When I left my home town in the North, I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from this wonderful event.
Undoubtedly, I made the decision to leave for fun and not only to learn italian.
Why did I choose Italy?
Do I really have to explain to you why I opted for the most enchanting region in the world which offers the tastiest food I’ve ever savored in my entire life?
Well, here we are, let’s describe the most great vacation of a international lonely man in Florence, Italy.
ITALIAN, DEFINITELY BEEN MY HOBBY
When I was a kid, I used to enjoy old movies set in those awesome Italian places: Rome, Naples, Florence and the unique Venice.
My mom and dad were lucky enough to travel around the world before I was born and they continued sharing with me how much they liked Italy in all its shades: people, sightseeing, food, tradition and art.
So I lived with this appreciation for the Mediterranean Peninsula and once I finished my studies I promised myself I’d have spent some time in Italy for both learning its difficult but so passionate language and tasting the savoury food.
EASY, RESERVING AND THEN JUST LEAVE!
I made a large number of researches of which town I should travel to and which school could have been the best for my desires. I opted for Florence for so many points!
1st, its perfect location in a sort of way very convenient in the middle of the country and I’ll clarify you later the reason why this was a very important factor, and second for the school I chose among so many others. Reading experiences and opinions online relating to Italian schools for strangers, I practically had no choice but choose its name!
I attended courses at David Institute of Florence where I felt immediately welcome and I was able to feel a high level of reliability.
Studying a new language is not a joke, moreover if we think to learn a very difficult language as Italian is, but this school understands how to deal with that and I mastered as much as I could in two weeks. I most likely can’t understand and translate the notorious Dante and his Divina Commedia, but I’m now adequate to let people understand me and I even can be left all alone in the streets without the issue of communication.
I made everything on line on davidschool.com and all I needed to do was just… LEAVE!
MY FIRST DAY, HILARIOUS!
As I arrived in Florence (yes, there is a small but well-designed airport near the historical city) I was overwhelmed by the noise and the perfumes around me. I was in Italy, now!
I collected my belongings and called a taxi, every little thing was just going on well, until I made an effort to instruct my driver the destination I had to go.
He first understood David the popular statue by Michelangelo and drove me there, exactly in front of the Galleria dell’Accademia. Then, after many of explanations in my very confused and poor Italian, added to his quite unreal English, he finally drove me in front of the door of the David School.
Quite hilarious, isn’it?
AH, THE DISHES: A PIECE OF PARADISE
I’ve definitely thought to be a person who doesn’t like eating that much. I mean, I can enjoy a good dish, but I’m not fond of cooking food or eating as a general rule. Well, that was way ahead of when I travelled to Florence.
I’ll never forget about their delicious Fiorentina, a sort of a very popular local steak known around Italy.
I treated myself like a king and I even got fat but it’s extremely hard not to eat while you are here, it is component of the experience in Italy.
Ice-creams, pizza, steak, pasta, salumi (jam, salame and other pieces of real paradise) are nearly everywhere around you and you can’t refuse!
FLORENCE, THE KEY FOR DAYTIME EXCURSIONS
I opted for Florence for its strategic location mainly because I wanted to have some trips during my stay. I went to the Fashion Capital, Milan then Venice and Rome and I could move a lot thanks to the trains. From Florence you a have a large and very well-connected railway system that allows you to get to virtually any destination you wish.
Still if you need to be in Florence only, you will need to be sure to have at least 1 week for sightseeing this incredible city.
Its Uffizi, with masterpieces by Botticelli as his Venus, must be booked on time considering that every single day there is a reasonable line of persons patiently waiting at the entrance.
And as you wander in Florence streets or along the impressive Ponte Vecchio, you can touch the real history all around you. This town hosted the most incredible minds of the centuries: Leonardo, Dante, Lorenzo il Magnifico.
This is the cradle of humanity knowledge, this is where Italian language was born and I was just enough privileged to live here for two entire months.
LEARNING AND HAVING A GOOD TIME!
After beginning to feel a sense of independence, I had to prompt myself the purpose of my travel to Florence: learn a new language!
I strived hard to learn and practice the most I could, but there was also enough time for us, the students, to have a good time with people!
We used to stay in groups after lessons and I instantly learnt that “aperitivo” is a great way to enjoy some time in an Italian club just before dinner time. I won’t tell you more, just discover by yourself and you won’t be disappointed!
Italian guys are so much fun and easy going, you will find yourself in an fascinating atmosphere.
You won’t be sorry for this investment, you will definitely feel dissapointed about not having done that earlier!
