FREE Admission!

As you may know, I'm a sucker for FREE things c:
So when I found out that the Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flower), or better known as Il Duomo, was open to the public for FREE, I was ecstatic!  Il Duomo was built in the honor of the Virgin Mary and the cornerstone of the Duomo was laid on September 8th, 1926, following the Festa della Rificolona (read about it here: Festa della Rificolona).  So in her honor, the terrace of the Duomo's cupola was open for FREE on that day!!  Thank God for Virgin Mary!  Since the cost of admission is usually 6 euros, my wallet is definitely thanking me!  As for my legs, the 400 steps was a good but tiring workout and they aren't too happy about it.  But saving money is always a good thing c:

Il Duomo from the top of the Cathedral Cornerstone! 

Roomies~!

400 steps to the top >____<;;

Finding FREE events like these make my day.  I'm always searching the Internet to find free or cheap things to do around Firenze.  I think I might try Firenze's happy hour next time!  Buy a drink, get FREE buffet dinner or aperitif!

Firenze la notte~!

My friend Michelle told me that Roma comes alive at night.  And you know what, so does Firenze.  The day time is great and all but sometimes trying to get past large crowds of tourists can become a challenge and an annoyance.  At night, the real Florentines come out and mingle with the leftover tourists who haven't ran away to their hotels to rest after their daytime adventures.  And I'm not talking about bar hopping or pub crawling.  Although I'm sure that's another wonderful aspect of the Florentine nightlife.  The streets just come alive with musicians, artists, and performers who just love to put on a good show.  Its a great way to enjoy the nightlife without spending all that $$$$$.  I've seen so many talented musicians and artists just doing what they love.  They never fail to put a smile on my face!

Just after the Festa della Rificolona "ended" (after the Cardinal's speech), my roommates and I were on our way back to the apartment when we strolled past a large crowd watching an Italian Charlie Chaplin putting on a mini comedic skit!  It was quite amazing!  And I loved the way he incorporated the crowd into his acts!  I only wish I could find the words to describe what I saw.  But maybe pictures would suffice.

Giving a kid in the crowd a balloon c: but for a price! 

The smiling faces!

End of the show! 

Festa della Rificolona: Festival of the Paper Lanterns

Friday night was supposed to be the roomies and I's "night-in."  Sad right?  I was feeling pumped and energized but I guess my roomies aren't exactly used to intensive walks so going to San Niccolo was a total workout for them!  It was gonna be a dinner and a movie kinda night with the roomies!  But halfway through Batman, we heard a loud commotion outside our windows and rushed over to see what was going on.  There was a parade band and large crowds of people following the band with what looked to be paper lanterns held at the end of a stick!  Even though we wanted a quiet night in, we couldn't resist missing out on this and rushed out the door to follow the crowd!

Apparently it was the annual Festa della Rificolona or the Festival of the Paper Lanterns.  This festival is always held on September 8th, the day that the Virgin Mary is assumed to be born.  The festival is held in her honor and since the large basilica of Santissima Annunziata in Firenze is dedicated to the worship of the Virgin Mary, the festival takes place in Firenze.  Back in the olden days, this festival was one of the primary reasons to make the pilgrimage to Firenze and many farmers, peasants, workers, etc. would bring with them large amounts of their goods such as cheeses, honey, the season's vegetables, and handmade items.  Since the journey began at dawn, paper lanterns held at the end of a stick were used to guide their way.  This tradition is continued annually in Firenze on the night of September 8th.  The cardinal leads the crowd through the streets of Firenze from Piazza Felicita to Piazza Santissima Annunziata, where a short speech is given and a party ensues afterwards.

This cutie saw me trying to take pictures of him and he smiled for the camera! 

Paper Lanterns 

The crowd at Piazza Santissima Annuziata

They offered to pose for the camera c:

I'm really glad I actually got to see this take place!  The paper lanterns that the children were carrying through the streets were so colorful and beautifully made.  Many of the boys were carrying spit wads with them and spitting at the lanterns, which I still can't figure out, but it made me wish I were a kid again so I could join them in all the fun they were having!  Hopefully some day I'll make it back to Florence to participate in this festival!

San Niccolo, Ponte Vecchio, & Gelato

Every weekend is a 3-day weekend!  So what else to do then adventure around Firenze, take choke photos, and scout out new and (cheaper) gelaterias!?

This Friday, I took my roommates and two of our new friends (YAY!) Jessi and Brianne on a mini "hike" up San Niccolo.  The view from San Niccolo is amazing.  You can see all of Firenze from up there and its absolutely breathtaking.  This place and Ponte Vecchio are probably and will continue to be my favorite go-to spots during my time in Firenze!  Its a bit touristy but for views like this, its worth the hassle to get through the crowd.  c:

The roomies + Jessi and Brianne!  <3

Yours truly~!

Yay for making friends!

The view from San Niccolo.

The day was ridiculously hot and all of us were craving some fresh, cold gelato.  Just the other day, with the help of my roomies' Sierra and Melody's school friend from Korea, we found a sweet gelateria called "La Carraia Gelateria" that has cheap gelato (1 scoop for 1 euro!) that tastes good!  Its not my favorite gelateria but for the price, I might just become a regular!  I tried the tropicale flavor and it was so delicious!  My roomies got the pesca (peach) and the yogurt flavors but I think mines tasted better. hehe  Not to mention it was a pretty orangey-yellow color c:  But before we hit the gelateria, we had to take photos of the famous Ponte Vecchio!

Ponte Vecchio

Our gelati~!

After we parted ways with Jessi and Brianne, the roomies and I wandered around Firenze some more to do some window shopping c:  But the heat really started to get to us so we stopped by Astor, a hip and trendy cafe by day/bar by night kinda place.  We'll definitely be going back sometime to parrtayyy!  I guess Sierra was really thirsty because she was eyeing Melody out for the coffee! (see photo below)

Sierra: Ho voglia un caffe!
Melody: Delicioso!
Me: LOL! haha 

Keep reading my blog!  I promise I'll be updating more regularly!  Ciao~!

LdM Welcome Night Dinner

Free food.  That was all I needed to hear for me to get my ass there.  The food was great, the dessert even better, but I think my favorite part about tonight was the people that I met.

LdM loves to stereotype.  And I know this for a fact now after talking to many different people.  Apparently the housing coordinator put everyone who were either from the same ethnic backgrounds or same schools together to reduce the possibilities of cultural conflicts.  As nice as this is, I don't think it helps any of us get the full-on study abroad experience.  Both of my roommates, for example, are straight up from Korea.  As much as I love them, sometimes they make it feel as if I never left home.  And I don't know if I'm supposed to feel that way.  Studying abroad should be a cultural integration where I should be placed at the edge of my comfort zone, always one step away from breaking out of my protective shell.  But I don't feel that way.

The dinner was great and I really enjoyed being able to speak English (this is what happens when your roommates are both Korean).  The people that I've met are amazing.  I just hope we can meet again and have a chat, and maybe even grab a cappuccino someday.  Until then, I'll still be living in my protective bubble.

Night outing with the Roomies~!

Tonight's adventure began with the quest to find dressy clothes for our Welcome Dinner on Monday!  But since we went out at 8pm, all the shops were just closing up. ):  Luckily for us, Firenze is all about the nightlife~!

We passed by so many random street artists on our walk back home (after finding the stores closed).  My favorite was a man creating a replica of Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring on the sidewalk with pieces of chalk!  

Amazing right??

There were these two singers who serenaded us (the crowd but mainly us :P ) on the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge.  And then we ran into a small concert outside Palazzo della Signoria, right next to the Michelangelo's statue of David.  If every night is like this in Firenze, I don't think I ever want to go to sleep!

Gelaterias: Many in number but Few great in quality

Lets just put this out there: NOT ALL GELATERIA'S ARE CREATED EQUAL.

I've only been in Firenze for one week, had gelato about three times and lets just say that some places are significantly better than others.  BUT on a nicer note, the crappiest gelato I've had in Italy so far has been more delicious than the best gelato I've had back in the states.

The first place I went to was DELICIOUS!  The two places I went to after that have been mehhhh, enjoyable but not orgasmically great, just the kine where you take one picture and post to da Instagram. So yeah, not that great.

Gelato flavors: Caffe (coffe) and Buontalenti Al Mascarpone (cream-flavored?)

YUM c: 

The best gelato I've yet to have was from a place called Gelateria Santa Trinita.  This is the only place? one of the few places? that has the original gelato flavor: the Buontalenti Al Mascarpone.  This flavor is very similar to your typical cream flavored gelato but more richer.  I can't explain how delicious it was.  I'm usually not a creamy-flavor kind of person but this one is to die for.  The caffe flavor was amazing and is probably my favorite so far.  If you ever find yourself in Italy, I recommend that you go to Gelateria Santa Trinita and try their Buontalenti Al Mascarpone. c: YUM!

The other gelato places I've been to have been bleh so its not even worth mentioning here.

The next gelato place I want to try is called Grom.  Its been noted in every guide book I've read and I've been searching like crazy to find it all these streets in Italy look the same!