Dear Florence,
What an unbelievably incredible journey it has been, and I have you to thank. Thank you for being my home away from home for the past few months. Our time together was not nearly as long as I would have hoped for, but the memories I have I know will last a lifetime (but even that’s not long enough.)
Thank you for giving me the adventure of a lifetime. Thank you for showing me how enchanting the world is and for giving me the desire to spend the rest of my life attempting to see it. Thank you Florence, for introducing me to some of the most amazing people that made my experience that much richer. Thank you for your timeless beauty, whether it be sun up or sundown, your magnificence never faded (even on your gloomiest days). I know I can always find comfort sitting on your beautiful bridges (always with a gelato in hand, of course) or just walking past your historic buildings, each one filled with its own story.
Your city is filled with so much life that it’s hard to imagine my own with out it next week. Thank you for your alluring music that consistently hangs in the air over the Ponte Vecchio, or echoes throughout your many Piazzas. I know I can always find comfort sitting on the steps of your many churches listening to the musicians for hours, or watching the many people that fill your streets go by. Whether it is your locals or your tourists, it’s truly amazing how many people’s hearts you have stolen. I know mine will forever lie under your sunset, at the top of Piazza Michelangelo.
My favorite days spent with you were exploring all you have to offer. Whether it was walking up and down Via dé Tornabuoni window-shopping at Prada, Gucci, and Ferragamo or hanging at the San Lorenzo leather markets (where I could actually afford a purse) your attractions were endless. Thank you for the three deadly P’s (Pizza, Pasta, and Panini’s) that made everyday so much more satisfying as well as the study-abroad-15 hit like a freight train (typically after Oktoberfest) but who could care about carbs when Gusta Pizza is right down your street?
Not only were our mornings and afternoons always enjoyable but your electrifying nightlife was always the best way to end the day (I mean how could you say no to three euro tequila shots?) From Yab Mondays and Red Garter Tuesdays to Space Wednesdays and every other bar and club in between there was never a time of regret (except maybe that one time I hijacked some old guy’s Vespa).
But even the small things like those late nights walking home over your cobblestone streets passing the Arno River you would take my breath away. All in all these past four months has been filled with so much love, laughter, and adventure. This experience was a dream and I cannot thank you enough for surpassing all my hopes and expectations. I never knew that somewhere so far from my roots could truly feel like home and if I were to change a thing, I wouldn’t. I will never forget landing in your airport and looking to my left to see your beautiful Duomo just catching the sun peak as sunrise began just a few short months ago, and now as I prepare to leave I’m not quite sure how to say goodbye. I’m more than certain my time with you is just on hold until we meet again.
Sincerely,
A now former study abroad student xo