Florence June 2011: My First Weekend in Florence

On Friday, Alyssa, Emily and I decided to walk around Florence to get a feel for the city. We walked around the Central Market where we had lunch and I got my first dose of Pappardelle Bolognese in Italy. Then we made our way to Piazza Duomo, where we had our first Jersey Shore spotting while Alyssa was attempting to exchange dollars for Euros when I decided to speed walk to the center of the Piazza and walk a decent distance behind Dina and J-Woww but in between them…. In other words, keep an eye out for a creepy American girl in a white top with khaki shorts that looks shore-struck. After this we went to Piazza de Signoria, outside of the Uffizi Gallery, around and over the Ponte Vecchio, Piazza de Repubblica and then back home to get ready for our LdM Orientation dinner at Palazzo Borghese.

Dinner was good, and we spent the night people watching before leaving to check out the Gelato Festival in Piazza de Repubblica. Gelato cocktails, yum! Once we walked over the the drink station, we had our second Jersey Shore spotting. Dina and Sammie were chatting it up with the bartender and a couple that were there. (Of course, surrounded by cameras, lights and microphones.) We then followed them back to their apartment, just around the corner. We met two girls from California who were standing outside across the street just watching all of the commotion from spectators and the bodyguards. We made plans to meet up with them at Astor for happy hour drinks around 11:30 pm. Happy hour… right.

After pre-gaming at our apartment, we went to Astor and met up with Cailin and Kelly making a short appearance at Astor to make our way back to our apartment and get a cab to go to Central Park. The rest of the night is history, dancing for 30 seconds and then walking away from a greasy Italian man that approached me, paying cover on the way OUT of the bar and coming home.

The next morning was not enjoyable, but we climbed the Duomo – after I felt like I was going to have a heart attack from the steep and narrow stairs. If I wasn’t claustrophobic before, I am now. The view was beautiful from the top and we ran into some students who were studying abroad in Rome. We made plans to meet up with them that night at Space, a club in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. I didn’t end up going out but Emily and Alyssa went and got a little lost on the way home. Emily sat in the street taking her shoes off… heels in a cobblestone sidewalk just aren’t like PB&J.

Sunday we lounged around and then went to Piazza Michelangelo with JP, his roommate and some friends of his that are studying/working over here. The sunset was beautiful! We had wine and pizza at the Piazza, following a short visit to one of the girls’ apartments that overlooks the Ponte Vecchio and then we went home to get ready for our first day of class!