Well I guess I just got lucky...

home sweet homeIn Florence I am living with one of my best friends from NYU in a double. Aside from the overly friendly neighbors/workers from the bar/café next door and the common Italian men attempting to capture your attention, I ended up on a quaint, yet typical, Florentine side street. We were lucky enough to have a few sorority sisters that have studied in Florence and recommended Via Ricasoli. Our bedroom is the perfect size, as well as our private bathroom. Via Ricasoli 38 is definitely one of the best housing options considering its great location. We are down the block from the Duomo and the Academia, as well as the bus stop to school at San Marco. Although, the bus comes basically whenever it wants and the schedule changes almost every day, I cannot be happier living in close proximity. However, it does take about fifteen to twenty minutes to travel on the extremely hot and crowded bus up to Villa La Pietra. Villa Ullivi is where most of the classes are held. The absolute worstttt and probably the only thing someone should be complaining about in Florence, is the dreaded hill and walk from La Pietra to Ullivi. The cost of relatively everything in Florence is what you would expect from a city: expensive yet affordable if you know where to go, how to save money, and what to buy. The local euro store is a gem; it has all of the basics you would ever need for your kitchen, bathroom, toiletries, drinks, and even holidays! I am usually only in Florence Sunday night or Monday morning through either Thursday night or Friday night. It is very common here to go out during the week since most people travel during the week. Also, my friends and I have found “our place” for dinner; it is a restaurant that offers free drinks, almost any kind, to students with their meals. It is amazing! Smaller bars, local cafes, and larger clubs are very popular and are mostly frequented on Wednesday and Thursday nights.