[Derogatory Term]s in Firenze

Pretty much our reaction to the entire trip

This past week has been an insane one. Although I am a great distance from Pratt, there is still a strong connection made stronger still with a visit from a close friend. As I slowly make my way into the rabbit hole of studying abroad, Clarissa is emerging—her program in England started in January so she’s over two-thirds of the way finished with her trip. It’s rather intimidating talking to her about her experiences. I definitely believe we’ll have a different outlook on our trips when we return to the States, but there’s an odd aura of jadedness that clouds both our visions.

Going on exchange is by no means a comfortable experience. We’ve attended Pratt for 2 ½ years so moving away is like pressing the restart button on university, only in a strange new country. I’ve been coping by staying in touch with the important people in my life as well as buying the Sunday New York Times every week to satisfy my hunger for American normality. I’ve never been much of a newspaper reader—being in America, I feel like I heard the news through osmosis—but it’s become like one of those blankets that I cling to in order to hold a connection with my past: a security blanket.

holy shit holy shit holy shit omg
The Baptistery, Cathedral, and Campanile!

Anyway, besides having a short-lived pity party and exploring the extent of Milan (I can’t believe how apathetic I feel toward this place sometimes!), we decided to take a last-minute adventure to Pisa and Florence. Although getting there was rough (boarding a 6:45 train, misinformation from the service desk, dead cellphones, a $65 fine, and almost getting escorted to the police…all before 9 in the morning!) we were able to find some solace in the amazement we felt when exploring each city. Taking a train in and out of Pisa was much cheaper than the Florence trains so we decided to quickly explore Pisa before jetting to Florence, where we would spend the night. “The Leaning Tower can’t be too hard to find” we joked as we wandered into the abyss of the small town…and indeed it wasn’t. After about half an hour wandering the streets, we saw the Tower and Cathedral sandwiched between streets. It was one of the single most exciting moments of my life—I felt like I found Carmen San Diego.

After marveling at the complex, buying a ticket to the top of the tower for the following day, and drinking the appropriate amount of coffee, we made our way back to the train station to escape to Firenze—and in the process incurred another fine for our ignorance toward Italian ticketing protocol.

In Florence, we misidentified a dome as Brunelleschi’s (embarrassingggg), fake prayed in order to break into a church, found Brunelleschi’s dome, got flirted up by a few high school seniors, and bumped into nearly every historical monument encased within the one-mile radius of the city center. By the time we found the apartment we were staying at, we were exhausted, grumpy, and in need of a drink. The next day was much of the same. We tried to backtrack through the monuments, cried about not going and seeing the David on the inside (that was just me, though…), searched for wifi, and made ourselves broke off of our gelato-addictions. It was pretty devastating.

We also got in contact with Monique, an old buddy from Pratt, whom is now attending FIT and is doing their Florence program for the year…which is INSANE. She was our personal tour guide until we had to make our way back to Pisa for our ascent to the top of the world’s best known fun house. The Tower of Pisa was terrifying. TERRIFYING. We sat inside the base for about 5 minutes where we acclimated to the feel of the insane tilt. We then walked up to the top of the tower—not taking a break to breathe—and found ourselves taking an insane amount of pictures in order to make the 18 Euro ticket worth it. I felt insane vertigo on top, and especially walking around the circumference at the top near the bells made me feel very uneasy. I suppose heights aren’t my strong suit when it comes to fears.

Monique, Clarissa, and me
Oh look, Brunelleschi's dome!!

We then ate a quick dinner and left for Milan. It was an amazing trip. Florence is beautiful, almost too beautiful, and I was so happy to escape the hazy grayness of Milan for a couple days. I’m hoping to take a few more trips before classes resume in two weeks. It was kind of sad saying my goodbyes to Clarissa as she left for the airport for London today, but I’m excited to spend a little alone time trying to figure out the best plan of action for the next few weeks.

Pisa at sunset