Now that I’ve survived a couple of weeks here in Italy I’ve definitely learned a few things about what it means to live in Florence! I’ve learned that Italian Netflix has a ton of different movies and tv shows, that the closer I am to the Duomo the more tourists I’ll find and the more English I’ll hear, and that sidewalks here are eternally narrow. With that said, I've also learned things that are a little bit more substantial.
English is...everywhere
Unsurprisingly, I've found many of the Italians I've talked to incredibly helpful and kind! I've also found that nearly every single Italian I've asked "parla inglese?" has responded with fluent or near fluent english. There's a strange interplay between being grateful for this and wishing I was forced to learn larger phrases of Italian. It's hard understanding that I'm not as involved in the culture as I could be - that I'm asking and assuming everyone around me can speak my language because I haven't learned theres. Because of this I've certainly been trying out a few more phrases and attempting to get through interactions only in Italian - nonetheless my accent is usually spotted pretty quickly.
The people are as beautifully dressed as you'd expect
I meant what I said a few blog posts ago - that it's important to remember to wear what you want to feel comfortable. With that said, there's no escaping the fact that people in Italy know fashion. They take so much thought with presentation here - whether it's food, their market place, or fashion the Italians take appearance very seriously which is kind of beautiful to understand. When you're in the presence of something as fantastic as the Duomo everyday and in a city where Bromanti and Donatello's works are everywhere it only makes sense that you would respect this idea of beauty and elegance.
Everything's connected to somebody famous - and I mean Everything
So I've already mentioned a few incredibly cool facts about Florence (the fact that the first piano was invented here and Pinocchio's birthplace was also here), but after being here a while I feel like I keep learning more and more things connected to Florence. It turns out it's the first city to get its streets paved and, even more importantly, it's the city that invented Italian gelato! The man considered to be one of the greatest Italian poets - Dante Alighieri - is also from Florence as well as Guccio Gucci - the founder of the Fashion House of Gucci!
I'd say the thing that excites me the most is the building in which I'm taking my classes. This building was dedicated to Galileo after his death (because the Catholic Church refused to honor his achievements) by Galileo's top student! This is something our school is incredibly proud of - as they should be. In later years the building was also likely bought by Francesco del Giocondo - otherwise known as Mona Lisa's husband! This means it's quite likely Mona Lisa herself walked through this building. All of these amazing people, of course, don't include Michelangelo who studied in Florence for the majority of his young life or Leonardo Da Vinci's many contributions to Florentine culture!
All of this said, being here in Florence is such an honor. I'm surrounded by beauty, by incredible influences, and people who are kind and often poetic (I guess it's hard not to be when you live in such a beautiful place!). I'm excited to come to understand more about living in Florence in the weeks to come!