Photography student Molli A. Browne shares her farm to table experience cooking like a local.
Spring has sprung in Florence and people from all over the world are coming to visit. The streets are crowded and the markets are filled with tourists, locals, and fresh seasonal vegetables. During my first couple of weeks here, I noticed that almost every dish I ordered had zucchini in it. I did my research and quickly realized zucchini is in season from late March to early September. I decided that I should go out on my own and cook a meal like a local. Of course, I had to use zucchini.
As I was walking home from class, I discovered a small fruit and vegetable stand at the end of Borgo Pinti. They had ample amounts of farm fresh zucchini for an incredible price. They also had fresh garlic, lemon and cheese. I used all of these ingredients to make my pasta dish. This dish is spaghetti in a lemon garlic white wine sauce topped with baked zucchini flowers.
Via dei Malcontenti is the street the Florentine prisoners would walk down before being excecuted. Via dei Malcontenti connects Via delle Casine to Piazza Piave. Today, the street consists of apartments, a church, and a school. During the day, the road is quiet and calming. The following set of images are what a prisoner would have seen walking down Via dei Malcontenti before the execution.
Photography student Molli A. Browne imagines the final moments of a prisoner walking down Via dei Malcontenti.
My time has come.My darkest day…I pray for forgiveness, I pray for my sins.My last chance.Gone.
Football is not merely a sport here in Florence. It has a much higher purpose than that. The city revolves around the club, the Viola. As a first timer attending a European football game, this was nirvana.
It was a typical Florentine Friday as I enjoyed my one class when my roommate and I decided to get tickets to the Fiorentina and Juventus game during the night. As a football superfan, I was more than willing to partake within this rivalry as I have only seen and heard insane things when it came down to this game. Time moved slowly as my anticipation grew to a fever pitch. Suiting up with my Fiorentina jacket, I was ready to toss away my tourist status and become a local. Walking over to the stadium, I heard the fans’ chants grow louder and louder. This surely was not just another Friday night football game, this was going to be war.
Heading to our seats, we noticed the sheer amount of people that were packed into the stadium and realized that this was something that was not of the ordinary. Excitement filled the stadium while the Fiorentina fans sang the songs of the club. I have personally never heard a louder stadium and the voices grew louder with every shot, every foul, and every pass.
Although Fiorentina lost the game two to nil, the atmosphere is something that I will never forget. It was my first real foray as a citizen of this wonderful city, and even though I will forget the names of the restaurants and the gelato places, I will never forget this game.
The Santo Spirito Market is an area where tourists and locals combine to experience all that Florence has to offer. It is a time where people can explore anything from food to wine to art to jewelry.
On the second Sunday of February it was time to visit the Santo Spirito Market. This is a perfect activity for a lazy Sunday to go walk around with your friends and browse through all the different fun stands. It’s amazing to be able to walk through and see such a variety of fresh, authentic goods. Whether you want to buy fresh meats and cheeses, homemade jams, or hand-crafted Italian jewelry, this market had it all.
Tourists and locals alike appreciate the San Spirito Market. It exemplifies Italians’ value of fresh produce and delicious-tasting meals. Of course, Italy is known for its exquisite meals using only the best ingredients. The market’s locally-grown vegetables, carefully sliced meats, and handmade pastas demonstrate the Italian value of putting time, effort, and thought into the production of each meal. Italians are committed to fresh, enticing, cuisine.
Observing the shoppers at the market, it was clear that they were carefully considering each purchase. They took their time to examine each product, whether it was the level of intricacy in a piece of jewelry or an orange’s freshness.
One of the best things about this market was that it was full of local Florentines. Santo Spirito is located on the other side of the river from the Duomo. Here you can have a genuine Italian cultural experience. If you start to get tired while shopping, the market is in the middle of the square surrounded by restaurants and a beautiful church. There is something for everyone. The San Spirito Market shows the norm of Italian culture: that people take their time to enjoy the little things in life.
Free Museum Days: 5 tips to make the most out of free entry.
On the first Sunday of every month, as well as other special days throughout the year, Florence’s civic museums allow guests to visit for free! Here are some tips to get the most out of your visit and appreciate the Medici art.
1. Check hours and restrictions
Some museums and churches open earlier than others, while other facilities (such as Museo del Bigallo) may only allow visitors upon reservation. Did you know that the Palazzo Vecchio museum is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. but the museum’s tower is only open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.? Do your research ahead of time to avoid frustration later.
2. Map out your day If you are aimlessly walking around the city from one museum to another, you will tire out before even getting to your destination. After picking the places you want to visit and checking their hours, map the museums out and see what route makes the most sense. Your friends (and feet) will thank you later!
3. Dress for success
Check the weather and dress accordingly. If you plan on walking a lot, make sure to wear comfortable shoes. If you plan on visiting a church, make sure your outfit adheres to their dress code (some require shoulders and knees to be covered.)
4. Pack Light
Make sure you are prepared for a long day of adventures. If you are planning on using your phone a lot, bring a portable phone charger or wall unit and adapter. Throw a water bottle into your bag since beverages at a restaurant or café can be pricey. When it comes to traveling, less is more. Keep in mind that anything you pack you will have to carry on your back all day and that can start to weigh on you.
5. Expect crowds You are not the only person who decided to save a few euros and visit museums on a free entrance day! Anticipate long lines and crowded exhibits and remember that you are not the only person who has been walking from one museum to another. Be patient, kind and – most importantly – flexible when things do not go as planned.
With these tips in mind, my friends and I were able to visit Palazzo Vecchio, Museo Novecento, Santa Maria Novella and Cappella Brancacci all in one afternoon. Even with a student discount, we saved over 100 euros between the five of us on one free museum day. Hopefully these tips can help you get the most out of free museum days in Italy, too!
A walk through the city of Florence in search of memory stones which have so much meaning to the past and present of this historical city.
Florence is a thriving city, constantly moving and changing with the times. As a student with a passion for history and art, Florence was an easy choice when it came to picking a destination to study abroad. Defined by the renaissance, history and art is what built Florence and is absolutely inescapable: everywhere you turn is a different palazzo with historical significance, a different statue or fountain that is hundreds of years old, or a museum filled with priceless objects all telling the story of the city. I found this evident more than ever in my walk through the city in search of memory stones.
The beauty of these stones isn’t in their appearance, but in their message and purpose. Some stones are set on the outside of buildings where a Florentine of importance was born, passed, or had achieved something within the walls. Others share the history of the city through its culture such as quotes and excerpts by the famous Dante Alighieri.
What I found most interesting during this search was how the stones perfectly married the past with the future, by celebrating the continuous achievements of the city and its inhabitants. When another momentous achievement is made or event has taken place, it is immortalized in stone, and becomes engrained in Florence’s culture and celebration of the past and present.
As students living here, we are the future, and while there is much we can learn from Florence’s past, it is important to see that the city’s commitment to the past and present is what makes it truly unique.
FUA Social Media students Virginia and Jalissa had the opportunity to cover firsthand the first meeting of FUA students and their local Chat Pal partners for the semester-long activity of language and cultural exchange.
The latest ChatPal encounter that pairs students and locals took place on February 26 in Corso Tintori. The purpose of this event was for the FUA students to meet their Italian pal for the first time and have a place to get to know each other and have refreshments. To sweeten the encounter, the FUA hospitality department provided an abundance of snacks such as brownies, cakes, tarts, and savory items as well. Upon arriving everyone took a seat and SLD advisor Mattia Delle Piane announced the partner assignments, and one by one students were united with their local chat pal partner. We then took pictures of each pair in the cardboard cutout of the ChatPal Instagram. This meet & greet was a great introduction for both the students and the Italians involved. Participants will spend the rest of semester sharing and practicing the respective languages of the partners, meeting once a week for a minimum length of an hour to speak 30 minutes in one language and switch to the other for the remaining time. The Italian population this semester features individuals from diverse backgrounds and ages ranging from the 20s to early 40s. We were fortunate enough to meet and interview a local participant, Andrés Rosales, a Spanish transplant in Florence who works as a professional tour guide.
Where are you originally from?
AR: Madrid Spain but I have lived in Florence for 12 years now.
How long have you been a participant in this program?
AR: 3 years
How did u hear about ChatPal?
AR: One of my acquaintances participated the year before I started. He told me about the university, the language exchange program with the students, and I contacted FUA to meet and talk about it.
How many “Pals” do you usually get paired up with?
AR: Sometimes 1 sometimes 2 or 3, depends on the students and how often they can meet up.
Why ChatPal?
AR: To practice and improve my English.
Has your English improved?
AR: Yes, thanks to the practice and the opportunity to chat about different topics.
What do you usually talk about?
AR: General topics such as the city, life in the students’ home countries, and life here in Italy.
A listicle of some of Florence’s best spots to overcome your writer’s block, and to find your inspiration as a writer.
How to get over writer’s block, writing tips, become a better writer, places in Florence to visit
Even in a city like Florence, a city teeming with inspiration, it can sometimes be difficult to find a spark of creativity as a writer. I realize this must sound like a contradiction, but writer’s block can happen even in Florence. As any writer knows, writer’s block can strike at any time, and to combat this a writer must know what encourages and nurtures his or her own writing process. Over the past few weeks I have found a few locations in Florence which I feel do just that, and have proved very successful in getting me to write. From a secret garden to a pen shop, these Florentine locations will help any writer to feel inspired.
Ditta Artigianale With two locations, (my favorite located on Via dello Sprone) this is a cozy two floor café with lush green plants and graphic eye-catching wallpaper. Sitting down with a coffee and a notebook, this place is the perfect place for a writer’s retreat. There are occasionally live musicians, and plenty of comfortable velvet armchairs to work in. Part of the atmosphere of this café is made up by the lively servers, and also the many students studying throughout. Another perk of Ditta Artigianale is that it stays open very late it is open until 11pm Sun-Thurs, and 12am on Fri-Sat. These hours are perfect for writers who work best at night, or for those who find late night inspiration.
Oblate Café Offering one of the most spectacular views of the Duomo, this rooftop café is a tucked away spot perfect for warm days, reading, and of course writing. As part of a library you can find a book by your favorite author, sit down with a great cup of coffee, and write something at any one of the numerous tables throughout the rooftop. There is also an indoor portion of the café, and so if the weather is not so great, you can still find a nice spot to sit down to get some work done. By seeing such a notable landmark from a different perspective, this café offers you a chance to look at your own writing from a new perspective as well.
News Café Just a short walk from the train station, this café is simple, quiet, and homey. A great blank canvas for writers, this café lends itself to all sorts of creative concepts. The cappuccinos are artfully designed, and the lighting is soothing. A wall of wine bottles acts as a backdrop to this writing spot, and you will find yourself spending hours typing away, or scribbling down notes in your journal in this café. There are also single tables, as well as larger conference type tables here, so whether you are working with a group or by yourself, the News Café has something for everyone.
Todo Modo Perhaps the ultimate inspo-café, this bookstore-café hybrid offers endless opportunities to those who want to write. The entrance is a bookstore, filled with art books, novels, and great literature, but if you travel deeper into the building, you will find so much more. Divided into a library, a café, and a theater, you can eat, read and explore this shop and find something new to do every day. In the back of the shop is a wooden double staircase which offers more seating opportunities, and also acts as a stage for live performers. Described as “a large reading room that becomes a bistro, a place for meetings, performances, projections, concerts, workshops, and seminars” it seems like there is always something new at Todo Modo. Sometimes authors will visit this café, or hold a seminar which can help you to hone your craft, and garner you new skills as a writer as well. There aren’t many places in Florence that offer so much for writers, and the opportunity to improve as a writer makes this place a must-see.
Il Torchio and Casa della Stilografica A writer is only as good as their writing supplies, and I find when I have really good supplies, I end up producing much more content. Try a custom notebook from Il Torchio, these books are all handmade and locally sourced. The paper is made on the Amalfi coast, and the woman who runs the shop can be found binding the books all day long. You can buy a premade book, or get a custom book to fit your needs. If you like this slightly more analog approach to writing, then you may also want to check out the fountain pens from Casa della Stilografica. These pens write like a dream, and you will be hard pressed to find a pen that writes better. The dedication and craftsmanship in good writing supplies can truly inspire any writer, every time I see my notebook or pen, I am immediately inspired to write.
Outdoor Spots My last spots to visit as a writer are all outdoors, and weather permitting, these spots are truly unmatched. They offer intimate and solitary opportunities for a writer to find a slightly more introspective experience. The first spot is part of the rose garden near the Piazzale Michelangelo, if you walk just a bit further into this garden there is a zen garden with some benches that supply a perfect spot to take a break, and write. If you climb to the top of the Piazzale, especially at sunrise, there are few more awe inspiring sights in the city, and so this spot can give a writer many opportunities to find their spark of creativity.
Another slightly less common spot to do some writing, is the area in front of the Palazzo Pitti. It may seem strange to sit here to write, but many people actually picnic in front of the Palazzo, and the community atmosphere has helped me to write many times, something about people watching and the outdoors really helps me to get inspired.
The final spot to do some writing involves a little walking, or maybe even taking the bus, and is on the way to Fiesole. The walk there is so beautiful itself that it would be a challenge to not be inspired. However, if you take Via Giuseppe Mantellini you will find yourself at a small park, with benches, and the most breath-taking view of Florence imaginable. The park is very quiet and on a sunny day you can see the Duomo, the Santa Croce, and so much more. You can find rolling hills, a bright blue sky, the golden Tuscan sun, and hopefully that elusive inspiration to write.
A Roman column stands surrounded by designer brands in the center of Florence.
The Column of Justice in piazza Santa Trinita is one of the many great works of art in Florence. Unfortunately, it receives little tourist attention, despite being at end of the famous via Tornabouni. Along this road are a myriad of designer and luxury stores that attract tourists from all over; wealthy or not, everyone can window shop. In piazza Santa Trinita the luxury brand stores with their extravagant displays are contrasted with the Medieval and Renaissance architecture of several palaces from Florence’s history. Overlooking this juxtaposition of contemporary fashion and historical architecture is the statue of Lady Justice, stoically watching as the city evolves around her.
The Column of Justice is the largest Roman column in Florence. Atop it stands a statue of Lady Justice, carved out of porphyry stone. The column has two mates in the city, the Column of Peace in piazza San Marco and the Column of Religion in piazza San Felice; neither of which have statues atop them.
The Column of Justice was originally found in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, but was moved to Florence in 1563 as a gift from Pope Pius IV to Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici. The journey from Rome to Florence took almost an entire year. It was also attacked several times along the way by Turkish pirates.
The statue atop the column was originally a wooden replica until the current porphyry stone was created. At the time it was carved, porphyry was one of the hardest materials known. It was an incredibly difficult material to work with for this reason and was carved by expert porphyry sculptor Francesco del Tadda and his son Romolo del Tadda. It took them eleven years to carve the statue to completion, and it is carved from six different blocks of porphyry that are held together by copper linchpins.
The Column of Justice was just made viewable again after a period of restoration. Lady Justice had noticeable wear and even some holes in her cape before the restoration. But now she is looking impeccable as ever!
One student’s perspective on the neighborhood of Costa San Giorgio.
When I first arrived in Florence, I was in a shuttle from the airport, dropping off other students from my program. I was becoming intrigued about where my home would be for the next few weeks. Until, I was the last student on the shuttle. We were suddenly driving over the Arno River, away from everything, or so I thought. We were driving through the winding roads, going higher up into the hills, surrounded by trees. At the time, I had no idea the amount of art and culture that lived in my backyard. That was until multiple Florentines told me how lucky I was to be living on Costa San Giorgio; how it was one of their favorite neighborhoods in the city. But all I could think about was the hill I had to climb daily to get to my apartment. After Costa San Giorgio came up multiple times, I decided to go find out why locals loved it so much.
I did a little research and the things I found were incredible. To start there was Palazzo Pitti, which contains works by Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael, Rubens, and so many more. Attached to Palazzo Pitti are the Boboli Gardens which consist of 11 acres. It is one of the largest public parks in Florence and I had no idea that it was there, hidden behind the walls that surround it. Another short walk from my apartment brings you to the Piazzale Michelangelo. This is where I believe the best views in Florence are. You can see it all; the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, and even the mountains in the distance.
These places are just a small preview of the art and history that is in this neighborhood. I cannot even begin to describe the amount of food, wine, and shopping that is available. After seeing all my neighborhood has to offer, I am grateful to be living on Costa San Giorgio for the weeks that I am here. I can now appreciate the beauty, art, culture, and especially the people. It is not just some hill I have to climb!
