The Most Sophisticated City in the World

Hello from a tired American in Florence!
We have been so busy since getting here, but everything has exceeded my expectations. Saturday night all of the TCU students met at one of the apartments for dinner. Our apartments are all in different areas, so it is nice to catch up with everyone. After dinner we planned to go to a Discoteca but encountered a wind storm and decided to go home to our warm apartment instead.

Sunday we slept late and then went on a historical walking tour of Florence. Our tour guide, Rocky, is a Rhode Islander who has been living in Florence for 18 years. He is an Architecture Historian and so passionate about the city. I was on Cloud Nine listening to him recount thousands of years of history. I could listen to lectures about the history of Florence for hours. Rocky deemed the city "The Most Sophisticated City in the World" as well as "The Manhattan of the Middle Ages." I could go on and on about this tour.

Two of my roommates, Ellen and Julie, looking like tourists with our ear pieces

We ended at the Galleria dell'Accademia where Michelangelo's David is on display. If you have never seen the David, put it on your to-do list. When I turned the corner and looked down the long corridor, I truly gasped at what I saw. Many people say the David is the most important piece of art in the world, and seeing it in person is breathtaking. The detail in the furrow of his brow, the strain in his lips, and the veins running up his arms tells the beautiful story of David from the Bible. I definitely want to go back and admire the marble statue again. Luckily, I have a museum card that gets me into all of the museums for free! Thank you TCU for helping me be more cultured.

Gelato! Gelato stands are pretty much every other store here, and while they seem all the same, there is a distinct difference. A friend told me before I came that the gelato in mounds is for tourists (or is what Julie calls "fake gelato") and the gelato that is flat in the container is the authentic, good stuff. Chris took us to a place he remembered from when he was here three years ago that is divine. It is called Cafe delle Carrozze and is dangerously close to my apartment. They have a Forrero Rocher flavor that I could probably eat buckets of.

Last night we made our first home cooked meal in the apartment. We made a baked three-cheese pasta, eggplant parmesan, and a salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto. Everything was so good and we had fun cooking as roommates. I can't wait to keep trying out recipes and making up my own.

Today (Monday) some people started classes, but Julie, Hayley, and I don't have classes on Mondays. We woke up early and the three of us went on a hike to Piazzale Michelangelo. Because it is at a pretty high elevation, this piazza has the most gorgeous views of the city. We met a great artist there and I bought one of his watercolors that shows the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo.

View from the Piazzle Michelangelo

After our hike, we went to the Market Central. This market is huge and the vendors are cheap. I bought some fruit and some olive/truffle spread that is delicious.

 Veggies and cheese at the market

After the market we went to find where our classes are since they are spread throughout the city. We located all of the buildings and headed home after a long day of walking.

The cappuccinos are delizioso 

Salute!

Sorry this was long; we have been doing so much! 
Sarah