La Dolce Vita: A Semester in Florence

Spending a year or semester abroad during your university years may leave you feeling ambivalent at first. I study Italian at university and this opportunity was integrated in my course. Previously, I was a complete home body, and always thought I’d remove this option when the time drew close. But my advisor of studies convinced me that this time in Italy would be most valuable, and something inside of me switched. I decided to take a leap and push myself outside my comfort zone.  

With a passion for luxury living, I interned with Rocco Forte Hotels in the magical city of Florence. I attribute a dreamlike quality to my experience in this city; the warmth of Italians, the breathtaking architecture, and the dolce vita culture. Now back studying in St Andrews, I regularly find myself caught in a daze, mentally tracing my morning walk in the cobbled, narrow streets of Florence – a truly enchanting city.

I was welcomed to the workplace as if I were family. Following the countless handshakes and ‘piacere’ after ‘piacere’ (‘nice to meet you’), I began to learn first-hand what it meant to be Italian. Everything I had learned in the classroom (culturally and linguistically) in my small Scottish town, fell together in the real world. Noticing the small differences in culture were my first meaningful observations. From their sweet and swirly handwriting (I mistook every written ‘9’ for the letter ‘g’) to the way it seemed every meal could not be enjoyed without the mandatory “buon appetito” preceding your first bite.

The reputation of Italian food is no myth. The indisputable sprinkle of Parmesan to top each meal, the cooked to perfection pasta al dente, and the fresh and fluffy pizza slices. There was a time I ate three dishes of pasta in one day… truffle, gnocchi and cacio e pepe. Worth every carb. I shortly realised the pride Italians take in their local dishes and home cooking, and there was good reason to. Food in the UK has never tasted the same to me since.

My Italian friend and I were dining in a local trattoria, where I was playfully convicted in the name of spaghetti etiquette. As I took a table knife to an excess string of spaghetti hanging from my fork, my friend exclaimed in horror ‘No! You’re killing the pasta!’. That evening I learned how to masterfully twirl spaghetti… without upsetting anyone. 

I am a strict non-coffee drinker, a loyal green tea girl. Being immersed in a coffee-centered culture forced me to partake in espresso breaks with my colleagues to Caffè Gilli (if you are ever visiting Florence, you must visit Gilli), which conveniently sat adjacent from our building. With every sip of this small, highly caffeinated beverage, the more connected I felt with the culture. It was as if each cup of espresso contained a percentage of Italianità. 

Besides spectacular food and welcoming people, the architecture in Florence left me in absolute awe. Lose yourself in each corner and street you turn down, and you will undoubtedly be met with a miraculous view of a historical work of art. Pictures do not capture the true wonder in the colossal Duomo in the heart of the city. In the evenings, I would often visit my favourite gelateria, Edoardo il gelato biologico, and with two scoops of hazelnut and pistachio gelato, I would circle the Duomo cathedral below the starlit sky. I never grew accustomed to its greatness. Rather, my amazement grew with each time my eyes collided with the divinely coloured dome.

I am SO thrilled that I had the opportunity to experience that sunny semester living my dolce vita fantasy. I could write eloquent love letters upon love letters to the charming city of Florence. However, I do believe that beside the beauty of the city, my love for Florence is rooted in the lesson it kindly taught me: step outside your comfort zone. Finding comfort in the once uncomfortable is highly rewarding. My time abroad will forever remain a cherished memory etched into my university timeline.