this weekend, half of the students in my program traveled by train to florence for roughly three days of museum tours, eating, and exploring. we saw many cool things, including an aerial view of the city from the top of the duomo, the gucci gardens (gucci began in florence fyi), and famous paintings such as the birth of venus.
day one, we stepped off the train and went straight into the medici family mausoleum. multiple sculptures crafted by michelangelo rest here along with late members of the most important family in florence. we took a break for lunch, where i devoured the best cacio e pepe at a little place called
trattoria da guido. of course, we had to test out the gelato around and unanimously concluded that the ice cream from
don nino right next to the duomo was the best we’d had in the country. they also had a nice build-your-own cannoli bar and who wouldn’t love that?
our professors then sent us to the top of the duomo. i’ve actually climbed it before, but walking off that final step into the blinding sunlight still made my chest compress. that feeling of almost flying, of being able to see the entire city and the mountains that surround it- that’s worth the four-hundred-something stairs. we then rewarded ourselves with florence’s specialty: wild boar. i had mine served in a red sauce over noodles and let me just say that the university of arkansas has a very tasty mascot.
day two began bright and early with a tour of the ufitzi gallery and the basilica of santa maria novella, which provide access to some of the most breathtaking ceilings. we followed that up with lunch at
mercato di san lorenzo, which sits in the middle of the city. it’s a two-story building housing dozens of different restaurants and bars. we split up and picked from sushi, fried chicken, classic italian, smoothies, burgers, seafood, and restaurants dedicated entirely to truffle dishes. we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around for some of the best leather in the world. florence, after all, was founded on the industry (pro tip: the famous market in the middle of the city doesn’t have an ounce of real leather for sale. explore the brick and mortar shops a little bit away from the crowds to find real italian masterpieces).
our activity for the evening was sipping some wine in the rooftop bar at the
grand hotel minerva while the sun set on the duomo. we then had some cocktails and snacks at
konnubio, a quaint and intimate lounge with an open roof and tons of greenery. to conclude our saturday in florence, we managed to find an
irish pub popular among american students. in fact, we met lots of other students from arkansas and even caught the end of a championship football game that ended quite favorably for the italians.
our third and final day was a brief walking tour of the city, which is so small that we walked down every single street in a couple of hours. at
volume, i tried my first shakerato, which is the italian equivalent of iced coffee. hot espresso, simple syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker. the coffee froths at the top and cuts out the need for any milk. i might start making my coffee that way back home! for lunch, we came across
rosalía, a precious salad bar offering fresh juices and american-style coffee. and then it was back on the train to rome.
i’ve always loved florence and how the vibe is more laid back and relaxed compared to rome’s hustle and bustle. it’s a lot smaller and less urban, which is why a couple days was all we needed to exhaust the city of sights and sounds. the one thing we didn’t get to do this time around was see michelangelo’s david due to ticket scarcity. i highly, highly recommend it to other travelers, though. it puts every other sculpture to shame (except bernini’s apollo and daphne. they’re tied for first). if you’re an arkansas student considering this program, just know that florence is one of the best cities in italy and the fact that it’s included in the curriculum is truly amazing! if you’re just someone keeping up with my time here, i guess all you need to know is that florence will always have a special place in my heart.
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Junior English/Creative Writing major Rylie Frederick is spending the summer 2019 term at the
University of Arkansas Rome Center.
Read more from Rylie at
https://rylieinrome.home.blog/Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at
http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at
ksabo@uark.edu.
