Firenze 2006-2007

Life in Florence as a Student

All across Florence, there are historical landmarks, museums, and other places of interest that are all worth a visit. Problem is that there are almost too many places to see in the short year that we will be spending over there. There are some things that you will come to know well, like the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio (pictured below), and various other landmarks. While all of these things are worth seeing, there is so much more, and given the amount of time that we have over there, we can afford to do some things off the beaten path.The Ponte Vecchio is pretty much at the tourist center of Florence, and you will get to know it very quickly.
This picture was taken from the top of the Campanille (bell tower). You can see the Dome of the cathedral in the immediate background. There is a little bit of an admission price and climb to get up to the top of the campanille or duomo, but it is worth it for the views. (In the above picture from left to right: Me, Peter, Eryn, and Josh).
Things that most tourists would never do in Florence are more ordinary activities that are special, and very different in Italy. The above picture of the baseball field is an example. Because I had the opportunity to live in the city for a long time, I was able to find an Italian team to practice with. Apart from learning all the swear words a sixteen year old Italian kid would say, I got to play baseball, which was awesome. Find something you love to do over there and experience it in a different culture, and see what happens. That is probably the greatest thing one could do overseas. Do what you love and gain a new perspective on it.
I had to put this picture in because, well Italy... Soccer... they go together. This picture is taken at an AC Fiorentina (the Florence pro team) game. These are the fans, and, well, you can see what is going on... those are some of the gestures made by the home fans directed at the away fans. Italian soccer (or calcio as they call it) is an amazing experience. Going to a game is a must for everyone in the group. Ticket prices are reasonable, and games are usually on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday nights.
This is a very basic telling of some things to do in Florence that you might not think abot right away. There is so much more to do in the city for people with any kind of interest. You just have to find something you love to do and just do it.

posted by Daniel Williams @ 15:40