Being in my seventh week in Florence, I’ve learned a lot about the culture—some lessons the easy way, others the hard way. At first, I assumed I could navigate life here the same way I would back home, but I quickly realized Florence has its own rhythm, and adapting to it has been a process.
One of the biggest cultural differences that I have noticed here in Florence is the importance of food in their culture. Due to this cultural importance of food, there are a lot of unspoken rules about dining. Back home my family and I would always order way too much food so that we could try a bunch of different things, often leaving with bags of leftovers. I quickly learned that this way of dining is not accepted in Florence. If you leave food on your plate they will encourage you to finish everything and will get annoyed if you don’t. Here they see it as disrespectful to the chef, as if you didn’t enjoy the food. I had to learn this the hard way, so now, I make sure to order only what I can finish, and I’ve definitely mastered the art of eating every last bite of pasta.
Another thing I’ve had to adjust to is time—or rather, the lack of urgency around it. Being on time is a suggestion here, and the majority of people show up late to meetings, classes, plans, etc. Italian culture is much more laid back that ours is in America; Italians move at a much slower pace. This was the hardest thing for me to adjust to, especially within my internship. In both school and my experiences in the business world, I am taught to always be punctual and formal. At first, the casual approach to time felt frustrating, almost unprofessional. I would show up early, expecting things to start promptly, only to find myself waiting while others arrived at their own pace. In my 4 weeks of work, we have never started a meeting on time. It felt inefficient, like time was being wasted. And yes, from an American perspective, this approach might seem inefficient, but for my coworkers, it’s simply the norm—a system that works for them and reflects their way of life. I had to learn how to be a part of that system–how to let go of my rigid expectations and embrace this new culture and everything that comes with it.
Being on my own was definitely difficult at first, especially because I had never traveled on my own prior to coming to Florence. It was a big change from what I am used to, and it was difficult to immerse myself into this experience. As time went on and I met my friends, it began to feel more comfortable, almost like my second home.
