Wow, five weeks flew by fast. I spent my last week studying for exams and soaking it all in.
Things I’ve Done
Cooking Classes
This week was my most stressful with three exams in four days. On Monday, we had what my professor called a “quiz”. It was actually just an exam with the same number of questions that you had to respond to with 3/4 of a page instead of a full page. Oh and in half the time. It was horrible and so rushed.
We made double filled raviloli that day too which is a difficult process so I was so stressed. My pasta kept ripping and the filling oozed out in the boiling water so my dish flopped. Still tasted pretty good though.
On Tuesday, we cooked a shrimp pasta. The process of preparing the shrimp really grossed me out (surprise surprise). I tried a bite of the final dish and it was fine… the shrimp and pasta were cooked together so I couldn’t really get away from the flavor. Someone who loves seafood would LOVE it though. It was very well cooked if I do say so myself.
Wednesday was our final exam which I was kind of nervous for but I think it ended up being not too bad. I have no idea what my grade is though.
Thursday, my last day in class was the practical cooking exam. Almost everyone in our class chose to cook the turkey breast prosciutto wraps because they were so easy to make. We were told we had to memorize the cooking process and the correct amount of ingredients which really stressed me out so I tried to keep it as simple as possible. We also had to make a presentation with our cooking partner and teach the class for 10 minutes about the topic associated with the dish.
Sarah and I worked really well together and created a great presentation. We had to serve our dish first which sucked because we were timed and our time got cut even shorter by the professor going over instructions at the beginning of class. We were so rushed, presented our dish late, and probably lost points for it. I felt like I was competing on America’s Next Top Chef. Our plate presentation was seriously lacking but the food tasted great so I think we did well overall.
Cascine Market
On Tuesdays, there is a huge market at Cascine Park. It was unlike anything I’ve seen because it was more cheap clothes, shoes, and leather bags than it was produce. I was a bit overwhelmed because some booths just had piles of clothes to sift through. It was a thrift shopper’s dream but stressed me out. I snagged some great fake Birkenstocks for $12 that I love, and a $6 pair of white pool slides that I am excited about. I bought some fresh fruit here too.
Note: This is only open from 8am to 2pm on Tuesdays. I had to take the bus here because it is a pretty far walk from the center of Florence.
Vintage Stores
There are so many vintage stores in Florence and they are absolutely nothing like your regular thrift shop at home. These stores have nice high end items like Gucci bags in glass cases. I stopped in looking for anything to jump out at me but since I don’t particularly care for high end labels I didn’t get anything. We stopped in Dolve Vita (pictures on the left with many options in the glass cases) and Desi Vintage (picture on the right).
Uffizi Gallery
Woah. This place is HUGE. And Crowded. Uffizi Gallery is one of the most well known museums and a must see for many when they visit Florence. It also just so happened to be right next to my apartment!
I went by myself and I am so glad because it is hard to pace your art viewing to others in your group. Especially when there are massive crowds of people and guided tours. I zipped through the museum and only stopped to read the descriptions of art that particularly caught my eye. If you tried to intently read and analyze everything, you would be there forever.
Spontaneous Trip to Pisa
I make myself laugh whenever I think about my day trip to Pisa. On my very last day in Florence, I chose to go to Pisa. Why the heck would I do that? I felt content with all that I have done in Florence and there wasn’t really anything that excited me to do on my last day. So in search of excitement and something new, I hopped on the train.
I loved Pisa not because of the place itself, but the confidence it gave me going by myself simply because I just felt like it. It was so freeing. I took the train to Pisa Centrale, then switched trains to get to Pisa S. Rossore which was the closest station to the leaning tower. It was kind of an odd walk from the station to the tower but I got there just fine.
Once I was there, I walked around a bit and took a million self timer photos of myself and the tower. I settled down at a place for lunch along the main strip. Then I just walked around the area a bit more and headed back home. You honestly don’t need more than three hours here haha.
Places I’ve Eaten
Caffe Concerto Paszkowski
This cafe is conveniently located along Piazza della Repubblica. My friends and I had such an amazing time sitting at the outdoor seating with views of the piazza. We ordered drinks and stayed to listen to incredible man playing guitar and singing American classics. Cheesy? Yes. But so much fun. I wouldn’t normally want to listen to a man play Sweet Caroline while in Italy because it doesn’t feel authentic, but on my last week there when I was homesick, I loved it.
View On Art
If you are looking for the bar that you see all over Instagram and Tik Tok, this is it. View on Art is kind of hidden if you don’t know where to look. It is a small rooftop bar with stellar views of the Duomo. I loved the atmosphere, but the drinks were all pretty funky. I liked mine, but if you are looking for something more classic this isn’t the spot for you.
Finisterrae Ristorante Mediterraneo
I loved this place!! It was so refreshing to have a Mediterranean meal that was not pasta. The menu had a Moroccan influence so I ordered the Tajine di saida. It was chicken marinated with Moroccan spices, prunes and almonds served with cous-cous. I have never tasted anything like it before and my waste buds were wowed!!
Ristorante Braceria Auditore
I went to a lot of work to find the name of this place so that I could recommend it to you. All because you need to try the chicken and prosciutto dish with mashed potatoes. It is basically a fancy chicken cordon bleu. FANTASTIC! Service is great too 🙂
Takeaways
- Do things that excite you and make you feel like your best self! Not just what Trip Advisor says.
- Bargain! These leather markets and Cascine markets are expecting you to bargain but you need to be tough. Don’t just leave with a lame deal, make sure it is a good one.
- Unlike some places, you can’t buy the bus tickets right when you walk on the bus. You have to buy it at the machine right near the bus stop.
- Don’t go to Pisa for a full day. Just trust me.
- On your last week, be sure to soak it all in. I got so caught up in stressing out for my final exam when I didn’t need to. My partner Sarah had to remind me that this is a study abroad class that we will definitely get a good grade in and if not, who cares. We won’t completely fail it because we did the work. It will all work out so enjoy the now.
