Tag: Italy

How to Have the PERFECT Day in Florence

Published on by hadleyway1 Comment
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hadleyway

Hi! I’m Hadley way, a junior studying hospitality management. Currently in Florence, Italy, I write about my experiences abroad. Thanks for following along!!! 🩷🩷

After cosplaying as a tour guide this weekend with my friends, I have curated the perfect itinerary to see Florence (IMO)!!!

Morning

If there is something I am sure about, it is that you need to sleep in a bit before hitting the streets of Florence. This is not an early city, and you don’t need to “beat the crowds” when wanting to see it all. That being said, sleep in a bit. Don’t start your day too early or else you risk the burnout when mid-day rolls around. If you want a big breakfast, head over to Rooster Cafe, not your traditional Italian breakfast, but filling. If you’re wanting a more relaxed breakfast, grab a cafe latte or cappuccino at the Vintage Cafe. After breakfast, go to the leather markets – a must-see when in Florence. Here, you can bargain leather bags & it’s always fun seeing how low you can go. If you chose the latter breakfast option, you are probably going to be hungry earlier (even if you did choose the Rooster Cafe). It is so important to me that you go to the Central Market for lunch. The bottom floor is full of vendors selling produce, cheese, fish, meats, etc. But the top floor is where many locals grab a quick and easy bite to eat. I highly recommend grabbing the Tuscan Burger with Pecorino cheese but be sure to explore all the options (and grab anything the vendors are giving out to sample!)

Mid-Day

After grabbing lunch, I would suggest making your way towards Ponte Vecchio to cross the river. Take your time though – pop into vintage shops on the way or the Gucci store if you’re wanting to treat yourself 😉 When crossing Ponte Vecchio, be sure to stop at the halfway point and look at the Arno River & the city around it. Across the River, you’ll find the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. These are very historic landmarks of Florence, as the Medici family inhabited the Palace (along with other families, but Medici were very influential for Florence). Spend a few hours exploring the Palace and walking around the Gardens – some of the best views of the city are from here!

Evening

After walking around the Palace and Gardens, make your way back to siesta, go to the Odeon Cinema to watch a movie, or pop into a cafe for another espresso! After feeling well-rested, go grab an aperitivo at La Ménagère. It’s like a bar inside of Anthropologie home section. If you’re a student, you even get 10% off if you sign up for emails (do it, you can always unsubscribe later). After eating all of the olives and exploring the store and flowers, finish the night off at my favorite restaurant – Fuoco Matto. It’s a trendier spot, but they perfect every dish. It is also very budget-friendly, whether you want an 8-euro pizza or 30-euro lobster tagliatella, you can have it all.

So yeah, it’s not the perfect day for everyone, but it’s the perfect day for me. Have fun exploring!

Arrivederci,

Hadley

Rome Getaway

Published on by showtimeherink2Leave a comment

I had been planning this trip since before I got to Maastricht. I had always wanted to go to Rome and it was on my bucket list. I had planned to take the trip at the end of October (since that was when the period ended). Everything worked out in the end and on top of that, I was able to go for three nights instead two. The trip was so much fun, and I am glad I went. Here is a recap.

Like the trip to Budapest, I had a 4:30 am bus ride to the Brussels airport for an 8:40 flight. I did not sleep the night before and it did not feel like I was asleep when I was. I slept on the bus and the flight to Rome as much as I could, but since we had an amazing view of the Alps on the flight out, I had to gaze at their beauty. The flight was uneventful, and I landed in Rome without trouble. I then took a bus to the city center and the first thing I did was eat some pizza and ice cream. After that I walked towards the Rome Colosseum and the Rome Forum. I did not have tickets to get inside on Friday (I had them for Saturday) so instead, I walked around the area for about 2-3 hours before heading to my hostel to check in. After checking in to the hostel and getting settled, I made my way over to the Trevi Fountain. Expecting to see the fountain in action, I was greeted with an empty fountain as they were doing restoration work to the fountain. Other than that, it was still very cool to look at and I even found a good ice cream place by the area (I would go there every night after dinner during the time I was in Rome).

Saturday I was able to actually enter the Rome Colosseum for my tour. I wanted to explore the entirety of the Colosseum, but all the exclusive tickets were sold out, so I had to get a ticket that allowed me access to only the first and second floors of the Colosseum. The Colosseum was amazing. I have always wanted to visit it and I am glad I got the opportunity to visit it. After the Colosseum I made my way to the Rome Forum, which is part of the last remnants of the Roman Empire. The place was massive, and I was there for about 5-6 hours exploring the area. After then Forum I found some dinner and went back to the Trevi Fountain to get some ice cream and to enjoy the sight of the Trevi Fountain.

Sunday, I explored the Vatican City and although I did not go into any of the buildings, it was a sight to behold. I walked around the area for some time before making my way back across the river to the Pantheon, my next stop in the Rome Getaway. I explored the inside of the Pantheon, where I saw sculptures and paintings from the times of Ancient Rome. I spent the rest of my day walking around the city and ended off the night with- you guessed it, more pizza and ice cream by the Trevi Fountain. I had an early flight out Monday morning, so I went to bed early. The flight home as quick and I was able to get on an earlier bus back to Maastricht so that was nice.