alone, stepping foot in a new territory I had never been to before. My plane took off from Atlanta, I connected through Charles du Gal and was on my way to Florence! After getting all of my suitcases out of the van I was plopped on the side of the road in front of my doorstep. Let’s just say lugging my suitcases up a stairwell was not a pretty site for anyone. I had my doubts when friends said not to overpack so I didn’t necessarily listen. Like always my bags were overweight and a struggle to push along, so seriously DO NOT OVERPACK! Plus Florence shopping is a dream come true. After I got settled in my roommate and I took a stroll to see the city. We walked passed the Duomo in all of its glory. It’s just as beautiful in person as in pictures might I add. We ate some dinner and grabbed some gelato before heading back to our apartment for some well-needed rest and recovery.

An exhibit at the Gucci Gardens

The next day was full of getting orientated by SAI staff and running over the basics of housing and safety. I got to sneak away for lunch and grab the infamous All’antico Vinaio sandwich, which is a 5-minute walk from my apartment! I got the La Boss which had prosciutto, pecorino cheese, cream of truffle, and rocket and it was fantastic. After taking a short nap I got ready for an aperitif at Palazzo Borghese that SAI put on, but we were craving some drinks so we headed over to La Bistecca for some Aperol Spritz and wine. I eventually ordered the veal with lemon sauce and it definitely hit the spot. Now off to bed. Ciao!

Not going to lie, today the jet lag had caught up. I was tossing and turning from 3:30 to 7 a.m., which was not enjoyable. Grabbed a late breakfast/lunch at Shake Cafe which is a super Americanized chain but they had a salmon and lox bagel so I am not complaining! We meandered through the streets all day until we grabbed a bite at one of the “best” pizzas in Italy, Gustapizza. It lived up to its name but waiting for it made me even hungrier. I got the Calabrese with spicy salami.

The first Friday in Florence was most definitely a whirlwind. in the morning we visited the Gucci Gardens and the archetypes it featured. Mainly a spot to take cool pictures, not much else but it was perfect for us. We knew we wanted to make our first weekend count so Friday night we started with drinks at La Ménagère and they were beautiful! Going to have to get dinner there one night! Next, we made our way to Trattoria ZaZa for dinner. Expect a line or make a reservation. I ordered the seafood pasta and it was very fresh. Then we walked along the Arno until we reached Harry’s bar which was a rec from one of my favorite influencers Claire Rose. had a variety of drinks and the staff was very friendly, but it was empty and pretty expensive for the average cocktail in Florence. We proceeded to walk to Lion’s Fountain to take an Ole Miss shot and say we did. lastly, we spent the rest of the night at Space which if we did not have a table I do not think it would be worth it. Go downstairs if you do get in! I loved the music they played.

I tried out Mosaico Church with my roommates and after we walked to Ditta Artigianale for a late brunch. I had to get the bagel and lox and it was pretty good! We headed towards the other side of the river to see the Santo Spirito Antique Market which is only open on Sundays. It felt local and had some good finds and trinkets. Mercato Centrale was visited, but we did not eat since we weren’t hungry. Came back to the apartment to change into something warmer for our hike to Piazza Michelangelo. It was crowded but not unbearable and I am so glad we went! Such amazing views, I would say to get there a little bit before sunset though! We thought we would try La Boîte for some charcuterie and wine, which was perfect! Such a cozy vibe with a great owner would let us taste our wine before we ordered!

Week 2

The start of a new week means finally figuring out my routine! Still don’t have one. All my roommates did their own thing Monday morning, and I slept in a little bit and iced my knee. I do not know if I tweaked it with the walking 10 miles a day thing or if it’s sore or if it’s the shoes that I am wearing. I decided to go explore a new museum close to my apartment. The Museum of Innocents featured an exhibition by Escher and it was interactive with some great works of art. This museum used to be an orphanage. My two favorite things were the art exhibition on the 4th floor and the cafe on the 5th! It offered some of the best views of the city to date. For dinner, I met up with a best friend of mine who is also studying here, and we went to La Giostria and wow! She got the pear ravioli and I got the truffle ravioli. We couldn’t read the menu so I asked the waiter what he recommend and went with it. They were happy to guide us through the menu. Highly recommend this place.

The next few days went by in a blur by going to class and walking to many markets such as Mercado di Sant’Ambrogio. A memorable brunch spot is Melaleuca!!!! Must go, right on the river, known for their cinnamon rolls. YUM.

School and walking around have taken up some of my days. One morning I went to journal at La Ménagère and it was soooooo good. Got the omelet and an iced latte which was insane. Now that I am writing down what I do it just sounds a lot like eating. I think I need to start exercising. This night we choose to engage in the nightlife scene again. We had an early dinner at Coquinarius and I got the swordfish ravioli trying to branch out. I should have stuck with the eggplant parmesan. We walked to Bitter Bar for a cocktail made to our liking which was such a cool and new experience. I told him I liked tequila and nothing too sweet with a fresh aspect to it and my drink was made to perfection. We stopped at Reverse to meet up with some study abroad friends and to meet some new opens before heading to XO to dance the night away.

For a little getaway, I found myself at Gilli overlooking the carousel drinking some tea! That night I had dinner with a friend at Il Santo Bevitore and it might take the cake for my favorite restaurant so far. I have come to the conclusion if there is not an English version of the menu, you are in for a delicious treat. I had the waiter explain the menu and go over what she recommended and I ended up getting the risotto. It was creamy, sweet, and hit the spot! Also, the ambiance of this restaurant really made me feel like I was in Italy. A plus to here is the wine bar right next bar. You can order a glass or bottle, take it in the street, and hang out if there are no seats. I mean there had to be at least 50 people there.

Week 3

I had a weak moment recently. My apartment had been out of hot water for 3 consecutive days, so I booked a hotel room and Hotel Brunelleschi. It was the most relaxing, enjoyable moment the I got to finally shower and work out in an actual gym! I would recommend this hotel to people visiting Florence, it is so centrally located and even has a museum within the hotel.

During the weekend I took a day trip to Venice (which can be seen in a separate blog post). On that following Monday and Tuesday, I tried to go to at least one museum a day because there are so many hidden gems to find! I started out at the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze to see the David and the sculpture rooms which took my breath away. The next day I visited Museo San Marco and took my time feeling the impact of all of the frescos about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The only new food rec I have as of now is Paoli. I ordered the beef capriccio as an app and the pappardelle with wild boar sauce and it was magnificent. One of the oldest restaurants in Florence too so it has great bones. After a couple of nights of cooking at home and staying in, my roommates and I were ready to try something exciting that required rules and following exactly as directed. One of the few if not the only speakeasy in Florence we decided to try our luck at the Vanilla Club. It wasn’t where we intended to go, but we found it just as we were walking out of the door. I had some help getting started from a website that I found and read every single detail very closely. Luckily we were able to get in and I am so glad. We were the only ones in there with Stefano and his friend. He crafted the most creative cocktails for us to try and gave us a night of camaraderie. We turned in early to meet some more friends out, but apparently, around 3 a.m. is when the magic happens and the dresses come out. Hopefully, you get as lucky as we did!

Vanilla Speakeasy

Week 4 & 5

I left for Prague on the weekend so go check out that blog! I got to feeling pretty bad once I got back from Prague so I laid low for a few days but Valentine’s Day was right around the corner. For this holiday, I had myself a day! I purchased some new shoes, had an aperitivo on top of La Rinascente before class, and made it to Aqua al 2 for dinner. My roomie and I split the pasta sampler and the meat sampler to try everything and it was perfect for our first time at this restaurant, and yes I tried the blueberry steak. It was good, I liked the sampler portion of it because it did not consume my whole palette. The restaurant was decorated for Valentines and all of our food came out with little hearts on them which was an added touch!