Tag: leaving

A Home Away from Home

By Barbara Carranza
Photo by author 

I knew when I applied to the Special Project Experiential Learning (SPEL) Journalism course that Florence  was one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I thought it would be the perfect spot for me: a relaxed, artistic, history-filled setting that would appeal to my old and free-spirited soul. It turns out I was right on the money (and so much more). As I’m getting ready to head back to Charlotte, my heart grows heavy. Although I have only spent two months in Florence, it’s evident to me that I have found a home away from home.

The thought first crossed my mind just a few days after my arrival. I assumed assimilating to a whole new country, language, and culture would naturally take time, but surprisingly, a sense of ease settled in me very quickly. Since I have always been curious about everything, I wondered: is it because Florence is the total opposite of Charlotte, a metropolitan city nearing 1 million inhabitants; or that everything is within walking distance, or maybe it’s the “homey” vibe that Florence just gives off that makes me feel so comfortable here? Whatever the case, it didn’t take long for me to tell my parents and friends that I wanted to move here. It was a big revelation for me because after all of the trips I’ve taken in my life, the closest that I ever came to thinking, “Yeah, I can see myself living here,” was Miami and Los Angeles. Not even Lima, Peru, my birthplace, and where almost all of my relatives live made the cut. Quite the opposite – I’ve repeatedly said that while I love visiting Lima, I could never live there. So when it dawned on me that I could actually picture myself living in Florence, I was shocked, but it was a good, welcoming realization.

Now that my time here is coming to a close, the reasons for my love of Florence have become clearer. I believe one of them is the persevered presence of its antiquity provides me an endless supply of imagination. As a writer, I read and write every day. Staying in Florence gave me a burst of creativity. I wrote articles for FUA during the day, and incessantly wrote my own stories at night. Whether it was in my apartment’s living room with the windows open or in a café down the street by the Duomo, the words poured out of me, and it was simply wonderful.

Another reason for wanting to stay would have to be the breathtaking beauty of the city. Raised in a place where skyscrapers dominate the skyline, Florence offered a nice change of scenery. Instead of having the Bank of America Corporate Center, Duke Energy Center, and Bank of America Stadium in the horizon, there was the Duomo’s terracotta-lined dome, Giotto’s bell tower, Palazzo Vecchio’s Torre di Arnolfo, and the surrounding hills of the valley that the city lies in. At times, it made me feel like I was living hundreds of years ago, when Florence reigned supreme during the Renaissance.

Though I’m happy to return to my family and friends, I’m also sad to leave Florence. I’ll always carry the memories with me. I don’t know when I’ll return, but what I do know is that one day I will.

See more of Florence and Italy at FUA’s FB, Instagram, and Twitter.

What to Do in Florence with only a Few Days Left

Photo by the author
Photo by the author

By Jess Pitocco

I have only a few days left here in Florence and I am starting to panic. What have I missed? What else can I do? What sights have I not seen? How can I make the most of the short amount of time I have left studying abroad? I know everyone says that time flies by, but I don’t think I really understood that feeling until now. As cliched as it is, I do feel as though this semester went by in the blink of an eye. So how do I savor the tastes, views, and people of Italy with a short amount of time left? After brainstorming, I’ve come up with some solutions for when it feels like it’s too soon to go home.

  1. Revisit your favorite places! Take a couple days, in between studying for finals of course, and revisit your favorite spots. Don’t take them for granted. Give yourself time to appreciate each and every store, restaurant, and museum that touched your heart. Commit them to memory, even take pictures, so that these places will never leave you. My favorite restaurant, Ristorante Il Paiolo on Via del Corso, will be my first stop; their fare is the most authentic that I’ve found in Florence! Plus, every time I go I’m greeted with the warmest of smiles and the most gracious service.
  2. Do something you aren’t able to at home; take an Italian cooking class, visit an enoteca that you haven’t ventured to yet, visit that famous museum you’ve missed. Give yourself a day to explore where you haven’t explored, and find a store you haven’t entered, maybe even taste a new dinner entree you haven’t tried yet! The Christmas market in the Piazza Santa Croce is a perfect place to spend some quality time exploring; not just for the food, but for the lights and the Christmas/winter season spirit.
  3. Speaking of trying new things, try and get lost in your city. Florence, for me, has plenty of side streets filled to the brim with cute boutiques and galleries to discover. Every time I find a new area of the city, or a new street I haven’t walked down, I get excited. On the side street Borgo Pinti, finding the small Mrs. Macis clothing boutique lead me to one of the most creative fashion finds I’ve seen in Florence. Carla Macis, the store owner, makes gorgeous dresses with prints on them from 1980s Italian stamps; truly unique! In these last weeks, I will not hesitate to go off the beaten path and explore what I haven’t yet.
  4. Take a chance; get a haircut, buy that dress you’ve been eyeing for weeks in that store window, or even write that blog you’ve always wanted to start. Give yourself something to remember Florence by; whether that be a journal, a piece of street art, or a pair of shoes, don’t forget to give yourself some kind of souvenir. My recommendation is not to buy yourself a magnet of the Duomo, however, it is to find something that means a lot to you. My souvenir will be spending a Saturday at the San Ambrogio market: getting a meal there, relaxing with coffee, and exploring the wares and produce. That entire day will be filled with journal writing and picture-taking. It was the first thing I visited in Florence and was in awe of Italian culture. Now I will end my study abroad experience in the market, like a bookend to my amazing experience. So whether you find an object that reminds you of a certain day or memory, or even going to get your nails done with your closest friend you’ve made abroad; give yourself something to take back with you, you won’t regret it.

I am realizing how important Florence has become; it has been such a huge part of my college experience, and I will miss it tremendously. I will miss complaining about the steps on the way to Piazzale Michelangelo, I will miss getting a gelato at La Gelateria dei Neri, and I will miss walking in the shadow of the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio every day. However, I can’t dwell on how much I will miss a place while I’m still here; starting to miss Florence while still living in Florence is a paradox of the mind that I am not interested in traversing. For now, I will live in the moment and give myself the opportunity to make as many positive, fun and awe-inspiring memories as I can in my final days here.

See more of Florence at FUA’s FB, Instagram, and Twitter.