Isabella Spena, Global Business Institute: Florence Fall 2024
My current living arrangement in Florence is a big three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in a neighborhood close to the center city portion of Florence. I have seven roommates, two of whom I share a room with. Half of us in the apartment are from Pitt, which made adjusting to Italy less scary, even though I had never met them before. Luckily for me, even though living with seven other girls sounds like a lot, all of my roommates are very nice and conscientious, so we all make it pretty easy to live together. The neighborhood we are in is very local, and what I mean by that is that we mainly live with local Florentine people, which has been amazing in terms of experiencing Italian culture in a very authentic and un-touristic way. I personally find this new home to be exactly what it should feel like, which is home. Every Thursday night, we hold family dinner with our neighbors who are also other college students from the United States, and we open up our apartment for a night full of food and conversation. These family dinners have become something I look forward to every week, and they’ve truly transformed my experience into one where home is becoming synonymous with Florence. It’s a wonderful way to connect with others while feeling grounded in a foreign city. Of course, living in Florence comes with its challenges, like not having a dishwasher, the water in the shower being a little cold, no dryers, or air conditioning. However, within just a couple of days, I feel like I was able to acclimate to these changes, and now I really don’t even feel like I’m missing anything. The simplicity of it all has allowed me to focus more on the things that truly matter, making this place feel even more like home.
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