Travel savvy

Even if you are in Florence for one semester, you may travel in Europe at least 5 out of the 12 or 13 weeks of your study abroad period. Some of these travel weekends will likely be in Italy, with an organized group or …

Santo Spirito Area Guide

MEDICAL     1. Guardia Medica Via Sant'Agostino, 6r
- Tel. 055 215616 An after-hours medical service. Monday through Friday, 8pm to 8am. Saturdays, day before holidays, and holidays, 10am to 8pm. Sundays  8am to 8pm.   2. Farmacia Santa Trinita Piazza Dei Frescobaldi 13/r

- Tel. 055 210921   3. Farmacia Pitti Piazza San Felice 4/r

- Tel. 055224402   4. Farmacia …

What a difference a word makes

Although I know I can never claim the title ‘Florentine,' I have been living here for one month and would like to think that I am no longer a tourist. I prefer to think of myself as a ‘temporary resident.' And as a temporary …

Breakfast, any way you like it

During your semester abroad, you will likely come to miss one thing over all others: breakfast. Italian breakfast staples, the cornetto and cappuccino (which you thought you liked) will quickly become your worst nightmare. If Italians are famous for long meals at the table-they …

Living Florence

No doubt one of your goals while studying abroad is to 'get to know' the city you will call home for the next three months. In an effort to help you meet that goal, TF has prepared this guide filled with tips on …

How to...

Read addresses   Getting lost while wandering around your new city is a great way to get to know your surroundings. However, when you have places to go and people to see, you don't want to waste time getting where you need to go.   There are two different systems …

Florence and beyond in five days

Before studying abroad in Florence for four months, I was sure to tell my friends and family to visit. But, although I knew that having visitors was possible, I was not very confident that the bank accounts, availability or courage of most of my friends …

Dream vacation

Have you ever dozed off in class, wishing you were relaxing in the French Riviera, touring Europe's most famous museums, or exploring the pyramids of Egypt? Well, wake up!  Fall break is fast approaching, and it is time to turn those dreams into realities.   As study abroad …

Student discount Directory

Can I get a student discount? By the end of the semester you will have repeated this phrase hundreds of times and …

Forza Viola

In Florence, only one sport reigns supreme: calcio, or football, as our English cousins call it. Calcio is not to be confused in any way with ‘football Americano', but take note of the similarity in the reverence with which both are …

University 101

When the eight of us gathered in Florence in early September, 2008, we were full of dreams about a month of travel around Europe from our base in Italy. However, we found our days were much busier than anticipated. Preparing for …

Little by little, but starting right now

It's the start of my second semester abroad in the enchanting city of Firenze, but for many other students, it is just the beginning of the culture unraveling that is to be expected with any new place.   Italy is far more than …

Lost and found

I've concluded that it's the walk. Speeding down my street each morning as if I'm 15 minutes late for something, even when I have nowhere in particular to be, I stand out among the Florentines, whose measured steps and leisurely strolls belie any stress …

In the moment

Walk on to any American college campus between the months of August and November and you're likely to see students out and about, sporting school apparel, the sound of their amicable chatter punctuated by the whiz of a Frisbee floating by. Drop by campus …

Lounging

When I was approached by the third American tourist in two days (this one asking me which way to ‘Cavour Street'), I decided …