Ciao from Firenze, Italia!
I have already been here for 10 days, and I cannot believe how fast the time is going! I am studying through New York University and taking 2 business classes for my major, an Italian class and my personal favorite, History of Italian Fashion.  I think it is going to be everything I hoped for and more.  We spent an hour in the first class comparing American and Italian Vogue – now that’s what I call academics!
NYU has been amazing with planning academic field trips. My roommate is going to Rome and Venice for a few of her classes to see museums and visit historical sites, and I am going to Turin for an exhibition celebrating Italy’s 150 years of fashion, as well as some local spots like the National Costume Museum with my fashion class.
Speaking of travel, I plan to take full advantage of my location for the semester and have already started planning my major trips. Next weekend a few of my new friends and I will be heading down to the Amalfi Coast to visit Capri, Sorrento, Positano and Pompeii. Â Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, my head was swirling with visions of the Blue Grotto and an amazing candlelit dinner overlooking the cliffs. On September 22, I am heading to Munich for the infamous Oktoberfest/Wake reunion which is going to be a blast! Wake Forest is also sponsoring me to attend a conference in London in mid-October, so my flight is booked. It is a struggle to really prioritize where I want to go because I want to do it all!
So, a little more about the city I am living in. My apartment is directly between the Duomo and the Academia (home of the David), so I am entrenched in history (and totally spoiled). School is up in the hills (about a 30-minute walk), and I have been trying not to use my bus pass in order to learn the city better and get some exercise (to work off all the amazing food I’ve been eating)!
The Italian cuisine has been magnificent so far. Today I went to Mercato Centrale, a large indoor market filled with booths of fresh pasta, vegetables, meats, cheeses, bread, wine—you name it! My stomach was grumbling as we wandered around purchasing food for tonight’s adventure up to Pizza Michelangelo. This weekend my new friend from Duke is turning 21, so a group of us are going to an authentic Italian restaurant without menus where they bring what’s fresh that day, served all family style.  More pictures to come!
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to spend 4 months in Florence, and it is hard to believe that this is my real life. Sometimes when I am wandering around, I get that “pinch me” feeling because the city is so incredible and so rich in culture and tradition. Needless to say, I am one lucky girl!
*Photography courtesy of Chelsea Dougherty