There is plenty to learn from studying abroad but there are also wonderful business ideas and lifestyle choices we can take back with us to our home country at the end of our stay. APERITIVO (Kitsch: the highest rated Aperitivo spot in Florence) Happy hour is great but nothing like his Italian deal. From 7-9 each night some Italian restaurants will have something called Aperitivo where you buy a drink and receive a whole buffet of food with it! Prices range from 8-12 euro. The average Aperitivo is a flat rate for any drink with the buffet but I have also dined at places where you chose a drink at its regular price then add a small amount for access to the food, from 2-3 euro. With American's love for Italian food and Italian restaurants here in the states, it is about time we opened a place with this deal. Aperitivo usually has unique foods you do not see on the regular menu. SECRET BAKERY We have plenty of late night and 24 hour establishments in the U.S. but they pale in comparison to secret bakeries. Fast and freshly made, there is excitement to this tradition! There is something unique and fun about looking for a secret bakery location. You follow the the smell and the light coming out of a dark alley late at night. Sounds incredibly sketchy and dangerous but it is not as long as it is done in safe, populated areas unsafe areas and you do not go alone! NO OPEN CONTAINER LAWS (carrying my beer from the top of Corniglia all the way back to Vernazza) Ya, ya, ya, of course the first thing people who study abroad wish for in the states is a lower drinking age. After indulging in wines, beers and all over alcoholic beverages every day and in most countries without being carded at all, it feels insane to return to our strict laws. Twenty one is so late! But again, that is a given. What is more realistic to change and really should be done is open container laws. People in Florence walked around with their drinks. You could buy a beer and drink it on the streets, sitting out on steps or as you walked to the next bar. Some cities in the U.S. have this but it is very few. More than once I almost took my drink with me out of a bar or from one party to the next in my first couple months back. I simply forgot it was not a thing in the U.S.! OUTDOOR SEATING (While this photo was taken in England, it shows the same culture spread throughout Europe that I experienced on my semester abroad)
In the winter most out door seating areas are tied up here in the United States. We chain them up or bring them inside with the thought "who would ever want to be outside in this weather?" But Europeans do! When you study abroad you begin to appreciate being outdoors more. Here in the U.S. we spend most of our time inside because we cannot handle discomfort. It is fine that not everyone enjoys the fresh air year round but I wish we still had the option. Wear a heavier jacket and enjoy the night air at a local restaurant! Even in the summer it amazes me how few restaurants have outdoor seating. I cannot stand the freezing A.C.! Almost every restaurant in Florence had outdoor seating and if not you'd take your food to go and sit outdoors somewhere close!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
August 2018
Categories
All
|