Let’s Rewind to… July 2017, Galway.
“Do you know Michelangelo and Galileo?”
“Yes.”
“They’re from Florence. Do you know Dante? What about Raphael?”
“Yes.”
“Also Florence”.
Within just a few hours of meeting three Italian girls who shared the same hostel room as me, I was getting the insider scoop about Florence, including getting a list of all the cool and notable people who came from that city. Among the list also included Niccolò Machiavelli, the Medici family and Leonardo Da Vinci. Bianca, Carolina and Sara are all from Florence and we all got along very well, spending most of our time together while in that part of Ireland.
Our time together that summer was so fun and we vowed to stay in touch, perhaps even visiting each later on in the future. Listening to the girls talk about Florence made me fall in love with the city before even stepping foot into Italy. With that said, I went to Florence this summer to visit the city and of course, my wonderful friends.
Fast forward to August 2018…
Bianca was very kind to host me while I stayed in Florence. She and her family made me feel very welcome and I so enjoyed my stay with them. They were also kind enough to cook a very tasty pasta carbonara dinner for us… now I know the true Italian way to cook pasta!
During the day, we did quite a bit of sight-seeing. The girls took me to several of the main attractions in the city, from the Duomo to Giotto’s Campanile, and Ponte Vecchio to Fiesole just to name a few. I am forever grateful to have such amazing friends who also were the best guides of the city!
Mornings were my favorite, not just because the temperature was cooler, but because the sunlight was so beautifully golden and warm. Everything is sun-kissed and glowing. It was nice to just stand out on the balcony and feel the nice breeze from a summer’s morning. I will always remember Bianca’s cat in the mornings; such a curious feline! I will also remember watching “The Kissing Booth” on Netflix with Bianca and realizing how cringe-worthy of a movie it was.
Alternate means of transport
Something that I never do in Canada is ride a motor bike, but in Italy, there are so many of them around. Bianca has a cute motorbike that we used to zip through the city with. I loved every second of those rides! If the weather in Vancouver were sunnier and drier, I would definitely consider getting myself one of them. I’ll keep on dreaming!
-Chewy
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