It has been approximately 34 days since I had first landed in Florence, Italy. In that time, I was able to immerse myself into the Florentine culture, develop a relationship with the family who runs a local leather store, explore small cafes nestled right outside of town, and gain a global perspective on how business and culture are intricately woven within Florence.

Before coming to Florence, I decided not to do an internship to allow more time to focus on classes and engage with the local community. However, within the classroom, I am taking classes such as International Marketing, Managing Global Workforces, Italian, and Analyzing the Global City of Florence. The academic environment in Italy mimics the culture outside of the walls of the classroom. The Italian culture places a strong emphasis on “Bella Figura” which roughly translates to making a good impression. As a result, it is important to show up prepared to class, pay attention, stay off of phones and ask questions. Unlike classes in the US, they encourage you to take notes using pencil and paper, to maximize your time paying attention to the lecture. In parallel to that, classes are much longer. Other than my Italian class, lectures run three hours long! However, it is customary to have a 15-to-20-minute break in the middle to enjoy an espresso or chat with your professor.

This type of productivity can be mirrored into the corporate working environment in Italy. Most shops tend to close during the middle of the day for 3-4 hours to allow time to enjoy a meal, do grocery shopping, or take a nap. In general, Italian culture places an emphasis on self-fulfillment and enjoying the present moment. As a result, it is uncommon for Italians to take their coffee to go and fast food is virtually non-existent. From a business perspective, close relationships with customers take precedence over making a sale. Also, it is common for many Italians to opt to purchase products of higher quality that can be preserved and used for longer. As a marketing major, it is important to study these kinds of cultural characteristics to place me in the best position to succeed as an international marketer. Through cultural immersion, I know that my time abroad will help me one day when I am placed inside a real-world business setting. I will be more successful when marketing products to the Italian population because I have gained a perspective into how culture and business are intertwined within Florence.