Buongiorno, from my new home!
I am so excited to finally settle down in the beautiful city of Florence. After arriving, I wandered around the city for a bit and was in aw of its breathtaking views. While Florence’s landmarks are certainly monumental, what makes the city so special is how the entire area permeates with breathtaking scenery. Every street is picture-worthy and possesses so much character and beauty. Even my classrooms share a level of artistic charm, unlike no other. I have never been surrounded by so much beauty, that every place I look appears exquisite.
I have the privilege of living with a host family, and I feel truly immersed in the Italian culture. My host Mom, Giovanna, is an Italian grandmother (Nonna), who makes the most incredible dinners every evening. Giovanna has so graciously welcomed me into her home. Each morning she makes the most amazing coffee and sets out breakfast. Every night is met with an incredible authentic Italian meal and sometimes a short cooking lesson prior to dinner. I’ll often think to myself, “this is my favorite meal,” but the next night I’ll try Giovanna’s risotto or her homemade pesto and find a new cherished dish. She made the most extraordinary apple cake last weekend; it had the perfect balance of tart apples with sweet cinnamon.
There is a cultural element to meals that we often miss in America. Eating is more about the experience. It is equally about the incredible food as it is regarding the people sharing in the meal. Every night we talk about our day, I get to practice Italian, and I learn something new about Giovanna. I hear about her grandchildren, her favorite books, recipes, travel recommendations, and of course, Giovanna’s stories from when she studied abroad in the United States in college. As we watch the sunset during dinner over the Duomo, it’s just another reminder of the majestic quality of Florence. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be welcomed into this beautiful space with gracious people, like Giovanna and her family.
The city of Florence is the greatest classroom I have ever entered. All of my courses take advantage of this space. I am taking a cooking class where we visit the farms in Tuscany to learn about food systems. In addition, I’m taking a class titled Sustainable Urbanism. It’s a course that cross counts as geography and architecture. While I had never taken an architecture course before studying abroad, I feel so fortunate to be enrolled in one while in a city notorious for its infrastructure. I love being able to learn about Florence’s foundation and analyzing it from a sustainability perspective. While my courses keep me busy throughout the week, weekends have been filled with the exploration of Europe.
My first weekend was spent with my host Mom who took us to the market and one of the many beautiful churches, Santa Croce. The second weekend my friends and I did a wine and olive oil tasting in Tuscany. During the tasting we learned about the process of making wine and olive oil. Tuscany is notorious for Chianti. Unlike most wine, it is not named after the type of grape, but rather the region that the wine is produced. The vineyards were absolutely beautiful! We then spent a day in Cinque Terre, which is a series of five small coastal towns in Italy. Aside from being a pristine location with so many gorgeous views, Cinque Terre is home to the best pesto, which makes sense since it was actually invented in this beautiful place.
Our third weekend we traveled to the South of France. We visited Marseille and Nice. It was a bit challenging to travel to a country with a new language again. I was just beginning to pick up the basic phrases in Italian, and now we were in France. We stopped at a restaurant when we arrived, and I tried to order a coffee in Italian. (Google translate came in very handy throughout the weekend.) Our first day in France we went hiking in Marseille. We visited Calanques National Park, which is truly a hidden gem. We then took a bus to Nice, where the weather wasn’t as nice. However, this granted us the perfect opportunity to explore the French bakeries. There was an incredible aroma that permeated into the streets, and the display cases were filled with the artisonal bite-sized treasures. However, the pastries tasted even better than they looked, which may be hard to imagine.
While in Nice, I was talking to my friend Katie and referenced going back home. Not home in Syracuse, but rather in Florence. It was a defining point of studying abroad. I questioned at what time and if ever I would consider Florence my home. With so many cultural differences, Florence served as a constant reminder of how far from Syracuse I had traveled. However, embracing these differences is what has allowed me to call a location thousands of miles away my home.
Home is often defined as a place that we find comfort and support. It’s not always easy to find comfort in the unknown. I am grateful for Giovanna, my friends from Syracuse, and new friends that I’ve made, who have all allowed me to gain a sense of familiarity in a place that once appeared so vastly different. While this is still just the beginning of my time abroad, today marks three weeks since I embarked on my journey abroad, and I have finally found my home in Florence.
*Originally written on 9/23.
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