Today I am writing to you about those small yet important cultural details that make living abroad quite interesting. Me and a roommate are living with a host family for the remaining 7 weeks of the program. After being 8 weeks from home, the first thing I noticed when I met our amazing host mom, is that cozy feeling I got as I entered the flat.
Dinner time is of utmost importance in Florence since it is family time and no one should be late! At least tell your host family you won't make it. First day I got lost in Florence and arrived 10 minutes late and our host mom could not start making dinner without me so yeah, dinner was late. Florentines usually eat big dinners late at night. In the U.S. we eat around 5-7 pm and here we eat around 7pm-10pm. Dinners incorporate three course meals: First plate can be soup, pasta, or rice; second plate can be vegetables with chicken, pork or roast beef, and the third one is dessert, most likely fruits. The food is delicious here in Italy, and yes,the pizza is great. Breakfast consists of tea or coffee and something sweet, like a pastry. One thing I keep forgetting is that a lot of Italian shops close for their siesta between 1-3 pm, so gotta make sure I do my shopping before. Also they rarely split checks :/ Here are some photos on beautiful Florence and its art:
Take care,
Rebecca S.
