By Chelbie Smith
Photo by Amanda Cassels
A comfort zone is a situation where one feels safe or at ease, it means settling for something we already known. It is so easy to slip into the safely of routine, but living away from home encourages you to bring change into your life – in more ways than just admiring a different scenery.
Continue reading Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
By Caroline Kaczynski & Carly Dorsen
1. Don’t limit yourself to just one grocery store!
It can be tempting to fall into a routine of going to the most conveniently located grocery store. We want to encourage you to push your boundaries! By experimenting with different grocery stores, you will be able to see a fresh selection of goods every day. We recommend you check out the Mercato Centrale. In the mornings, the bottom half of the Mercato serves as a local produce market – stop by for a wide array of meats, cheeses, and local delicacies. By trying out new stores you will be able to find new foods, which we think makes grocery shopping more fun!
2. Experiment with Italian recipes & take cooking classes!
Just because you might not be able to buy all the meals you hear about ready-made, doesn’t mean you cannot cook them yourself! We suggest you push yourself out of your comfort zone and try to prepare a local Florentine dish! Since you are in Italy, it is easy to acquire all of the right ingredients for the perfect homemade dish. If you are feeling adventurous, you can sign up for a cooking class to do with friends. We recommend you check out the experiences section of Airbnb, where there are a lot of cooking classes offered for an affordable price. You can check out these experiences here. Once you learn how to make the dishes they teach you, you will have that skill for life!
3. If you are feeling homesick, cook one of your favorite meals from home!
As unbelievable as it sounds, you might get sick of pasta! On those rare occasions, we suggest that you try to recreate one of your favorite dishes from home. One night, we were really missing the mexican food that is readily available at home. As a result, we decided to host a “Taco Tuesday” night where we prepared some of our favorite mexican dishes.
4. Treat yourself to a restaurant every now and then!
Although we love cooking, you should absolutely make the most of your time in Florence to try out all of the delicious restaurants. As a student, you can get various discounts around the city. We also suggest you look up a menu online, to make sure the offerings are within your price range. You can also grab inexpensive bites to eat such as pizza or paninis, which are still a nice change!
Hopefully these tips and tricks help keep you and your stomach satisfied as you enjoy your time in Florence!
By Jack Kitson
In the heart of Firenze sits a store where artists and appreciators of the Renaissance alike can gather, converse and become inspired to create and express their ideas and uniqueness.
Continue reading The Lasting Legacy of a City Defined by Art
By Beatrice Ramasauskaite
Many students studying in foreign countries often forget the main and easiest ways of sustainability. This short guide will not only help you remember the sustainable ways of life but will also lower your expenses and enrich your studying abroad experience.
Continue reading How “Slow” Am I? Sustainable Habits while Studying Abroad
By Chelbie Smith
Photo from Unsplash
Social media is probably one of my favourite outlets for not only communication, but also to platform my thoughts and creativity. I mean how amazing is it that I can connect to family who are thousands of miles away just by a few clicks? They can stay updated on what I am doing in all of my posts appreciating the charming, Firenze. But now that I am living in a town during tourists’ peak, it has made me question my treasured social media.
Continue reading Why Florence Makes Me Want to Ditch My Social Media
By Sydney Pogue
Photos by FUA Staf
Rising in spirals of marble and stone, Florence is a city known for its architecture, culture, and as being a cornerstone of the Renaissance, to say the least.
But amidst this place of ancient cobblestone and accented archways, lies a small gem no one would expect to see so far inland from the coast. Along the Arno, there is a place where stone turns to sand, volleyball nets and lounge chairs: Easy living.
By MacKenzie Gellner
Photo by Unspalshed
For the first time, I experienced a symphonic performance. It was held in St. Stephen Auditorium by the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, featuring violinists Marco Lorenzini and Kevin Mucaj. It may have had to do with it being a Florentine orchestra, but it was far more magical than what I had expected. Realistically, since having no previous experience to compare, I attempted to not have too high of expectations in case I got my hopes up. The only symphonies I’ve ever seen are in films (and I’m not really sure if that counts).
By MacKenzie Gellner
Photo from Unsplashed
Traveling abroad for work, school or pleasure will inevitably have a traveler noticing differences between their home versus their placement. It is a classic case of culture shock, where the foreigner is unfamiliar with the lifestyle of their new temporary home. As a Canadian interning in Florence, I’ve had the chance to put this theory to the test myself. One aspect I assumed I’d notice differences in when it came to Canada versus Italy was the coffee lifestyles, and I had decided it was my mission to find the perfect cup of coffee in Florence. Perfect to me anyways.
By Alexa Stiles
Photo by author
Finding the balance between appreciating detailed Italian pieces of metal and fighting the urge to throw away the key.
Upon my arrival in Florence, I was instructed to check in at the table my program set up in the airport in order to receive the keys to my apartment. Although the many hours of packing before leaving the United States combined with jetlag left me little time to ponder over being responsible for my own set of keys, it did not take long for me to realize that these little pieces of metal were what distinguished me as being a resident of Florence for the next couple of months.
Fast- forward to a couple of days later when I discovered that old, intricate metal keys were the only way to navigate through my apartment. Not only did I have two keys, which I used to fumble my way into my apartment everyday for the first month, I had a key to access the wardrobe in the living room as well as two other keys that allowed my roommates and I to enter the outdoor patio that is conveniently attached to our apartment. Those keys tended to be temperamental, so I had to choose which one I would use to fight with while going to war with the lock and door. In fact, all of them were a bit temperamental. Or maybe it was because they were placed in the hands of someone who has been swiping their ID into dorms and classrooms for the past three years. Either way, these old style keys are difficult to use on outdated pieces of furniture, so what was once thought of as unique additions to the apartment are now objects of frustration and annoyance.
Metal is largely part of the artwork here in Florence as it is seen welded into sculptures, onto the doors of apartments, or as rustic objects in older apartments, including the keys. I either find myself trying to embrace the old Florentine lifestyle with old keepsakes because these objects are actually beautiful pieces of history, or find myself on the verge of throwing down the keys that will keep me locked out of my apartment until used correctly.
See more of Florence and Italy at FUA’s FB, Instagram, and Twitter.
By Reese Bentzinger
Photo by the author
A tourist (or perhaps just me), will find it very easy to get lost in Florence.
The curved roads here are different from those back home. It’s hard to tell when the brick-lined street you’re walking on will spill into a piazza or turn into a narrow alleyway.
This isn’t something to raise alarm, it’s part of the city’s charm. After all, when you get lost you never know where you’ll find yourself.
I’ve discovered some amazing places whenever I’ve gotten lost in the city. Just this morning I stumbled into a hole in the wall with a coffee vending machine. I got myself a shot of espresso for 30 cents that was surprisingly good considering the fact that it didn’t come from a barista’s hands.
Not that you should rely on random vending machines for food or drink. If you ever get lost in Florence, try to make your way to somewhere that offers food. I usually find myself at a coffee bar, enjoying a shot of espresso and observing the city around me.
There’s a lot of activity in the streets of Florence. You’ll find cart vendors selling anything from antique books to leather goods. The many piazzas around town offer excellent places to sit and relax with your friends. To top it all off, you’re guaranteed to be surrounded by some gorgeous old-world architecture.
Of course you don’t want to get too lost. Make sure you have a cell phone with data that will help you find your way back to where you’re staying. But if you’re on your way to the Duomo and make a wrong turn, use it as an opportunity to explore somewhere new.
It might be tempting to stay in the touristy areas of Florence, but this offers only a glimpse of the city. In order to see it’s true nature without having to wait in line, walk around the city and step inside a shop that you didn’t make plans for.
See more of Florence and Italy at FUA’s FB, Instagram, and Twitter.