I spent this week and weekend in Florence studying for midterms and exploring the city. I really enjoyed being in Florence for the weekend!
Monday
On Monday after retuning from Paris, I did laundry and started looking into spring break plans. My best friend from home came to visit for my spring break and we booked trips Rome and Venice for a week!
Tuesday
Cooking Class
On Tuesday I prepared for my first round of exams for my classes. The first time I put the “study” in study abroad. Then in cooking class today we made Korean fried chicken, not Italian food, but it was very good and we learned all about fusion in food.
Wine Tasting Class
After classes Tuesday my friend and I signed up for a wine tasting class through our school, LDM. We went wine tasting at a nearby restaurant called “Trattoria Antellesi”. We first learned the aromas of wine and smelt different aromas and tried to identify them on their own before identifying the notes of the aromas int he wines and seeing which wines paired best with what foods.
After wine tasting we went to watch the sunset at our favorite Piazzale Michaelangelo.
Tuesday night we went out to the club and made lots of new friends.
Wednesday
On Wednesday I went for a walk around the city before class.
Thursday
World’s Best Affogato
Thursday was a super nice day and we had really good weather all week. I met up with a friend and we went to the river and soaked up some sun. Afterwards I went to the reopening of the worlds best affogato place, “Vivoli”. Affogato is essentially vanilla gelato with espresso. Vivoli is super close to my apartment which was very convenient. Of course I had to get the famous affogato, which was around 6 euro, but was worth it for the experience. I would say this is a MUST TRY in Florence. I will say there isn’t a lot of seating here so try and go when it is not busy or be prepared to sit on the sidewalk curb.
Friday
Since midterms were coming up I decided to stay in Florence this weekend and study and explore my city.
I started my day at Todo Modo my favorite study spot in Florence.
After a full day of studying I went to dinner with my friend. We tried the famous pasta wheel place in Florence, “Osteria Pastella” where they have a table side cheese wheel performance. They make all their pastas fresh and you can watch them make it from the window in front of the restaurant. There was a bit of a wait as there is with most restaurants in Florence, so if you really want to go here make a reservation in advance.
Italian culture – What is a Coperto?
In Italy many restaurants have what is called a coperto. Since you don’t tip in Italy, a coperto is essentially a type of “tip” or a cover charge. At some places your coperto will come with bread and/or water, but other places it will just be a fee. Usually copertos are between €1 and €5 per person.
Florence’s Famous Cheese Wheel Pasta – Osteria Pastella
At Osteria Pastella they also give you complimentary prosecco upon arrival. My friend ordered the truffle pasta that comes with the cheese wheel performance and I ordered the spinach and ricotta ravioli. The truffle pasta was pricey, but really really good. My pasta was okay I probably wouldn’t get it again. After dinner we had our complimentary limoncello shot. Experiencing a cheese wheel performance at some point in your life is a MUST DO. I highly recommend this one or the one that “Il Ciociaro”, my all-time favorite restaurant does in Rome.
Italian culture – Limoncello shots after dinner
Typically in some parts of Italy limoncello is served following a meal at a traditional restaurant or at home. It is supposed to help digest the food you just ate.
After dinner my freshman year roommate came to visit me in Florence. I took her to the American college bar “Lions Fountain” then I took her to my favorite club in Florence, YAB!! YAB is definitely the best club, especially on Fridays.
Saturday
On Saturday I went to Odean to study.
Sunday – St. Patrick’s Day
Sunday was another busy study day. I went to Base V Juicery this day for a healthy American breakfast option.
After a full day of studying I headed to the train station to pick up my best friend from home. I was SOO EXCITED to see her!!
Since Sunday was St. Patricks day we went to some of the bars. We learned that St. Patricks day is not as big of a thing in Italy as it is in America and it is more of a daytime holiday event.
Best bars in Florence on St. Patricks Day
The best bars in Florence to go to on St. Patricks day are:
- Old Stove
- Finnegan’s
- JJ Cathedral
- Fitzpatrick’s
- Michael Collins
This was such a fun week and weekend in Florence. It was really nice to stay home for a weekend and explore the city. It definitely made me want to spend more time in Florence.
Stay tuned next week to see how my midterms went and what I did over spring break!