24 April, 2026
I’m sitting in a director’s chair at a table in Giunti Odeon, watching as a metronome on a giant movie screen ticks back and forth. In the hundred-year-old cinema, although the metronome seems to be keeping time, I know I have none left. January, February, March, and most of April have passed, and the time has come when I have to leave Florence.
In my early 20s, I lived in Italy. I studied art history, in a city with one of the highest concentrations of art per square mile. I spent my classes in museums, where I learned of artists who, at around my age, were creating important pieces not only for their own artistic careers, but ones that would change the trajectory of how future artists depict certain subjects.
Michelangelo was 21 when he broke the artistic tradition of Bacchus depictions. Leonardo da Vinci was 20 years old when he painted his interpretation of the Annunciation, where, in the background, he painted what landscapes in the distance really look like. At 21, I experienced visiting Europe for the first time.
It’s hard to verbalize or conceptualize what has happened over the last four months. A culmination of travel, self-realization, and studying has forever shifted my perspective on the world.
30 April, 2026
I’ve been home for a few days now, and am still unable to fathom that I studied abroad. After I sat in Odeon, I wandered around Florence, finally feeling as though I was living in Italy.
For the first half of my study abroad, it didn’t feel as though I was in Italy. I was too overwhelmed being in a time zone 6 hours ahead of my parents, and 8 hours ahead of my sister. Facing the record rain the city was experiencing, the walks I had pictured being picturesque were now ones where I was hiding under my umbrella. I love the rain, however, after showing up to class for weeks on end with the bottom of my pants soaking wet, I was over it.
One more significant issue for me was the mosquitoes. This is a fact that no one covered prior to me heading abroad, but was covered in my orientation once I arrived in Florence. The humidity of the city makes it an amazing location for mosquitoes year-round. They were outside, and they were in the house, making them a constant annoyance.
From homesickness to mosquitoes, there were a number of challenges that left me feeling less than thrilled about living in Florence. However, as the months went on and the weather improved, the things that were once annoying were slipping away. What ended up remaining after the storms were the friendships I’d made with my new friends.
The friendships I made abroad are some of the best I’ve ever had. College and friendships in life are special because you begin as strangers, and then suddenly you’re going everywhere together.
Studying abroad was ten times that for me. I didn’t know anyone who was studying in the same host city as me, and I arrived in Florence late because of flight issues. As soon as I got there though, my roommates brought me in. We all go to different schools and had never met before. However, somewhere along the way, it felt as though we had known each other for much longer than we had.
As I was sitting at my last sunset with the spring break squad, I held back tears, realizing that they would return to their school in the fall. What began as us traveling to new countries together would soon become us figuring out when and where we wanted to see each other once we got back to the States.
I thought college was pushing me out of my comfort zone, and then I went abroad. Something that I internalized at the beginning was how much difficulty I was having adjusting to a new country. However, it was alongside my friends that I was able to have an outlet and a peaceful space to get away from everything that was bothering me.
My last week in Florence was my favorite. I had spent most of my weekends in Florence, trying to understand why people raved so heavily about the city. It was in my last week there that I finally understood it, and I began to feel very sad about having to leave.
The weather was changing for the better. It was in the 70s, and the sun was shining almost every day. On the days when light showers passed through, it was different than before. The weight of classes being lifted off, one final after another, was taken. Splashing in small puddles and looking at the sky, I was finally able to realize what a city Florence is. I watched as people danced, took photos, enjoyed street performances, and took in artwork.
Walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo for my final sunset, I was overwhelmed with emotions. Reaching the top, I stood in my favorite spot and the first spot where I had watched a sunset in Florence. So much had changed, and so much remained the same. Looking over the city, it was largely the same as it was when famous buildings were created. I realized that that aspect, something I loved so much about my home city in the States, was something I had come to love about Florence. In between tears, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for how my life has changed. Eleven cities, thousands of photos, and a handful of amazing friends later, my study abroad has come to an end. Thank you for everything, Florence, ciao!