My Italian life, in pictures

Italy thus far in pictures

I suppose I’ll start with the basics…

As you know, I have been living in Florence (known as Firenze in Italian) for about 9 months now. It is located in the beautiful, lush, and commonly idealized area of Tuscany, which is in central Italy. Florence is known for being the birthplace of the Renaissance because it was home to the wildly rich and powerful Medici family who were great patrons of the arts.

This is Florence:



by day




and by night.

This is the street I live on. The name translates to “Top of the World.”



This is the palazzo in which I live. Palazzo is basically what you call a building.



My Italian roommate (right) and her best friend (left) at the Madonna costume party.



This is my room:





I’ve been trying not to collect books because they are going to weigh so much and take up so much space when I go to leave, but it’s very difficult since I am here to study literature, you know. My library:



and yes, that is St. Augustine’s City of God next to Carmen Electra’s Aerobic DVDs.

I have some interesting neighbors…



this is Mimo, an unbelievably large cat. I am his number one fan.



another neighbor here in Florence, Michaelangeo’s David.

I spend a lot of time walking on the uneven, stony streets of the city



and a lot of time reflecting



I spend a lot of time cooking for myself and for my friends



my typical dinner table



a silly apron



a feast, recipes compliments of Macaroni Grill!



delicious desserts are a must!



I also make delicious breakfasts for my friends. Yes, that is pretty much a troth of yummy breakfast potatoes and I am in the background preparing more!



I even make perfect cappuccinos to round out the meal!



Sometimes I go out for the incredible Italian ice cream—gelato



and when I’m lucky, I go out to eat.



The only bad thing about cooking and having guests over is you must clean.



When somewhere is too far to walk or it is raining, I take the bus



This is me waiting for the bus and below is Ajla bored on the bus



In true Italian form, I have zipped around the city on a scooter



Whenever I leave the city, I go by train



I go out for apertivo (drinks and snacks) with friends





I watch a lot of Sex and the City with my girls



I go out to plays and operas in beautiful and historic theaters





Leaving for a night out at the opera

Window shopping is a must



I babysit this cute British-Italian girl every week. More about that linguistic nightmare later…



A lot of time is just spent hanging around



I see beautiful things every day



Oh yeah, and I go to school too!



my school



me, my friends, and one of our teachers

I like to look at all the Italian books in bookstores, reading titles and looking for things that are familiar



I go on field trips and feel like I’m in elementary school again



the only redeemable thing about field trips for me is the fabulous hotels that we stay in! In them, I can finally pamper myself with a bath, something my Italian abode is lacking.



Besides bathtubs, another thing I desperately miss about the states is my Dr. Pepper



Without things like Dr. Pepper and baths, sometimes I feel like I am living under some communist regime. But then again, there are other things that make me feel that way.





I spent my New Year’s in Paris



and my birthday on the island of Capri (and no, I encountered no sirens)



I’ve experienced autumn for the first time



and after a long and painful winter, I finally experienced a true spring



Well, I’ve resized, uploaded, and semi-explained enough pictures, so I’m going to call it a night. Hope you enjoyed and leave me a note telling me you looked! I know you lurkers are out there so speak up!!