Join us for our Spring Study Abroad Fair, focusing on Faculty-Directed Programs!!!
February 9th from 12:00-4:00 in the Glass Gallery Lounge, HSC!!!
Friday, January 20, 2017
Guest Blogger: Mathieu (Italy)
12:52 PM
Mathieu: Study Abroad Office Peer Advisor and ISA Global Ambassador
My free time while abroad was mostly spent exploring the city of Florence. My typical weekend consisted of either taking a trip to another city like Venice or Pisa. Otherwise I would spend Saturday going to see a museum, sometimes hitting up more than one in a day. Sunday would be spent checking out free events or festivals across the city. The art museums have free days once a month so if you coordinate you could go to all of the expensive touristy things for nearly free. I really liked to find a new café or new restaurant too while I walked around. Florence has a lot to offer if you know how to look for it. ISA (the provider I went abroad with) did a good job of letting us know when major holidays or festivals were happening. Visiting each Catholic Church was also a fun little activity to do, especially since Michelangelo was buried in Santa Croce. Visiting churches is fairly inexpensive however there are dress codes, such as no open-toed shoes or hats. I’m glad I stayed in Florence and not Rome because I felt like I could get a lot done in Florence and still feel like I accomplished seeing all the major sites.
During my travels in Italy, I used almost all forms of transport. I would say trains are the most useful. Regional trains are not as fast as the high speed trains. They run from the major cities to the smaller city centers such as from Pisa to Florence. The high speed trains ran through all the major cities. A bus ride that takes four hours only takes two if you go by high speed. Buses are cheap if you’re willing to be on them for a long time. Planes are also cheap if you know where to look. When it comes to transport within Florence, I only ever used the buses if I was leaving the city center. It is very easy to walk from one end of the historic district to the other. I would say it’s about a 25 minute walk if you’re not making stops. If you want to use a bus within Florence, you can just go and buy a one use ticket at one of the many convenience stores around the city. Some cafes even sell them. If you want to book a high speed train, you need to reserve a seat beforehand, usually the day before when I would do it. You could also book them online. My experience on high speed trains is that they are super comfortable! I was usually always by myself and the cars were usually fairly empty. Although I bought first class tickets and it was before tourist season. They usually have a restaurant car but if you are in first class they always gave me a free drink and a snack. They have someone who walks through the entire train checking tickets so don’t just hop on one. You could get in trouble if you didn’t pay for your seat. When it comes to city and trains alike you must make your ticket valid by sticking it in this machine that marks the time you are using the service. If you don’t do this you can get fined. These machines are usually on the buses themselves, but are on the platforms for trains.
Slider Photo Credit: Mathieu Berube
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)