Bystanding at Milan Fashion Week 2013

This past week has been and continues to be an hectic one for Italy. With Fashion Week happening in Milan from February 20-26 and the general elections taking place February 24-25, the country is bustling with excitement, anxiety, and nervousness. However, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out Milan for the weekend to enjoy the ambiance of the fashionable, lively city!

Always wandering.

There’s an imperceptible sense of “cool” that permeates the streets here. People move with a more forward pace, Mercedes-Benz line the city streets, and everyone you see has an effortlessly collected vibe about them. While Florence is more historic, slower-paced, and calm, Milan is alive with modernity in the Manhattan-meets-Europe sort of way. I began my short adventure at the Duomo, and made my way to La Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II–a historic shopping mall located in central Milan that boasts some of the most high-end stores and fancy little restaurants. The Galleria links the Duomo to another landmark–the Teatro alla Scala, a famous opera house that has been the venue of performances in Milan since 1778.

La Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

I spent the majority of the afternoon admiring the upscale fashion district of Milan. In one block, I passed everything from stores like Alexander McQueen and Bottega Veneta to I Pinco Pallino (the designer childrenswear label that various celebrities flock to to dress their kids) and Armani Casa (Yes, believe it or not Armani now has a luxury home and furniture line). Passersby were dressed remarkably and I could not stop gawking. Men with perfectly tailored trousers and crisp blazers coupled with women wearing structured coats, high-heeled boots, and chic black tights despite the 37-40 degree weather. Most of them toted shopping bags from Prada, Alberta Ferretti, and Miu Miu as casually as if they had just purchased groceries. Every so often we had to stop, because some new Italian socialite was getting out of her Mercedes and cameramen and reporters were crowding the streets to get the best picture.

It’s no doubt that Milan is a chic fashion-lover’s paradise, but in terms of Fashion Week, you almost couldn’t tell that any such event was taking place. Apparently, the streets are usually filled with fashion happenings to commemorate the week, but with Italy’s economic recession and the anxiety surrounding the general elections, government funding for the arts (including Milan Fashion Week) are very much down in comparison to previous years. In lieu of the lack of government funding, Via Mercanti was (and always is) set up for Fashion Week. Here, you can come (no special invite needed!) and experience a cute little red carpet, a giant screen that showcases the designer collections live as they go down the runway, and booths that are set up by Testanera and B by Limoni where you can get your hair and make up done for free and discuss style tips with the staff!

The red carpet and line for free make-up sessions on Via Mercanti. 

I stood there staring at this thing for as long as I possibly could and kept imaging I was watching it live. Absolutely breathtaking to know that these shows were going on so close by to where I was standing.

Though you don’t get to experience much of Fashion Week itself (crossing my fingers that arts funding increases after this election!!!), Milan is without a doubt the place to be to experience the essence of Italian fashion and luxury lifestyle. I couldn’t help but admire all of the lovely outfits and quirks of the Milanese, and no matter if it’s Fashion Week or not, Milan will always exude an effortlessly chic je ne sais quoi. I can’t wait until I get the chance to go back and breathe in that lifestyle again.

Baci,

Rachele

With Rain Brings Wanderlust (and Gucci)

Today was perhaps one of the coldest and rainiest days I’ve experienced in Florence so far. That being said, though I woke up with no expectations besides a little laziness for this rainy day, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my friend (and now, friends!) who is studying in Cannes is in town for the weekend. A few Facebook messages later, we ended up meeting up for some delicious pizza, tourist-ing, shopping, Duomo-ing, and Gucci-ing. It was fabulous(ing?)!

My friend Tyler and I have known each other since we were 5 years old. From Hawaii, to the same university in California, and now to Europe, it seems like we’ve happened to be everywhere together and I’m so glad that she’s here for the weekend! We met up at the infamous Gusta Pizza for lunch, and let me tell you guys, I am now a firm believer that this place is gold. For 4-7 euro, you can get a giant personal pizza that is undeniably fantastic. Gusta and this other little hole in the wall (which I believe is called Toto’s? I’ll update this when I find out.) are two of the best places to get cheap pizza here in Florence. Definitely a must-try!

GustaPizza at Gusta Pizza. Amazing and topped with rucola, cherry tomatoes, and pecorino romano. 7 euros, baby!

Pizza with salami (it’s not “pepperoni” here) at what I’ll call Toto’s. Feeds 4 people for 10 euros!

We went to the Duomo and after almost a month of living here, I finally went inside. The Duomo was much less decorative than I am used to (after seeing the Sacre Coeur and the Notre Dame), but since it is medieval, decorations were sparse. It was beautiful though. On a less-rainy day, I’ll go up to the top to see all of Florence.

I got to go to the Gucci Museo today! If you read my last post, I mentioned that I’d be making trips to the Gucci and Ferragamo museums soon. One of the girls from Cannes just happened to love fashion as much as I do, so simply upon mentioning that there was a Gucci Museum in the city center, we ended up going immediately after. It was only 6 euros and it was very much worth it.

You couldn’t take any pictures inside, since there was more security personnel than there were Gucci purses.

The museum is small, but very elegant and the exhibits are breathtaking for fashion lovers and admirers. The museum featured various travel luggage sets (hat boxes, large and small suitcases and chests, etc.), an exclusive Gucci Cadillac (only 200 were ever made, back in the 1970’s), floral work (tea sets and plates), various bags/clutches/purses, AMAZING evening gowns (Blake Lively wore one of the ones displayed!), men’s and women’s loafers, and various Gucci lifestyle pieces (canes, golf sets, bicycles, game boards, guitars…). The exhibits were well laid out and there are descriptions and pamphlets everywhere in English, Italian, and French. Fascinating facts about the history of Gucci, the development of the double-“G” logo and variations, and the designs of Guccio Gucci’s son Aldo Gucci were spread around the various exhibits as well.

Gucci chocolate and Gucci logo-shaped sugar. So cool.

The museum ends with a store filled with Gucci souvenirs, fashion books (my paradise), and a cafe. We got cappuccinos, and for me it was my first soy milk cappuccino. Soy milk is not as common here as it is in the States and I miss it so much. We put little Gucci-shaped sugars in our cappuccinos and it was delicious. In all, I was thoroughly impressed with the Gucci museum, the fascinating exhibits, and the cappuccino that everyone on travel social media sites always seems to be raving about. 

A successful beginning for this fashion-filled weekend.

Baci,

Rachele

Il Modo di Firenze

I’ve been gathering recently that most international students and travelers that have come to Italy expecting over-the-top fashion dripping out of the leather boots of every last Italian walking down the cobblestoned streets are slightly disappointed in the style found in Florence. While I, too, had Manhattan-esque expectations for the Renaissance city, I have found that though Florence is incomparable to Milan in terms of fashion and flair, there are subtle elements of style here that are often easily overlooked. It is true that Florentines have an affinity for the color black and for the simple but sturdy leather boot, but in recent days I’ve been observing more and more that underlying style elements and trends are deeply routed in Florentine street wear if you just look closely enough!

I have decided to do some research into the history of Florentine fashion that has come to permeate the style of the people who inhabit these historic city streets today. Florence has a fascinating history, dating back to the Middle Ages, of fashion revolutions and influence. The Middle Ages brought bountiful trade of fine wool and silk, putting Florence on the map in terms of fashion-forward European cities. Later, the Renaissance Medici rulers proliferated the concept of dressing richly and surrounding themselves with lavish and stylish things, making fashion a very desirable and coveted commodity.  The Renaissance, inspired in particular by Lorenzo the Magnificent, introduced black as being the quintessential, effortlessly stylish clothing color that we have come to know it as today. Opulent, detailed dressing became an art, and that art has perpetuated itself into today’s 21^st century lifestyle. While most think of Milan, Paris, Manhattan, and Los Angeles as the fashion capitals of the world, I’d like to contend that Florence is a highly influential fashion district as well.

If you take a moment to look around, you can find a mix of styles, tastes, and trends from floor-length fur coats to studded suede shoes. You’ll find Florentine men wearing chic knit scarves and women with high-heeled snakeskin boots. Younger Italian teens are often wearing more grungy trends such as all-white Converse, American flag prints, and studs from head to toe. These subtle touches may often go unnoticed under the thick black coats and wintery garb, but it is undeniably apparent that Florentines know how to dress.

Florence offers locals and tourists alike an amazing shopping experience, as well. In the city center, chic streets like Via Tornabuoni, Via della Vigna Nuova, and Via degli Strozzi are filled with luxury and extremely high-end stores. Here, you will find stores like Versace, Cartier, Dior, Prada, Gucci, Dolce e Gabbana, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Armani. Designer labels Gucci, Pucci, Roberto Cavalli, and Ferragamo all got their start in Florence, and have all left a very fashionable legacy for the city itself. Florence is also home to Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo museums, both of which touch on the history and designs of two of the most famous Italian designers of our time.

On a side note, I plan on visiting both of these museums this weekend or next week. I will be writing posts about both of them when I do! The Gucci Museum is infamous here and the Ferragamo Museum has a Marilyn Monroe exhibit that’s supposedly fascinating (especially if you love shoes!).

Another thing I’ve noticed about Florence—and this may or may not be true about Europe and shopping in general—is that the concept of window shopping is much more respected and, well, fun! In the US, we window shop mainly when we don’t have any money, or when we go to a mall not expecting to buy anything until we are pulled into a store. Here, not only is window shopping widely practiced during the day, but it is just as popular at night when stores are closed. Window shopping seems to be more of a form of pure enjoyment here. You can simply take a stroll and admire all of the beautiful visual displays without the pressure to buy—the window displays here are simply stunning and are kept lit all throughout the evening. It is much more peaceful and enjoyable of an activity here than it is in the US, where we do it primarily with the intent to buy!

In all, I’d say that Florence most certainly has a lot to offer in terms of fashion, style, and lavishness—you just need to know where to look amidst the black coats and cobblestone streets. One of the reasons I came here was to study fashion marketing along with the courses I am taking for my major, and though it is no Milan, I do not regret my decision to come to Florence at all. Florentine street fashion is very classy, and I am only positive that it will get better and better as the weather warms up. So if you’re ever thinking of traveling to the fashion meccas of the world, consider Florence—a city as rich in fashion as it is history.

Being a curious wanderer and avid fashion lover as I am, I can’t possibly write this post without pondering Milan, even though I have dubbed Florence a fashionable city in and of itself. That being said, I guess I’m off to Milan this weekend to admire the streets… the eats… the fashion… and, oh yeah, MILAN FASHION WEEK! I’ll be back soon to report on the sure-to-be amazing experience!

Baci,

Rachele

Paris Pour La Jour de la Saint-Valentin

Ah, Paris. The city of love and a place in Europe besides England where I can speak the language confidently enough to actually use it. I went for Valentine’s Day (la jour de la Saint-Valentin) and even though it was only for two days, I was able to do SO much! Oh, and did I mention that I flew to Paris and stayed in a hostel for 2 days all for under 200 euro? That doesn’t count how much money I spent on food though oh my gosh don’t get me started.

I went with 5 friends and my roommate knew someone studying abroad in Paris, so he showed us around for the two days that I was there. If you do it right, you can actually see so much of Paris in one day thanks to the metro. I recommend doing some research beforehand on metro lines and stops so you can just zip through as many sites as possible like we did!

We stayed in a hostel near the Gare de l’Est for 20E a night each. The staff was really friendly but the bathroom door didn’t close and the shower was weird and freezing, but a bed is a bed and it sufficed nicely. Hostelworld is a good place to find hostels to stay in all over Europe to make travel cheaper, especially for study abroad students.

Brace yourselves, you are about to be spammed with Paris pictures, friends.

I am the type of traveler that tries to blend in as much as possible and assimilate quickly, but today, I decided to assume the role of super-tourist, as we hit as many Parisian sites as possible. We started our Friday morning off with the Eiffel Tower. It’s been 5 years since I last saw it, but the site never loses its charm. We were excited because it was a little sunny (Sun and Paris usually don’t belong in the same sentence until summer), and just warm enough to take our coats off for pictures.

I’ve always got to have a crepe with sucre (sugar) et citron (lemon juice). You can never go wrong. C’est parfait!

We continued on to St. Michel and the Notre Dame after getting some awesome crepes for a morning snack. The Notre Dame is stunning and has the most amazing and interesting architecture.

I would love to know what’s going on here.

After stopping in a little park behind the Notre Dame for a some playground time (yes, I’m serious), we took a nice long walk through the streets of Paris and along the Seine towards the Louvre. This was my second time visiting the Louvre, but you can never get tired of this place. It’s the most amazing and captivating museum in the world! We were fortunate enough to see exhibits featuring Napoleon III’s apartments, Italian/French/Spanish paintings, and of course, La Joconde, the Mona Lisa. Some of my friends were very underwhelmed by the real Mona Lisa, as it is extremely tiny and plain compared to the larger and more detailed works of art featured in the same exhibit. I find the Mona Lisa to be intriguing, and I’m fortunate enough to say that I’ve been able to see it twice in my life so far.

A panorama of one of the art exhibits in the Louvre.

An art appreciation moment?

After the Louvre, we headed to a Carrefour (a grocery store chain in France) for some baguettes and cheese to snack on. We ate in the Tuileries Garden, a grand garden in the middle of the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.

We visited the Eiffel Tower again at night to actually go up to the third floor. The lines to go up the Tower during the winter are typically much shorter at night, and the view is breathtaking.

We finished day one with a dinner of kebabs, another crepe, and a little taste of the French bar scene. I encountered a Parisian dog while I was out and about.

Day two consisted of a nice walk around Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, the Sacre Coeur, and some delicious French fare.

Moulin Rouge. A wall in Montmartre near the Sacre Coeur with “I love you” written in every language in the world. Even sign language! (top left)

The Sacre Coeur.

I ate a quiche Lorraine, another lemon sugar crepe, and we had lunch at Chartier, a fancy but affordable restaurant featuring very French cuisine. The Chartier is an old classic French restaurant, founded in 1896 and considered today to be a monument in Paris. Our table was rocking escargot (!!!), beef tartare, french bread, red wine, duck, and various other extremely French dishes.

After all this lovely food, the American in us beckoned for some good ole Chipotle, which we found while walking around and which we don’t have here in Florence. As full as we were, we indulged in burritos and burrito bowls. Yes, we are crazy, but c’est la vie.

After this, we sadly had to leave Paris. With full stomachs and full memory cards on our cameras, we returned to Florence. Thanks to my roommate’s friend Lucas, we got to experience the best of Paris in 48 hours, and I am so, so fortunate for that. Until we meet again, my heart is forever in the city of Paris. What an awesome weekend it was!

Who knows what’s in store for the next few weekends… Interlaken? Rome? Madrid?

Baci e Bisous,

Rachele

Culturisms: “Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore”

At 7:30 am in Starbucks’ across the US continent, working professionals, students, early risers, and the like all congregate in long, hurried lines for an oh-so-needed venti caffe mocha with nonfat milk and extra mocha. At 7:30 am in Italy, people of all ages and walks of life pop into bars (the Italian version of a coffee shop)—mostly non-franchised—for a quick espresso or cappuccino to start their day. As the day passes, the average American may perhaps return to a Starbucks for a frappuccino or iced soy latte, and may even opt to have some coffee to finish off dinner. After 11am, the average Italian wouldn’t typically think of another cappuccino, nonetheless get a coffee to go. Who would have thought that the simple act of taking coffee poses such a cultural difference when done in Italy versus America?

Cappuccino with whipped cream! Not all bars do this though. I just got lucky.

            As mundane of a difference as this may seem, I am without a doubt one of those Americans who can drink a coffee, a venti iced soy latte, and a nice warm pumpkin spice latte all in one day and not give it a second thought—so the Italian coffee experience is definitely one that I took note of quickly. Florence does not have a Starbucks, but despite my occasional cravings for a super-sized caffe americano, the coffee experience here is just as delicious and fascinating without one. In the US, coffee can be taken anywhere at any time, with any meal, and with any experience. Here, there is always room for coffee, but in smaller portions, and typically in the mornings or after meals to finish them off, not to be taken with them. In the US, coffee is typically taken to go or to be leisurely sipped with a newspaper, while in Italy coffee is quickly but pleasurably sipped while standing at the counter, generally.

I found a Starbucks in Paris while I was there over the weekend and resisted the urge to go in. It was a difficult feat but I managed to walk away.

Both moments celebrate coffee as a quick escape from the trivialities of life, but in Italy, coffee is something to stop and savor, not something meant to complement other tasks. In Italy, though the experience is different, coffee is most certainly more than a beverage, it is the culture. I’ve temporarily put aside my musings for a giant sugary coffee beverage for the simple satisfaction of cappuccino and marocchino (similar to a cappuccino, but with cocoa dusted on top!), and I’m definitely glad that I did! I’ve also learned how to use an espresso maker, so my roommates and I make espresso at home all the time!

Caffe au lait (coffee with milk) is another cheap and delish choice.

So, when in Italy, I implore you to go to a bar (any bar–they’re all good and cappuccino usually only costs 1.20-2 euro when you take it standing), order a cappuccino, and take a moment to just, well, savor the moment. Coffee here is an experience. Salute.

Baci,

Rachele

The Real Reason I’m Here

… is to travel and go out and eat pizza and meet a sexy Italian prince who feeds me gnocchi every day for the rest of my life.

Haha, not exactly.

The actual reason I’m here–besides all of the other things I previously stated–is to attend school at Lorenzo de’ Medici for the semester, and now that I’ve had my first week of classes I’m going to recap how that’s all going so far. Don’t worry, I’ll be back with updates on my hunt for the Italian prince in due time.

Last week Monday, 4 February 2013, we started our semester here. I’m taking Italian 102, Fashion Marketing, Digital Photography, Body Language and Communication, and International Conflict Resolution. Being at an international institute has its perks because all of my classes besides Italian only meet once a week, and no class meets on Friday, providing ample time for weekend trips and things.

Italian is great because so far class is the one place where I get to practice speaking without getting laughed at. Don’t get me wrong, I love speaking Italian and I understand it decently but I always second guess myself when I talk to locals. I feel like I’m getting more comfortable with it slowly, however, and my professor and class are awesome.

Fashion Marketing is absolutely fascinating for me! One of the reasons I chose LdM was because of its fashion course offerings. Right now we’re tying a lot of marketing, communication, and PR into fashion and understanding consumers. I eventually want to go into fashion writing and editing, so, as nerdy as it sounds (It’s cool. I’m pretty nerdy guys…) I can’t wait to learn from this course.

Body Language and COM is going to be fascinating. We learn about our nonverbal tendencies and how to control them to convey exactly what we want to convey, and we learn how to better understand the nonverbal communication of others. We have a textbook called People Watching and for one of our classes we are going to go stalk observe people in a nearby piazza. It ties in some theatrical and improvisational skills with communication concepts, which I also love.

International Conflict Resolution is only a general education requirement for me, but even though it sounds ridiculously hard, it’s kind of beginning to draw me in. In high school I wanted to study international relations and peace studies, so this course is triggering a part of my interests that I haven’t visited in a while. Besides the fact that there’s a 10-page paper (yeah, I’m not exactly understanding this whole homework while abroad concept yet…), I think it’ll be cool. If not, then at least it will be bearable! 

Digital Photography is awesome. It’s confusing and I didn’t know how many numbers and mathematical quantities could have possibly been involved in the process of digital photography, but I’m already hungry to capture images that tell stories, and write about them while posting them up here. My assignment for next week is to capture 10 still images of “A Walk in Florence.” Till I find those 10 images, here are some of my springboard concept images that I captured/edited today!

“Abbiamo Fame”

A friendly homeless man and his dog sit outside of a bank near the Piazza della Repubblica and was kind enough to let us take pictures of him and his dog.

“Never Be Alone”

A cool quote found amidst the city streets of Florence.

“Color in the Streets”

The infamous carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica.

I’m probably going to choose one of these three images to run with for my first project. Hopefully I’ll get the hang of this soon. That’s a wrap for my impression of my classes so far!

Baci,

Rachele

Carnevale di Venezia!

The Carnevale di Venezia (Venice Carnival) is an annual carnival held in Venice for a 2-week period prior to Lent. The festival has been around for centuries, but was only recently brought back by the Italian government in 1979 to revitalize the spirit and culture of the city of Venice. Today, over 3 million visitors flock to the beautiful streets of Venice to partake in this festival, and I was lucky enough to experience it yesterday!

On a day trip through Euro Adventures, my friends and I traveled to Venice yesterday to see this Carnevale for ourselves. We woke up early and were on buses by 8:45 AM, driving up North past Bologna and Padova for roughly 3 hours till we hit the island of Venezia.

It was extremely cold. I’m from Hawaii so when I see the ocean I don’t automatically think “30 degree weather,” if you know what I mean. However, I was a trooper and it was doable! By the end of the night, my friend Bishoi practically banned me from talking about how cold it was, so I guess you could say I had a slightly rough time with the weather situation. But I’m still alive folks so if I can do it you can too!

When you get to Venice, you have the option of taking a water bus/taxi/etc. or going on a 45 minute walk towards the main area of the city. My friends and I opted to walk so that we could enjoy the sights–I recommend that you do too! We took a water bus back in the evening, so we were able to get the best of both worlds.

After walking through the streets of Venice for about an hour, we sat down and ate some delicious pizza at the Taverna Capitan Uncino. My opinion on eating in Italy is that I try to avoid dodgy touristy places where the menu is translated into 3 languages and a host tries to pull you into the restaurant as soon as he sees you eying the menu. SO, this restaurant did have the food translated into English, but it was very broken English and the waiter only spoke Italian, and thus I deemed it appropriate–and it definitely was! I got the “pizza to the mozzarella, spinache, and parmesan,” and one of my friends got the “gnoccheti to the tomato to the meat and sauce of Carn.” Seems legit.

Kinder Bueno bars are a must for any tourist coming to Europe. That is all.

After lunch we kept walking for what felt like years until we found the Piazza San Marco. P. San Marco is definitely where you want to be if you want to enjoy the main Carnevale festivities. However, getting here was definitely an adventure in itself. The crowds were ridiculous and people walk around with masks and confetti all throughout the city leading to San Marco. You can’t get lost getting here because you can either follow the eccentrically-dressed crowds or simply follow the signs. There are signs to San Marco everywhere. Apparently in Piazza San Marco there is a lot of entertainment, mask and costume contests, food, and more. When we got there we saw what appeared to be a skit being performed up on stage.

This is just a sample of the crowds in Venice all throughout the streets leading up to Piazza San Marco.

Part of Piazza San Marco at 5pm. Packed with madness, awesomeness, and coldness.

When going to Venice for Carnevale, two essentials to buy are a mask (5-20 euro, depending on how elaborate the mask),  and some Murano glass (prices vary depending on where you go). Watching a Murano glassblowing demo was something I didn’t get to do yesterday but I recommend it anyway! I bought a cheap mask to get a little taste of the Carnevale spirit. You can either get a Bauta mask (a mask that covers the entire face), a Columbina mask (a mask that covers half the face and that either ties with ribbon–like mine–or that is attached to a stick), or a Medico della Peste mask (the most iconic and recognizable mask. Slightly macabre, it is a mask with large hollow eyes and a long beak, and it is reminiscent of the Plague).

My friend Bri and I rocking our masks.

My friend Bishoi, who didn’t get a mask, and I taking a break in between wrestling through the crowds.

At nighttime the most exciting of the festivities commence, and the city glows with decorations and lights. We caught the water bus back to the entrance to Venice (7 euro for a ~20-30 minute ride) and the city was absolutely stunning. The most romantic and beautiful part of the day for me was sitting outside in the back of the water bus watching the city as I was leaving. It has an indescribable ambiance to it that even the coldest weather couldn’t ruin.

As we left Venice, it began to HAIL and storm, which was also beautiful. Later tonight and possibly tomorrow, Florence might get a little bit of snowfall which I am ridiculously excited about. Will let you know if it happens!

Overall, Venice was awesome. If you like a little craziness, Carnevale is definitely for you. If you don’t like crowds, try visiting Venice when it isn’t Carnevale season because it’ll be just as stunning without all of the pushing and shoving. Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to visit again soon!

More pictures:

Venice? Check.

Next stop, Paris.

Baci,

Rachele

Week 1 in Florence: Casual Sprint

After days of sluggish jet lag recovery, I’m back online to recap my first week in Florence. With all the adjustments that we’ve made over the past week, I haven’t had the opportunity to take that many photos yet, but I’ll get better at this whole pro-photographer thing soon enough.

My roommates and totally hit it off and I love all the people I’ve gotten to meet so far. I don’t have a working Italian cell phone yet (I recommend getting one of these as soon as you go abroad or else you’ll get frustrated like me. I’m ready to pull my hair out) so it’s hard to get in touch with anyone. Hopefully I’ll get one tomorrow, or else you might not hear any more from Next Stop Italia because I’ll have died of lack-of-communication-lonely syndrome.

There are a lot of fun places to go out here in the city center of Florence. If you’re looking to bond with fellow Americans, head to places like Uncle Jimmy’s (Irish Pub), Lion’s Fountain (Irish Pub), and clubs like Astor, 21, and Space Electronic. Fillup is a cool club too with a more diverse crowd. All in all, it was a killer weekend and everyone I’ve met so far is ecstatic to be here. It’s easy to tell that there’s a mutual unspoken affinity amongst the international students here for each other and for the amazing experience we have ahead of us.

 

And if you’re wondering about the casual sprint, my roommates and I were walking around Florence last week and dodged a group of weird guys. We couldn’t just walk and running would be way too obvious, and thus, the ever-so classy casual sprint was born. We are experts of the casual sprint.

More pictures to come on my next post! I absolutely promise to fill my blog with beautiful pictures soon!!

Pizza and prosecco at Donnini in the Piazza della Republica.

The only picture that all four of us (my roommates and myself) have together so far. We need to work on this too!!

Lorenzo de’ Medici hosted a welcome dinner for all the LdM students this past Monday at this gorgeous venue that might as well have been extracted from a museum.

Buffet-style Italian food from the LdM welcome dinner.

More to come soon!

Baci,

Rachele