Europe – Page 5 – DU Abroad

I have officially been in Florence for 12 weeks. Time has gone by so fast, but in these 3 months, I *think* that I have created the perfect complilation of architechture, cultural icons, and most importantly, gastronomic endeavors if you had only one day in Florence.

Morning

Start off the day by visitng the Gallery de Academia, which houses Michelangelo’s David. In my experience, it is the best to get the earliest time slot (8:15) and get in line 20 min. before entry. Then, when you get in, head straight for the David. I did this with my parents and we got the most breathtaking view before anyone else had wandered in. After this, head just a few blocks away to La Menagere for breakfast. You truly cannot go wrong with anything here, but my personal favorite is the uova strapazzate con formaggio, bacon, e pane tostato and an iced matcha with vanilla. Wander around the gorgeous space and curated home store after breakfast if you have time! Next, I would suggest going to the Duomo in the heart of Florence and seeing the baptestry, inside the cathedral, and also climbing the cupola! Learning how revolutionary Brunelleschi’s techniques were is truly amazing and makes you appreciate the cathedral even more! Following this, if you love retail therapy like I do, browse all of the shopping that Florence has to offer on Via Tornabuoni and Via Calimala. Alternatively, you could take a cooking class or go wine tasting!

Afternoon

The Uffizi Gallery, which was previously the administrative building for the Medici Family, is an enormous gallery housing some of the most impressive art that was in the Medici collection. I would highly suggest visiting and getting a private tour (it is HUGE and you can feel a little overwhelmed if you go in blind). Following this, walk over to Pino’s Sandwiches on Via Giuseppe Verdi for lunch. The schiacciateria (Tuscan foccacia sandwiches) are undoubtedly my favorite food in Florence! After this, wander across the Ponte Vecchio to Santo Spirito, where you can stop at a wine window – or simply explore all of the adorable shops (I may be biased because my apartment is in Santo Spirito, but I think it is the best!!).

Evening

From Santo Spirito, walk East along the Arno River to Porta San Niccolò and then climb up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo. This is the best spot to watch sunset in Florence, but can get crowded, so get there early to get a spot! Grab a drink from the bar nestled into the side of the lookout or simply enjoy the Tuscan sunset! After sunset, head to dinner at Trattoria Cammillo, Cantinetta Antinori, or Cibrèo. Florence has some of the best restaurants in the world, so you truly cannot go wrong (same goes for all of the food here). If you have a later reservation, feel free to pop into a wine bar or stop and grab an apertivo while you wait.

Nighttime

Following dinner, grab gelato at La Sorbetteria, La Strega Nocciola, or Gelateria La Carraria. From there, you can either head back to your accomodation and tuck in for the night or go out in Florence! Some of my favorite places here are Red Garter for Karaoke or Lion’s Fountain – an Irish Pub that always has American sports on!

If you get the chance to visit Florence – TAKE IT! Even though I still have 3 weeks here, I am already reminiscing about my time spent here because I can say that without a doubt, I have fallen in love with Florence.

Arreviderci,

Caroline

P.S. Check out Katie Parla’s website for the best food recs in Florence & all of Italy!

You will find that Americans will somehow still follow you to every corner of the planet, just when you are trying to get away from the US. Even worse, you will find people you know and it’ll make your eye twitch – because how on Earth did I find this person here?

I say this because last weekend, I went with my aunt to see the Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theater. It was my first time seeing a musical in the West End. I’ve never pictured myself as a theater enjoyer, but that’s probably because I’ve never been in a city where theater is all that popular. Really, I picture poorly-produced high school shows that make you cringe.

I was flipping through the program I got before the show started, and lo and behold: a swing cast member who studied at the Lamont School of Music at DU. Excuse me? How could I possibly have found a DU alum in this particular showing of the Phantom of the Opera, on this day, at this time? I didn’t know that our music school was that good (no offense to any Lamonters reading this). He will never know that I was in the crowd watching his show, but it was weird to think that this guy walked around the same campus that I did, thousands of miles away.

But West End theater is no joke. Everything from the costumes to the rapid changes on set were something to behold. The giant chandelier that gets hoisted into the air and then comes crashing down onto the stage, the 2+ hours that are required for the Phantom’s makeup alone, the thousands of beads on every dress and suit are really something to see. It’s peak human creativity; refreshing to see in a time when AI can now “sing” a cover of an Elvis Presley song as Michael Jackson and auto-generated images are everywhere.

Vintage jacket heaven. This is in the Brick Lane Vintage Market, which is basically the Mecca of all things vintage. There are so many colors, fabrics, and materials that your head will be spinning if you manage to find your way out of this underground maze.

I have exactly one month left abroad, and I want to tear out my hair thinking about it. I’m having fun, living in a big city, and frankly, I’ve accommodated very well to living in London. Going back means that I will have to be dragged back into the real world with no public transportation and no more fun accents. So now I feel the pressure to do as much as possible (no matter how financially irresponsible) before I return. Despite the fact that I’ve already been trying to see the city as best I can, it feels like I haven’t even explored a fraction of it.

Maybe that’s something that just comes with living in a place as big as London. Things are always changing. The holiday season makes this especially apparent, as the giant angels floating above Oxford Street just seemed to show up overnight. When did they even find time to hang them up? There’s always traffic, and the old infrastructure isn’t the most friendly to modernized Christmas decorations. Also, Christmas markets have been popping up all over the city. Leicester Square, Southbank, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Old Spitalfields, London Bridge. When am I even supposed to find the time to visit them all? On the bright side (or rather, the dark side), it gets pitch-black at 5pm, so all the decorations light up early.

Christmas 2 — Christmas lights. Is this a fire hazard? Probably. Looks like there were no lessons learned from the Great Fire of London.

Christmas 1 — More Christmas lights. Thankfully this was here, or I might have just forgotten what year it was…

A pastry and chai I got from Popham’s, a trendy little bakery in Hackney. The line was long but worth it; this hazelnut-chocolate-thing was rich and crispy.

But alas, DU beckons. Whether it attempts to find me in the West End or through emails about the end of fall quarter or housing selection, I can’t escape its grasp until I graduate. (Okay, this sounds bad, but I think I just get sad when I think about having to leave London for Colorado, where people literally wear FLIP FLOPS in the snow and ice. Horrendous.) I think that for the rest of my time here, I will attempt to do one new thing every day, even if it’s just walking a different route home from class or trying one of the millions of cafés that exist on every corner.

Thank you again for reading,

Alexandra

Category: Europe

The Perfect Day in Florence

The Phantom of DU