Category: Italy

Catching Up: My First 3 Weeks in Florence

Published on by carolinepotterLeave a comment

When I looked at the date on the calendar the other day I couldn’t believe that I had already been in Florence for 3 weeks! I thought back to September 1st, when I began my journey.

My parents waved goodbye to me as I tried my hardest not to cry going through security at the airport. I am a homebody at heart, so I felt nervous leaving home alone. However, 21 hours later when I was landing in Florence (thanks to some delays and travel complications), I could not feel more excited. Luckily, I decided to go abroad with my best friend from DU, Kira. We had not seen each other since June and were about to reunite at the airport in Florence! The rest of the first day flew by with housing orientation, getting settled into our apartment, and dinner out with our roommates.

The rest of the first week here flew by. I met so many new friends – from DU, the United States and other countries. I started to learn my way from my apartment to the local grocery store (shoutout, Conad!). At a local spritz bar down the street, Kira and I met the bartender, Marcello, who quickly became our first Florentine friend! The first weekend here we stayed in Florence and took advantage of free museum day on the first Sunday of every month. Exploring the Boboli Gardens and Uffizi Museum, I began to appreciate all of the Renaissance history that Florence has.

The second week, I had all of my classes for the first time. All of my professors here are amazing and I am so excited to learn about Florentine history, cooking, and global affairs this semester! This weekend, I also went on my first trip to Cinque Terre with some new friends. We left Friday morning and took the train to Monterosso, where we had an Airbnb for the night. Friday was spent getting breakfast at a cafe in town, spending hours at the beach soaking up the sun, partaking in aperol spritz buckets on the beach, then getting pizza and playing cards the rest of the night. Saturday morning, we took the train south to Manarola, the village famous for all of the colorful houses dotting the cliffside. We wandered in the morning, becoming mesmerised by the waves crashing into the rocks and amused by people going cliff jumping. That evening, we took the train back to Florence and walked back to our apartment in the drizzling rain, already dreaming about our next outing.

By the third week, I started to find my routine. Going to class, cooking dinner, and exploring further out from the city center in my free time. We went to Rome on Friday as a quick day trip and l absolutely loved it! We started our morning off with a train ride that flew by (thanks to the entertainment of some of our fellow passengers who were en route to crash a circus). When we arrived in Rome, we first grabbed a quick bite at a cafe. Then, we walked to the Pantheon en route to the Vatican City. We entered St. Peter’s Basilica following the realization that we did not wear proper clothing to enter, but thankfully, a friendly staff member gave us disposable capes to wear inside. After that, we got pasta en route to the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Having seen photos of the Colosseum my whole life, it felt surreal to see it in person. Picturing all of the people who were bustling around the Roman Forum in ancient times brought out my inner history nerd – I absolutely loved it. We took the train to Florence that night and arrived back having walked 30,000 more steps and a longing for our beds.

So far, I have been moving from one place to the next every minute, and I cannot wait to explore new places but also to find my routine, slow down, and enjoy all Florence has to offer!

Arrivederci! ❤️

Caroline

Location to Locals: Cinque Terre, Italy

Published on by Alex WinnLeave a comment

“We’re Swimming in the Sea in Italy”

Location: Monterosso

…and so began my first trip of my fall 2025 abroad experience at 6:00 am in Genoa, Italy.

Two friends and I caught the Trenord train from Genoa to Monterosso, Cinque Terre, to meet two others. Before this trip, my only knowledge of Cinque Terre was the connection to the well-known and admired Disney movie Luca. To me, Monterosso was synonymous with beach clubs distinguished by their striped umbrellas and movie-ticket-priced cocktails. Each beach along Monterosso’s coast had distinct umbrellas, defining one club from the next. We chose Stella Marina, identifiable by burnt orange and pastel green umbrellas, while neighboring clubs stretched down the beach creating this seemingly seaside rainbow.

Waiting for our friends to arrive, we wandered down the beach to find the famous ‘il Gigante’ – a towering carved stone statue of a man holding up the cliff to which he is embedded on the coast of Villa Pàstine. It was one of those sights you look at and have to say “Wow.” Trailing back to our beach chairs, we found a café serving “American” caramel iced coffee with almond milk – a rarity to find in Italy.

Blame it on the liter of Hugo spritz – or pure spontaneity that Italy evoked – but we trustingly left our bags on the beach while swimming in the sea as warm as bathwater. The sea floor disappeared not even twenty feet from shore, creating an unimaginable illusion of being in the middle of the ocean. Our long hours in the ocean seemed like blissful minutes with one singular phrase repeated again and again: “we’re swimming in the sea in Italy”.

Three… Two… One…

Locals: Vernazza

Cinque Terre, directly translating to ‘Five Lands’, is strung together by train rides taking you to each town that seems to defy gravity by clinging onto the cliff sides, carved out for the buildings to be placed onto and next to each other.

Our group of five had thus far explored Monterosso’s beach club, Riomaggiore’s alleys filled with souvenirs and gelato, and then we found ourselves in Vernazza where the dark sky was blending into the sea and the wind gave a touch of resistance to our steps.

We found the cliff photographed above and the ledge next to it where six teenage boys, wrapped in towels, began undressing. After taking their shoes off and unwrapping the towels under a storming sky, they each dove into the rough water from the ledge one by one. I remember looking at my friends and with no words being exchanged, there was a unanimous decision made. It was that kind of decision you knew might be reckless and regrettable, but one that would be a story to share with others for the rest of our lives.

Hidden to the left of a chapel, underneath packed restaurants, was a small cave where we took turns holding towels and changing back into our bikinis that were still dripping wet from the Monterosso beach club earlier that day. We walked back to the ledge and, following in the boys’ footsteps – literally – began removing our towels and flip-flops, getting stares and questionable glances from the locals and fellow tourists. Each of us held the hand of the person next to us and three… two… one… the current of the sea engulfed us.

Breaking the surface of the water to breathe, I smiled and laughed.