I’ve successfully survived my first week in Florence and I think we are finally getting acclimated to this amazing city. Our apartment in the center of Florence is starting to feel like home and I am no longer getting lost every time I walk out the door. My running list of anxiety inducing issues is quickly calming and the idea of being here for four months is no longer intimidating but exciting. As for my other lists, we have sampled a lot of gelato but I’m still searching for my favorite. My bucket list is well underway, and I’ve already checked off an item or two, so I figured it’s time for another list.
This last week has been somewhat of a culture shock and as if the language barrier isn’t enough, we have discovered many differences between Florence and what we are accustomed to:
- Tipping: Arguably one of the greatest things about Italy is that tipping is not expected. Some restaurants will add a fee per person to sit down, which is essentially a tip, but others do not. It makes paying a lot easier and has definitely saved us some euro, which we are trying not to spend like monopoly money.
- Cars: Since Florence is a very old and historic city with narrow cobble stone streets, most cars are small with little seating room. Unlike in America, cars do not stop for pedestrians, even at cross walks. The streets are not overly crowded with cars, so people stroll down the middle, but pedestrians definitely do not have the right of way.
- Strangers: Americans, especially young women, are instructed not to make eye contact with Italian men on the street. Although in Wisconsin it is completely normal to smile at a passerby, locals can often mistake friendly eye contact for an invitation into conversation.
- Coffee: For a girl who lives off iced coffee even in the winter, this may be one of the most difficult adjustments. After being here for seven days, we found only one place that makes anything remotely close to iced coffee. Plain iced coffee is flavored by a squirt of syrup and nothing resembling Equal or sweetener exists.
- Bathrooms: I don’t know what was more surprising when we entered the two bathrooms in our six-person apartment, the bidet or the fact that our “shower” consists of a bathtub and a shower hose without a curtain or door. We are slowly mastering the art of hosing our selves off without flooding the entire bathroom.
Highlight of the week: On Friday our program took us to the Verrazzano Wine Castle. The Verrazzano family controlled the castle for centuries, and their most notable family member, Giovanni Da Verrazzano, discovered New York and most of the east coast. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (spelled with one z!), which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn, is named after him. After walking through the wine cellars, we were seated in a beautiful banquet hall with glass windows that overlooked the grounds. All food and wine served at the Verrazzano Castle is locally produced, either on the property or somewhere in Florence. With our lunch, we sampled homemade balsamic and three wines, a 2010 Verrazzano Rosso, the castle’s famous 2010 Chianti Classico and a sweet (and VERY strong) dessert wine. It’s only been a week and I already sound like a connoisseur!
Ciao a tutti!
Sources: http://www.verrazzano.com/en/