Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio Shopping

Arno River

The Alps

Where to begin…I rose early Monday morning in order to arrive at the airport for my 7 AM departure from Vienna to Paris. Fortunately Dom’s father, Patrick, offered to drive me rather than have me take the CAT (fast train from the city center to the airport). After a quick shower and last minute packing I mustered up the strength to carry my bags down to the ground level of the apartment building (with Patrick’s help of course!). To my surprise the entire street was filled with about four inches of snow. This was in no way a good surprise. I could not have imagined what was to ensue next.

            First off, there was immense traffic due to the snow conditions. After arriving at the airport a little later than anticipated I was confronted with another issue regarding baggage. The first woman I spoke with claimed that I was 17 kilos over the limit for baggage weight – which would then cost me 10 euro/per kilo. At this moment my blood pressure went through the roof! I instantly ran over to a different counter to inquire about this absurd regulation. In the end Air France only charged me for my additional bag, which I already was prepared to pay. After escaping that roadblock, I hurried to my gate and boarded the plane. As I sat for what seemed like hours on the runway, we finally took off – about 45 minutes too late! Throughout the duration of the flight I experienced extremely high levels of anxiety. I constantly checked my watch and helplessly saw the minutes tick bye. When we finally landed, I glanced down at the ticket for my connecting flight and read “boarding time 9:45, departure time 10:05” – it was now 9:45. In a panic I pushed by people and ran up to the first airport official to inquire about the gate location. He informed me that I would have to take a shuttle over to the correct terminal. Without hesitation I took off running towards the exit and just barely made the departing shuttle. Gasping for air I stood helplessly as the shuttle moved at what seemed like a sluggish pace. As my watch struck 10 AM, my heart began pounding, hands were shaking, and tears began to roll down my cheeks I had convinced myself I would miss my flight. When the shuttle finally made it to the terminal drop off, I ran like I had never run before in my life. As I reached the security checkpoint I whipped out my laptop and threw off my boots, as I was about to exit the area, I was stopped for a full body security check. At this point I lost all hope in making my flight. Despite ANOTHER roadblock, I took off in a dead sprint towards the gates. The gate ended up being at the very end of the terminal. With my backpack half open, my scarf dragging on the ground, and my hair in total disarray I did not hesitate to even catch my breath. As I rounded the corner I shoved my boarding pass in the face of the airport official and to my surprise she said, “you just made it, quickly find your seat”. At that exact moment I felt as if 1,000 pounds had lifted off my shoulders. Still out of breath I found my seat and breathed a sigh of relief. I was finally able to rest and catch a few minutes of sleep before my arrival in Florence. During our flight I had the opportunity of seeing the prestigious Alp Mountains. It ended up being the picture perfect ending to a whirlwind experience of travel. Upon arrival I waited near the baggage claim and was disappointed to discover that my luggage was nowhere to be found.  Surprisingly I remained fairly calm – after my extreme levels of stress early on in the day I did not have enough energy to even begin to be concerned about my luggage!

Hotel Baglioni

Ponte Vecchio

            After filing out a lost luggage claim, I met up with other students in my program and took a bus over to the Hotel Baglioni where we will be staying for the first two nights. (My luggage ended up arriving right at my hotel room door just a few hours later!). The hotel is beyond gorgeous! It has old artistic flare with dark mahogany furniture and a grand stain glassed window. As more students from my program arrived the introductions and first greetings began! We all headed over to a conference facility and attended a pre-orientation meeting, which ended with a grand Italian feast. After dining on pesto pasta, lasagna, and salad we were free to explore the city at night. I linked up with a group of girls and we headed over to an Irish pub called the Lion’s Fountain. It is a well-known American style bar where they play college lacrosse games and the ceiling is covered with college shirts from various study abroad students.

Hotel Room

Ponte Vecchio          

Duomo

Palazzo Pitti

After a long day of traveling, introductions, and exploring my roommates and I retired to our room in order to catch some sleep. In the morning we were provided breakfast in the rooftop restaurant which overlooked the entire city! Afterwards the program directors scheduled more orientation meetings and a walking city tour of Florence followed. Despite the rain and cold weather it was great to have a guided tour of the local areas. We were able to travel 

Duomo

through the narrow streets and enjoy the rustic Italian architecture. First stop was at the Palazzo Strozzi. Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy. It is a splendid example of civil architecture with its rusticated stone inspired by the Palazzo Medici. Afterwards we walked over the Arno River, which runs through the city of Florence. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. It crosses Florence, where it passes below the Ponte Vecchio and the Santa Trinita Bridge. Although Bartolomeo Ammanati built it, it was inspired by the well-known artist Michelangelo. Across the bridge we were able to see the Ponte Vecchio. Specifically, the Ponte Vecchio is a medevial bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it. Presently the tenants of the shops are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. I cannot wait to return to this place and explore more of the shops at a later time. Wandering past buildings and palaces that were previously inhabited by the Medici family, allowed me to truly begin learning the historical treasures of Firenze. The Palazzo Pitti was another stop along the tour. It is a vast, mainly Renaissance palace situation on the south side of the River Arno, just a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. This palace was bought by the Medici family and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. We even explored the area of Uffizi, which is one of the major museums in Florence. The Uffizi Gallery was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de’Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates. Over the years, further parts of the palace evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculptures collected by the Medici family or commissioned by them. Ending our tour we were graced by the grand presence of the Duomo. Duomo is merely a generic Italian term for a cathedral church. The exterior of the basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has a Gothic façade. Many people climb to the top to feast on a magnificent view of the entire city – I still have yet to do this but I still have 3 months to go!

Gusta Pizza!

            After resting and regaining feeling in our hands and feet (it was very chilly here today!), we realized how hungry we actually were. After hearing raving reviews of a pizza restaurant called Gusta Pizza we decided we HAD to check it out. This place was quick and offered the most tasty, fresh pizzas I have ever eaten! There are about 7 pizzas on the menu and 3 specials every day. You can go here at any time to have pizza and buy wine buy the glass or bottle to enjoy along with your meal. You order at the counter and are given a ticket and about 8 minutes later you have hot, fresh, delicious pizza! Most tourists and locals save their ticket slip and write their name on it and slide it between the glass table and the barrel that it sits on. This was a great treat after a long day. Tomorrow we move into our apartments, I cannot wait!

Gelato!