Rubbing Noses with Tradition

It was a glorious morning in Florence. The sun was shining, it was perfectly warm, and the smell of bread wafted into my apartment through the opened window. I got up and fixed myself a piece of fresh Forno bread with peanut butter and nutella. It was a great combo – it was like I was eating a peanut butter cup for breakfast. Yum!

I sat around, working on my blog for the better part of the morning, followed by a quick market run and salad eating (yes I did have salad – it was lettuce that was freshly picked). A quick note on the market I went to. All the fruit and vegetables are fresh that day and come from the Tuscan countryside. So my tomatoes and lettuce were picked the morning and in my plate by lunchtime. Florence is a town where you can eat sustainably (eco-friendly) and cheaply. An etto (100 grames) of peaches, an etto of tomatoes, and a head of lettuce only cost my five euro. Very exciting! The mother/daughter team who sells the produce were very sweet. They were very patient, letting me try out my Italian on them. I, very slowly and potentially in the wrong tense, asked for my groceries. I was given my change and a “Brava” from Mother Grocer and a “Good Job” from Daughter Grocer. I was happy and very proud of myself. Maybe there is hope for me to acquire Italian language skills! (Hooray for a really large victory!)

Today was also our Florence walking tour. We saw the Duomo, the Baptistery with the Gate of Paradise (which I made a presentation on in 9^th grade!), the Ponte Vecchio, and ending with a Florentine custom. There is a large bronze statue of a wild boar and it is customary to rub the snout of it, for if you do, you will return to Florence. I rubbed the nose, just grateful for the opportunity to be here in Florence. The snout is perfectly shiny, while the rest of the body is tarnished. It is a well loved boar! Hopefully, I can return and relive the wonderful memories I am making here.

The Gates of Paradise

A pizza dinner with the whole program came after. It was really nice to sit around with everyone, comparing apartments and stories of our first few days here. After dinner, I, with some friends, went to check out our friends’ apartment. We then went to the bridge next to the Ponte Vecchio and looked at it all illuminated. It was nice to sit with friends and people watch. Florence is beautiful at night, filled with as much life and light as it is in the daytime. I am truly lucky.

Ciao!