Exploring Florence pt.1

ORIENTATION DAY ONE + TWO + THREE

We had one orientation session each day. Each one only lasted about an hour or so. We got our finalized schedule, met our advisor, and learned about extracurricular activities. I also went on an optional campus tour, to find out where the rest of the school buildings were located. Most of the buildings are close together and others are within a ten-minute walk from each other.
A fun fact is there is a difference between red and black/blue street numbers. Residences have black/blue numbers and businesses have red numbers (indicated with a little “r” after the number). Some streets might have the same number, but one might be red and one might be black/blue.

FLORENCE

We explored the Ponte Vecchio bridge and wandered through the streets of Florence. On Saturday, all my roommates mostly stayed in. We went out and explored a little bit, but it was quite cold and windy out. On Sunday, we went to Galleria dell’Academia, where the David is located. It was a much smaller museum, but it had lots of interesting art pieces in it. Another fun fact is that on the first Sunday of each month, all state-run museums in Italy are free. Afterward, we stopped into this amazing paper store where all their products are handmade. They make marbled paper, and they had a demonstration of it as well. On Monday, we had the opportunity to sign up for various activities. We signed up for a cooking class, a Florence Photo Walk, and a walk to Piazzale Michelangelo. I also had to go to a quick meeting to discuss the logistics for this upcoming weekend to Rome.

THE FOOD

It wouldn’t be a Zoe blog without discussing the food.
1. SandwiChic- This place is super good and cheap. I still have no idea what I got, but it had some kind of cured meat, some kind of cheese, and this really good pear and cinnamon jam.
2. Olio Restaurant- This place was delicious but pretty expensive. We went here for Maggie’s (one of my roommates) 21st birthday. I got this yummy cheese stuffed ravioli with smoked salmon pieces.
3. La Pasta Fresca- Located in the il Mercado Centrale this place is special because every day has a different menu. I had spaghetti with pesto, green beans, and potatoes. It was pretty cheap and I had lots of leftovers.
4. Yellow Bar- About a block away from the Duomo, this place has super good pizza. I really want to go back to try their homemade pasta. I also got their tiramisu, which was incredible as well. It was also pretty cheap for a whole pizza (You can’t get something that big and good for that price in the US).
5. Venchi Gelato- This place has a chocolate wall. That is what caught our eye first. It also was very well priced and really good. One of my favorite gelato places so far.