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 for numbering buildings in Florence-red
are businesses while blue and black denote residences (but sometimes
businesses as well!). If you need to go to via dell’Oche 4r, look for the red
4.
No ‘r’ in the address means it’s
a blue or black number.
Take a taxi
Though it’s tempting to flag
down one of the many cabs you see careening Florence’s
narrow streets, you can access taxis only by calling the company directly or
going to a taxi stand. To call a taxi, dial either 055/4390 or 055/4242 and
say, ‘Vorrei una macchina’ and state your address.
Stay on the line while the
operator puts you on hold to locate a taxi for you. The operator will come back
on the line and give you the name and number of the taxi as well as how many
minutes until it arrives. Taxis are named after European cities, so you will
hear something similar to ‘Praga 15 in tre minuti’ (Prague
15 in three minutes).
Get a haircut
Not knowing how to say ‘no
layers’ in Italian is no reason to neglect your locks while studying abroad. Plenty
of salons speak ‘hair’-meaning they’ll understand when you say ‘trim’ and
‘highlights’ and won’t give you a jet-black mullet instead. See our list for
salons that offer the ever-important student discount.
Meet your friends
and family at the airport
There’s nothing better than
showing up at the airport to welcome your guests and knowingly whisking them
off to the center. Going from the airport to a centrally located hotel will
cost you a flat fee of 20 euro plus 1 euro per bag-the way to go if you are
picking up two or three people or your guests need to be brought directly to
their lodgings.
Alternatively, the local Ataf
bus service offers a special shuttle to and from the airport from the train
station for 5.00 euro. This is ideal for your trip out to the airport and for
those visitors who don’t mind rolling their luggage a few blocks or trucking
with their backpacks to their hostel or hotel.
See www.ataf.net for schedule information.
Find train
schedules online
Once upon a time, in the
Internet-free student days, we would go to travel agencies or the American
Express office to get train information and plan our inter-Italy trips.
The Internet has made such
interactions practically obsolete, and we all know that whatever is worth
finding can be found online (ahem).
Now, finding train schedules
and even buying tickets can be done at the click of the mouse. Go to www.trenitalia.it and click on the
‘English’ icon in the top middle of the page. Buon viaggio!
Be a good dinner
guest
If you are lucky enough to be invited
to an Italian’s home for dinner, there are a few ‘rules’ that should be
observed in the name of good manners. For starters, never show up empty
handed when you are a guest in an Italian home. Offer to bring dessert (gelato is always a safe bet) or come bearing flowers or a nice bottle of
wine. Once you sit down, you’ll notice that table manners are quite
different from those at home.
As opposed to our ‘no elbows on
the table’ rule, Italians eat with both hands firmly on the table, not with one
in the lap. While we are used to switching hands after using a fork and knife
to cut our food, locals turn the fork and eat what they have cut. Do not feel
you have to adopt this method, but it may be helpful when you find them staring
inquisitively while you are enjoying your bistecca. Speaking of
cutting, don’t cut your spaghetti: take your fork, gather
a few strands of pasta, clear a small space on your plate, twirl to form a
tight-ish ball, eat. But perhaps the most important part of employing good
manners at an Italian dinner table is to try everything you are offered.
Of course, you can politely decline the spaghetti allo scoglio if you
are allergic to shellfish, but refusing to taste what has been prepared might
be considered rude. Remember, a pinch of adventurous spirit goes a long way in making
a good impression on your hosts.
Find a supermarket
(a real one!) near you
Go to one of the open-air
markets for your meat, fish and fresh fruit and veggies, but for kitchen
staples and household supplies, take a cue from the locals and head to one of
the larger grocery stores just outside the historic center, where prices
are decent and specials are to be had. This is where you’ll find cereal-filled
aisles, 20 different flavors of yogurt and an impressive selection of frozen
goods. Don’t forget a one-euro coin: you’ll need it to ‘rent’ your shopping
cart (put it in the slot, which releases the cart).
If you live around the Duomo,
the closest supermarket is the Esselunga in via Masaccio (Ataf bus number 17).
From Santa Croce, head to the Coop in via Gioberti just behind Piazza Beccaria.
Grab your map, buy a bus ticket, empty your backpack and
get shopping!
Get out of town,
fast!
There is no denying that as
great as Florence
is, sometimes you just need a break and a breath of fresh air. Not to
fear-a change in perspective is quick and easy with a short bus ride up to Fiesole.
Hop on the number 7 bus from the train station, Duomo or Piazza San Marco and
in less than 20 minutes you will be high above Florence
in this jewel of an Etruscan town. Relax with a coffee or a cocktail at
one of the bars or pubs that overlook Florence.
Take a spin through the Roman amphitheatre or hike the short hill up to
the monastery of San Francesco. Stumble over an Etruscan tomb or two. Revel in the fact you are in a town founded sometime before the third century
B.C.
