Study Abroad: Florence: Day 1: Summer 2012

Last week I didn’t give my first real impression of Florence. I honestly think I was overwhelmed when I first arrived. The city is beautiful and old. The walls and buildings hold memories of times  much older than America. The streets are mostly narrow and all are cobbled.

My first full day in the city was quite busy. We were up early and Kody, the other Lacey and I had decided to climb the bell tower of the Florence Cathedral or as it is also called, the Duomo. If you go to Florence, it is worth the climb, exhausting but worth it. Also, be aware, the stairs are rather narrow and you get really close to people as you pass them. The view from the top is wonderful, overlooking a sea of red-orange tiled roofs.

 

ISA had scheduled a tour of Florence for us students our first afternoon. That tour didn’t cover nearly all of the city but it gave us some idea of where to start exploring. One of my favorite places that I found on the tour was Piazza della Signoria and the outdoor portion of the Uffizi Gallery. Even the reproductions are amazing. The skill of the artists, it’s a bit intimidating. 

 

Also, there is a lot of street art in Florence. I hope you enjoy the pictures of it.

 

I was quickly desalinized to nude statues. This David statue is a replica; the real one is in the Accademia Gallery.

 

 

Golden doors of the baptistery, these are also replicas but I can’t remember where the real ones are.

That evening there was a meet and greet for all the foreign students attending Florence University of the Arts. It was there that I met students from New York they became some of my best friends. My roommate, Kody and I met four guys and three girls at the meet and greet but we were hungry and left with some other ISA students to go get some dinner. We ran into the same group from New York at the restaurant.

There we were, 11 American students, making friends with each other because we knew no one else. We might have gotten kind of loud at dinner. The restaurant charged us all extra for that. In their defense they had asked us to quiet down a couple of times. So if you are in Florence with a big group, remember, keep things kind of quiet.

I hope that you have enjoyed this hint of Florence, there is a lot more to come from museums to bars. Have a great Wednesday.