I’ve been home for a little over a week now and it is so bittersweet.  Being so far away gave me a new appreciation for home. There’s nothing like the comfort of your own bed and being close to friends and family.  I’ve missed random things like driving, trashy reality TV, and super-sized coffee. While…

If I permanently moved to Florence, I would want to live in an apartment across the river in the Santo Spirito area.  That area is a little further from all of the tourist attractions around the Duomo, but it is still in the city center.  It is within walking distance to plenty of restaurants and…

Welcome to Florence, I’ll be your tour guide today!  I’ll tell you all about the best sights, food, and places to shop.  Of course the number one sight to see is the Duomo. It is the main structure that you can see in the Florence “skyline.”  It is the most beautiful church I’ve ever seen,…

At the beginning of the semester, my internship was slow to start.  First I met with an interviewer, Thomas. The “interview” was informal and nothing to be worried about, it was more about Thomas getting to know each other.  After chatting for a little while, Thomas walked me to my internship site, Engel and Voelkes,…

In my first two months of studying abroad in Italy, I have been able to take weekend trips to explore different places. Before coming here, I expected to do more traveling outside of the country, but I quickly realized how much there is to see within Italy. The first city I traveled to was Bologna…

If there is one thing I have learned from my commute to school and work, it is to wear comfortable shoes.  In Florence, walking is the main form of transportation. I packed a nice pair of professional heels to wear to my internship and I have not worn them once.  The walk is not long,…

Buon giorno.  I’ve been it Italy for about a month now, and some things have met my expectations and some things have been different than what I was expecting.  Two of my classes meet once a week for three hours. I’m not used to being in class for three hours straight, so I was nervous…

Ciao! I am finally settled here in Florence and wanted to write about my living arrangements.  I am living in an apartment right along the river Arno. It is a beautiful apartment with three bedrooms.  The front door is wooden and it is so large and heavy that I have a key to automatically open…

Ciao!  My name is Abby Markey and I am a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, and I will be studying abroad in Florence, Italy.  I am from Colonia, New Jersey, which is in the central area of the state (yes, it’s a thing.) It is about a 40 minute drive to the beach and…