Florence/Firenze

It was our first 3-day weekend, so about half the people in my program decided to go to Florence for the weekend. It was planned very last minute and it was our first trip so it was pretty crazy. We took a 6:15 AM train on Friday, which meant we had to wake up PRETTY early to ensure we could figure out the bus/train system. It was a 3.5-hour train ride, and the first thing we did when we got there was have a cappuccino and corneta J.  It was my first time staying in a hostel, and I was definitely scared – especially since the reviews said that it had bed bugs. Also, I think it was the first time in my life that I packed everything I needed into a bag pack. I was proud to do that, but I did end up doing some clothes shopping just for fun. The hostel was much less shadier than I thought, but still the worst living condition I’ve ever lived in.

The first thing we did in Florence was check out the Duoma, also called Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was a big, architectural building and it was beautiful. We spent a lot of time taking pictures and walking around it because it was a central tourist site for Florence. I also climbed to the top of the Duoma with a few of the people in my program, and it was quite a hike up. The staircases were extremely narrow and it was kind of scary walking, but I was excited for what the view from the top would be like. It was absolutely beautiful, and I was more in love with Florence than Rome in the 30 minutes I spent viewing the city from the top of the Duoma. Next, we went to a pizzeria called Gusta Pizza – known to be the best pizza in all of Florence. It was pretty good, but not the best I’ve ever had. (Best would be Dar Poeta in Rome). Afterwards, we went to Ponte Vecchio and spent a few hours there. Ponte Vecchio is this old beautiful bridge that has amazing views and the cutest stores lined up against the streets.

Afterwards, we did some shopping on the main streets of Rome and found the best-known gelato place called Grom. I tried a few samples, but didn’t think it was all that good – kind of tasted like Oberweis ice cream. (After you try desserts in Italy, Oberweis doesn’t seem like good stuff). We headed back to the hostel that night, and ended up going out to an English pub called Kikuya.  From what I remember, it was a lot of fun. The next day we woke up early once again, and visited the Uffizi Gallery, which had a lot of famous paintings. It was massive and really interesting, but since I have no appreciation for art I was easily bored.  After the Uffizi, we shopped at the markets and had lunch by the Basilica di San Lorenzo. In the evening, we hiked up piazza Michelangelo for another amazing view of Florence.  By far one of the most romantic places I have ever seen. I went to Space nightclub that night – the club where Jersey Shore famously partied when they were in Italy last year. It was pretty fun, but nothing special from the Chicago clubs. The next day we took an afternoon train back to Rome and I was completely drenched of tiredness from the weekend. However, I can surely say that it was one of the best weekends of my life.