The second part of my year abroad has finally arrived - in Paris! A year and a half ago when I was applying for internships I could only dream of landing something this good and in the most beautiful city, but it happened and I'm here! I've now been here for 3 weeks and I have noticed a lot: the good, the bad and the ugly. So here are some of my first impressions of the world-famous city of love.

1) People are nicer than you think 

Not all Parisians are rude and to be honest I actually haven't even come across a single person who is, although I always try to speak French do so with a smile so that may help. To be honest I do really think that Parisian's get their bad reputation for two reasons. First of all, because it's a big city the hustle and bustle of city life can sometimes get in the way and people become very impatient - I think this is the same in any massive city really and I'm sure that I look really angry and unapproachable when I'm on my way to work simply because I'm trying to get there as fast as possible.

Secondly, there are a lot of obnoxious tourists, and I mean the kind that block the pavement as they take pictures of the city (I get it, it's beautiful but just move to the side) and make absolutely zero effort to speak the language or even ask if the person they're talking to speaks English before they bombard them with demands for directions etc.

That being said, I have only been here for a few weeks so I'm sure that sooner or later i'll come across someone who's not that nice, although i'll put it down to Paris being a big city and it being a coincidence rather than everyone who is Parisian being mean. EDIT: Four weeks in I have now met one extremely rude person, not too bad so far considering I have almost been here for a month.

2) It is literally so expensive

So you know how everyone says "Paris is so expensive" and you just kind of think "yeah yeah how bad can it really be", well no... they're right. I knew that accommodation was going to be expensive but I didn't realise how much the every day, normal things cost. For example a few weeks ago I went out for drinks with some friends and I ordered a sparkling water (boring, I know). Guess how much it was. Just guess. €6,30! For a sparkling water?! It was literally perrier that came in a glass, not even a bottle.

Or what about €8,20? I mean to be fair it was probably the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted and it was at the famous Angelina tearoom, so they can charge whatever they want but it just shows how expensive things can get. And in the supermarkets: 4 euros for a punnet of strawberries when they're 2 pounds in the UK? No matter what the season? No thank you.

3) But you can also do a lot for free

Although a lot of Paris is expensive you can actually do a lot for free including seeing some of the worlds' most famous pieces of art if you're an EU citizen under 26. There is so much to see and do and you could spend a whole afternoon exploring the neighbourhoods such as Le Marais or Montmartre without spending a cent.

4) It's just so BEAUTIFUL 

There's not much that I have to say on this one other than there are some parts (not all) of the city that are actually incredibly beautiful. I love the Hausmann style buildings, the little cafés and everything else in between - I literally spend my weekends walking around the place with little love hearts in my eyes, taking everything in. I can't wait for it to be spring time as it's supposed to be the most beautiful season to be in the city.

5) You get the ugly sides of a city

Unfortunately many things in Paris aren't pretty and a lot of people tend to forget these and forget that Paris is a real, working, breathing city not just a playground for macaroon-eating and art-appreciating. Most people think of the most central parts of Paris rather than some parts of the 18th, the 19th and the 20th which has some unsafe areas and there is even something called "Paris Syndrome" which is a psychological disorder when tourists experience extreme shock by realising that Paris isn't all that they thought it would be.

The other day I had to change metro in Barbès when I was on my way to meet a friend for coffee in Pigalle and that's where I noticed a massive difference and the disparity between rich and poor. It was in the late afternoon and the smell of weed was overpowering, as was the presence of some dodgy characters. A couple of people had warned me not to go there because of the high crime rate, but me, oblivious as anything, didn't realise until it was too late and I had to change metro lines (obviously I was absolutely fine as it was during the day, just taken aback!)

You also notice a lot of homelessness in Paris. I literally have never been to a city where I have seen so many poor people, especially in the metro stations. A lot of people come up to you asking for money/restaurant tickets and a lot of people make speeches on the metro about how they're homeless and what the reasons are for it etc. rather than homeless people in London who just tend to sit at the side of the street. Honestly I see this happen every day, almost every time I take the metro and it is very saddening to see.

6) People cannot drive

This is a little bit of a weird one I suppose but people just seem to drive so aggressively here... just go to the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe and you'll see what I mean - it's even said that insurance companies don't cover this specific roundabout. Alternatively order an uber and you may experience a drive like I did last weekend which was interesting to say the least. There is no way that I would ever drive here. Thank God for the monthly metro card which is only 73 euros a month.

7) The winters are FREEZING

There's not much more that I can say about this other than it is so much colder here than it was in England and I don't think it's fair that England has such a bad reputation for its climate. When I arrived in Paris it was -3 degrees and it's been around that ever since... not to mention the grey skies, although this weekend we had two days of glorious sunshine which makes things much better. My flight from Birmingham to Paris even got delayed because of all of the fog but I could still see the top of the Eiffel tower through the clouds!

8) The food!

Lastly, to end on a positive note: the food! I have eaten my body weight in baguette and I cannot wait to try all of the different macaroons and croissants in search of the perfect ones (although I may have already found them as everything is just so tasty!) I'm not a massive fan of French cuisine in general, but I have to say that the pastries are top notch. Luckily I live on the fifth floor of a building with no stairs or otherwise I would be packing on the pounds with all the yummy treats.




I am literally so excited to be in such a beautiful, diverse city and I cannot wait to explore it all and share some of my experiences with all of you!

At the end of July 2016 my year abroad started. 5 months in Florence, Italy followed by 6 months in Paris, France (where I just moved!). It was honestly an amazing experience to move abroad by myself and I met so many wonderful people. I had already done it countless times with my parents, I actually left the UK when I was 2 and came back when I was 17, so the majority, if not all, of my upbringing was done abroad on two different continents which is why i'm so "culturally confused" - ha! Anyway, now that my time in Italy is over I wanted to share what I learned about Italians and Italy whilst living there and give you some advice and tips if you are moving to Italy soon, which I am very jealous about!

What I learned about Italians and Italy whilst living in Florence

1) Food is very important

Food is such an important thing for Italians, which isn't surprising considering they have one of the yummiest cuisines in the world... their coffee has to be good quality and a lot of the popular dishes appear to be very simple, yet delicious thanks to the beautiful fresh produce that they have.

I also noticed that a lot of Italians (and these are all generalisations of course) don't really like strong flavours such as onion or garlic as they overpower the subtle flavours of the simpler ingredients. One time we had a kind of Mexican themed dinner party at our flat and all of the Italian men commented on the onion in the guacamole hahaha.

Dinner is a long event which includes many dishes, and time is taken for both lunch and dinner - food needs to be enjoyed, whereas coffee is something which is normally consumed standing up and only lasts a few minutes (if that!)

There are many many different types of pasta in Italy, even more than I originally thought. Every sauce has a specific type of pasta that it goes with and non-authentic/touristy restaurants will mix these up. Also, bolognese sauce isn't a thing, it's called ragù alla bolognese or mostly just ragù. We call it bolognese because it comes from Bologna.

One of the women that I met in Florence told me about a time when she tried to order a scoop of lemon and a scoop of coffee ice cream together. The person serving her at the gelateria really wasn't too impressed and questioned her choice. When she told us about what had happened our teacher also declared her crazy and said that the combination was disgusting - "ma fa schifo!" She then went on to say that she would have probably refused to serve her if she had been working there as apparently you put lemon in your coffee when you want to be sick in the morning because you drank too much the night before!

Some examples of faux pas in Italy include:

• Ordering a cappuccino after lunch time... or even worse, with/after your lunch or dinner
• Drinking wine or proseco with pizza, you're supposed to drink beer but I always drank wine with mine (oops)
• Ordering a pizza with pineapple on it... they will think that you're crazy, definitely a tourist, and authentic Italian restaurants or pizzerias will not offer these kind of absurd toppings on their menus
• Breaking the spaghetti before you put it in the boiling water... one of my Italian teachers told me that the sound of the pasta breaking is the sound of all of the cuori di nonne (grandmas hearts) breaking.

2) Fashion is also very important

Sweatpants: no, flip flops: definitely not. Once I wore flip flops to work (it was a very casual, friendly environment) because it was raining really hard and I didn't want my converse to stay soggy for the rest of the day. Only one person pointed them out and declared me insane, but I could see the look in some of my co-workers eyes, it made me laugh. Flip flops are for the beach or for American tourists to wear all year round, even in winter.

I have to say that Italians dress well... really well, especially the men - it was such a shock to see the difference between how your average British student dresses and how your average Italian student dresses. Maybe this was only in Florence, but it's not hard to see why when some of the major Italian fashion houses are based here. If you want to see the most extreme version of this then go to Florence during Pitti week (fashion week) which happens a couple of times per year, and is when you see the best dressed people ever. They all look the same though and I remember when it was Pitti Uomo all of the men looked identical. Talk about originality.

3) Italians definitely have a sweet tooth 

You're probably thinking about all of the delicious gelato that Italy has to offer, but it actually goes much further than that. Breakfast is definitely dominated by dolci and it's usually an espresso and a croissant, cornetto or brioche in Italian, or some breakfast cookies. Mulino Bianco (owned by Barilla) makes such good ones and you can buy them quite cheaply in your local supermarket - I miss them! Try these ones, they're called batticuori and are heart shaped and chocolate flavoured.

When we went to Trapani in Sicily we stayed in a bed and breakfast that had mostly Italian clients. Breakfast was an explosion of sugar: cornetti, cakes, cookies, nutella and ricotta filled pastries. I find such a sweet breakfast a little bit sickly - I'm all about avocado toast and almond butter banana toast in the morning but to each their own I suppose, I mean the pastries were really good.

4) Florentine people are a little bit grumpy

I don't really blame them for being grumpy as you particularly notice it in the summer months when the city is visited, or should I say is invaded, by thousands of tourists. They are everywhere and you can barely make your way through the streets without getting hit by a selfie stick. Some (most) also make absolutely zero effort to speak Italian and that would get on my nerves. Apparently they're also quite hard to get to know at first, they're a little more distant. I don't really know how true this is as most people I met were absolutely lovely but maybe I just got lucky!

5) The weather

It's not always sunny and it rains a lot. Not much more to say really other than bring an umbrella or buy one from one of the multiple street vendors to keep dry. I don't know why England has such a bad reputation for rain when Italy is quite bad too!?

6) Italian men

If you're feeling a little bit down about a boy or if your ego needs a little boost go to Italy. You will get so much attention in the streets whether it's a casual ciao bella or someone asking to marry you (which happened to one of my friends!) I have to say that at first I got slightly (very) irritated by the "hey blondie" comments but for the most part it's harmless and the Italian men are just donnaioli (womanisers).

From my friends who have dated Italian men I've also heard that they can be very, very romantic and insistent, so much so that it freaks the women, who are not Italian, out! Obviously all of these things are generalisations and it doesn't mean that every single Italian man is like this, although one of my friends warned me never to date an Italian as he told me about his co-worker who had different girlfriends in many different cities and none of them knew about each other, awkward.

7) PDA

The whole donnaioli thing brings me to my next point... PDA, public displays of affection, which are a big thing here in Italy. I have the impression that people don't realise that maybe everyone else in the restaurant/cafe/museum/street doesn't want to share their affection towards each other. Honestly I do think that England is a bit too far the other way and that even the smallest bit of affection in public can be seen as 'too much' but something in the middle would be nice - I don't particularly want to see the young drunk in love couple passionately kissing at the dinner table next to me. Save it for the bedroom you Latin lovers.

7) Italian is hard

Italian is a difficult language to master, but once you have fully understood all of the different grammar structures, especially il congiuntivo (cry) it's much easier. Don't worry though, a lot of Italians even don't use it and when I was in Sicily a man said "vuoi che io parlo in inglese"... using the indicativo form even though "volere che" is one of the most obvious phrases that takes the congiuntivo. It's definitely wrong and the usage depends on the region but the Italian spoken in Florence is known to be very correct so if you're going to Florence then definitely use it if you know how to!

8) The postal service is a joke

Seriously. You know that stereotype that everything in Italy is slow? Well it's definitely true for the Italian postal service. Every time I've either sent or received something it's just taken ages to arrive. One time I ordered something online on amazon and it took so, so long to come. They kept saying that they couldn't find my address and then when it was finally delivered, after a few heated conversations with the amazon customer service team, they said that they had delivered it to a "Spagheti". I (obviously) thought that this was a joke and had a rant about how bad amazon was to my concierge until he finally told me that his family name, in fact, was Spagheti. How more Italian can you get? I mean really. Just be prepared to wait and perhaps never even receive your packages at all.

My advice and tips if you're moving to Italy on your year abroad (or just in general!)

1) Bring enough clothes for all seasons

Now of course this depends on when and especially where you're going in Italy, but Italy gets cold in the winter and I didn't realise just how cold. The thing that you really should know is that it's a very old country and the majority of the buildings, especially if you live in the historic centre like I did, aren't new or refurbished and are definitely not comfortable in winter. Houses are cold and heating is seen as very expensive. It's only legal to have it on after November although a lot of Italians put it on anyway beforehand.

If I were you I would definitely bring a soft fluffy dressing gown that you can curl up in when you're at home and if you have to, for emergencies and extreme situations, you can sleep in it. I would also really suggest bringing a hot water bottle because it doesn't take up any space in your luggage and will save you. I didn't have either of these and being in Florence from October until December was difficult, especially at night. A girl that I met said that when she studied abroad in Siena during the winter she went to sleep with gloves on. I even slept in one of my coats a couple of times towards the end. Everyone always thinks of the summers in Italy, which are painfully hot, but never of the winter. Obviously whether you're in the very south or the very north your experience will be different so just do your research and be prepared.

2) Be ready to try new things

Try the different foods from the different regions and don't just stick to pizza and pasta, although if you're vegetarian it's a little more difficult. Try all of the different types of desserts and pastries, you won't regret it, which brings me onto my next point...

3) Don't worry about your waistline

You're in Italy to enjoy yourself and to truly experience the country that you live in: indulge! That being said, try not to eat 5 nutella cornetti (croissants) for breakfast followed by 2 pizzas for lunch, getlato etc. every day. I always think that if you've put on a little bit of weight in Italy (within reason) then you have truly enjoyed your time here. Honestly though, you will probably do so much walking that you'll burn off all of  the calories, at least that's what happened to me!

4) Visit the museums and monuments

Italy is absolutely beautiful and I'm sure that wherever you're living has some gems of its own. In Florence the Palazzo Pitti, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia are all must-sees. Even if you're not usually into art or museums I'm sure that you can appreciate the beauty that these places have to offer. Some of the worlds masterpieces are here - don't miss out!

5) Try to make Italian friends

If you're studying abroad you may not make that many Italian friends that easily as many of them will already have their own friends and most will live at home. A lot of Erasmus students tend to stick together and although they usually always have a great time, they sometimes wish that they had met more locals. There are easy ways to do this, some of my friends met people by getting involved in the local community... joining the gym for example! I even met a girl on instagram* and she ended up being one of the nicest people ever and we're still in touch now. She even invited me to have dinner at her family home which was lovely and I got to meet her kitten which was tiny and literally the cutest thing I have ever laid my eyes on.

* Obviously always be careful about who you're meeting, only meet people from online if you feel comfortable and if it's in a public place - do not go to random people's houses before meeting them and stay safe.


P.S. How cute is Florence at Christmas time?! Look at that tree!

6) You're allowed to be friends with non-Italians!

Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to not speak English and to force ourselves to make only Italian friends and only speak Italian. Obviously speaking English all the time won't be the best for your language but as long as you're happy that's all that matters! For example, I made friends with some Japanese people who didn't speak English. Our common language was Italian which was great, although a little bit odd, and they taught us how to make authentic sushi which was such a cool experience. At the end of my 5 months I had met so many different people from all over the world who introduced me to new cultures, foods and customs - enjoy it all!

7) Travel, a lot.

It can be a little expensive to do this, depending how far away you want to go and where you want to go, but I was fortunate enough to have my Erasmus fund to use towards my travels. In the 5 months that I was here I went to Cinque Terre, Siena, the Tuscan countryside, Milan, Rome, Bologna, Trapani (Sicily), Naples & Pompeii, all of which you can read about in more detail (if you want to) here:

Cinque Terre: A Day Trip to the Beautiful Cinque Terre 
Siena: A Weekend in the Medieval City of Siena, Tuscany
Tuscany: Yoga, Yummy Food & Beautiful Countryside: A Weekend Yoga Retreat in Tuscany
Milan: Ciao Milano!
Rome: When in Rome
Bologna: A Foggy Day in Bologna, the City with the World's Oldest University
Trapani: Trapani: Discovering Sicily
Naples: A Taste of Naples: Pizza, Pastries & Limoncello 
Pompei: The Ancient City of Pompeii & Visitor Tips 

8) Don't be scared to speak Italian

Don't be scared to make mistakes! As I said before, it is a difficult language but the best way to learn is by making mistakes, being corrected and remembering them. Ask your friends that speak Italian or your teachers/professors, waiters, anyone to correct you if you make errors. It seems a little bit scary at first but I promise you that it'll be worth it and it's how my Italian improved a lot. I used to worry about my accent too but whenever Italians spoke to me with an Italian accent in English I didn't judge them so I'm sure that they aren't judging you either!

9) Some practical information

Sim-cards: When I first moved to Florence I went on the hunt for a sim card, una sceda. You need to do your research and shop around and ask how much the cancellation fee is - in some places it was 60 euros! My Polish flatmate recommended TIM to me and it worked quite well as well as being rather affordable (and no cancellation fee). I'm sure that wherever you are you will have a TIM near you.

Housing: I found my flat on www.easystanza.com which is the Italian version of easyrooms. I actually also found my flat in Paris on the French site and I have to say that both times it worked out pretty well. There are a lot of scams out there so if you don't want to go to Italy before to choose a flat the best advice that I can give you is to Skype them and do not sign anything. At the end of the day if you pay a deposit or a first month's rent and you get there and it's awful, you can always leave and find somewhere else.

For me the most important thing was finding nice people to live with - and I ended up living with the loveliest girls who were from all over the world! There was a Canadian, a Polish and a Belgian who later got replaced by a girl from Hong Kong, not to mention Sophia's cat named Lili who was definitely a prominent member of the house (to everyone that had to endure my incessant snapchats of her, I deeply apologise, she was just so cute and fluffy, although a little crazy, but look at those blue eyes).


Public transport: Obviously this will vary by region but from my personal experience the transport system worked pretty well, at least in the northern and middle parts of the country. Trains worked well and tickets generally increase in price the later you leave buy them so try to book them in advance. There are two main companies which run called TrenItalia and italo and you can buy tickets either online or at the stations themselves. Bus tickets can be bought in little kiosks and in some supermarkets.

Pickpockets: Unfortunately it happens a lot in Italy, like in most countries to be honest - a woman I know had her handbag stolen by gypsies in a church! Saying this, I have been told by many that Italians are quite honest people and for example, once I forgot my wallet in a cinema and a couple of days later, when I realised where it was, I called them and they still had it, with all of my cards and all of my money. Maybe I just got lucky? I don't know but just be careful of your belongings and I would suggest carrying a handbag that closes with a zip or isn't easy to get into. If you don't have one of these then it's the perfect excuse to go shopping, and in Italy you'll find an abundance of gorgeous handbags.

10) Just enjoy your time

Obviously stay safe and have common sense but just enjoy your time when you're there. It's a once in a lifetime experience and you need to enjoy every moment of it!

If you're living in Florence or about to visit it (lucky you) then you have to try some of these places. I lived in Florence for almost 5 months as part of my year abroad and whilst I was there I was able to taste some of what Tuscany has to offer, which is really good food. I have featured quite a few restaurants and gelaterias on here but obviously I couldn't include all of them. Here are all of my recommendations as well as some of my friends' ones, some of whom are from Florence and some of whom have also done a semester abroad here.

• Crostini con fegatini - little toasts with chicken liver
• Panino con lampredotto - a sandwich with lampredotto which is a part of the cows stomach (I have been told that it's amazing), you can also find trippa which is another part of the cows stomach.
• Bistecca alla Fiorentina - steak in the Florentine way. It's normally shared by two people, is cut quite thickly and is cooked rare, only about 2 minutes on each side.
• Pappa al pomodoro - A bready tomato soup
• Schiacciata alla Fiorentina - a traditional cake that you can find in many pasticcerie (pastry shops)
• Cenci - Fried pieces of dough dusted with icing sugar (yum!!!)

Here are all of the places that we would recommend, Tuscan ones are towards the bottom but I have also included some other cuisines in case you are here for longer and want to try something a little bit different, or if you happen to not like Italian food (in which case you're crazy!) The list will start with pizza and finish with typical Tuscan restaurants and gelato, with everything else in between.


I was introduced to this wonderful, cosy little place by one of my dear friends in the last month that I was living in Florence which is such a shame because their pizza is so good and both her and my absolute favourite pizzeria in Florence. Check it out! It's very small though so either try to go early or make a reservation. Borgo S. Frediano 57/R



Great place for cheap pizzas that you can either take away to eat in the Piazza Santo Spirito, enjoying a bottle of wine or beer amongst friends or have it to eat in.  Pizzas start at 4 euros and you can read about it here. Via Maggio 46/R


You might find this funny but this is actually one of my flatmate's favourite place to eat in Florence. Not Italian food, but Indian food. It's mostly a takeaway place that does home deliveries and their food is always so good and great value for money. Try it out when you want a little bit of a change from the classic Italian menu. Borgo la Croce 20



In Florence a lot of the sushi restaurants tend to be all you can eat, and sometimes not that good. At Aji Tei you spend 28 euros for dinner and they have so many options, even some more creative ones such as sushi with truffle or rice with squid ink. Unlike other places desserts are also included in the price and are yummy too - chocolate orange mousse or mango panna cotta. Viale Spartaco Lavagnini 38/a


A tiny restaurant which is known to be the best Chinese one in the city. It's small and only has a couple of tables but specialises in dumplings, or dim sum. The dumplings also have a few creative ones which cater more towards Italians such as truffle dumplings or chianina (a type of cow) meat. They also have noodles and many other options if you don't like dumplings. Via dei Neri 37/R



I say coffee and brunch but to be honest there isn't much that this place doesn't do well. They have great coffee with non-dairy milk options as well as a lovely brunch menu (best place in Florence) & a great lunch and dinner menu. Definitely go here when you're in Florence. The food isn't typically Italian, but at least try the coffee! Read more about it here. Via dello Sprone 3/5/R & Via dei Neri 32/R & Via Cavour 50/R


Lovely range of inventive vegetarian and vegan foods, not to mention the really cool interior design. They also apparently have great aperitivo and get quite busy so make sure to book. Via dei Vagellai 18



This is a 100% gluten free restaurant which is perfect for everyone. They have lots of vegan and vegetarian options as well as lots of meat ones so it can please everyone. They've also got a great looking brunch and their normal menu is very inventive. Read more about it here. Vicolo di Santa Maria Maggiore 1


This one is a recent addition to Florence's restaurant scene but it's already had a lot of success. They have a mix of street food such as fried fish and more expensive, upmarket options such as tuna tartare. They also have mezze porzioni (half portions) which means that you can mix and match your dishes or just enjoy a half portion at a reduced price. It's very popular though so make sure to book or go early. Via del Proconsolo 16/R



One of my favourite places for aperitivo in Florence, hands down. At only 8 euros for any drink of your choice and an unlimited buffet it's pretty hard to beat. Their normal menu looks great too so check it out whether your budget is more student-friendly or whether you have no budget at all. All of their pasta is home made and you can read more about it here. Piazza Santo Spirito 11/R



I love the atmosphere in this place, especially in summer. You can sit outside and enjoy your unlimited buffet with a strong cocktail (and they make them strong here!) Enjoy the ambience of the fairy lights and the live music whilst appreciating how the place used to be an old prison! Read more about it here. Piazza delle Murate



One of the most beautiful cafés that you will ever lay your eyes on. As soon as you step inside you feel like you're going back in history but don't let the posh exterior (and interior) put you off. Order a coffee and a pastry and enjoy the ambiance of the place - although remember to stand at the bar so that you don't pay about 5x the price. Coffee, surprisingly, is the same price as pretty much any other café as long as you don't sit down. Via Roma 1/R



You can see that it's probably one of Florence's most famous and loved panini shops purely based off of the queues that come out of the place. Most sandwiches are only 5 euros and although the cold cut meats are their speciality I absolutely love their vegetarian one ( and so did my meat-eating flatmate!) If you go there for lunch go a little earlier, around 12 or 12.15 to make sure that you don't get caught in long lines. Read more about it here. Via dei Neri 74/R


Another one of Florence's very loved panini places, if you've spent any long period of time in Florence you have probably been served by the charming man at the counter. Via Giuseppe Verdi 36/R



A great option for those who are vegan, raw vegan or simply more health conscious. They offer a range of different dishes, all of which are 100% raw and vegan (as the name would suggest) as well as desserts, juices and even raw ice cream, plus they have the cutest interior. Read more about it here. Via Sant'Agostino 11/R


This is such a cute little trattoria which is so popular that you have to make a reservation. Their menu is constantly being updated and is hand-written. Go there and definitely get the fried bread balls - they're incredible. Via della Chiesa 16/R

This is one of Florence's well kept secrets - a true Tuscan restaurant serving amazing, authentic dishes. Everyone seems to love it. Via Luigi Ariosto 34/R

I've been told that this is the best place for one of Florence's famous dishes, bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine steak). I've never been and haven't tried the steak because I don't eat meat but apparently it's to die for. Via del Porcellana 9R

Il Vecchio Cigno (Tuscan)

This restaurant offers typical Tuscan food such as crostini con fegatini (crostini with chicken liver), gnocchi al tartufo (truffle gnocchi), tagliolini ai funghi porcini (tagliolini, a type of pasta, with porcini mushrooms) and pici al sugo d'anatra (pici, also a type of pasta, with a duck sauce). Via di Varlungo 3


This place is close to the Piazzale Michelangelo which is where you can have a beautiful view of the whole of Florence and is especially famous for their taglieri which are deli boards or what we would call cheese and meat platters (with many more things than just cheese and meat!) Via dell'Erta Canina 6/R

I would honestly say that this is in one of my top 5 places to eat in Florence. Their menu changes all the time and their prices are great - it's under 7 euros for a pasta dish, a "primo" and under 9 euros for a "secondo" which includes more meat and fish options. I would like to say that it's traditionally Tuscan, however I have also seen things like a salmon green curry, which was incredible. The only downside is that there generally aren't any vegetarian options, although the staff are super friendly so I'm sure they could come up with something for you. Via dè Macci 77


Great all-round gelateria with natural ingredients and flavours. At one euro a scoop it's definitely worth a try and is close to the Ponte Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti. My favourites are nocciola (hazelnut) and mojito which they had in summer but to be honest all of the ones that I have tried are awesome. Read more about it here - one of the owners went to the Gelato University in Bologna! Via Toscanella 15/R


Go here for the best ice cream cones in the city which are freshly made in-house. The gelato is all organic and free from preservatives, additives and other chemicals as well as being really yummy. My favourites are gianduia and cannella (cinnamon). It's close to the Duomo and cones start at 3 euros for 2 scoops. Great vegan options too, although unfortunately the cones are not. Read about it more here. Piazza del Duomo 45/R


This is a great typical gelateria with lots and lots of different flavours to choose from. It's close to the Uffizi Gallery and the famous panini place All'Antico Vinaio (which is coming up below) and with prices starting at just 1,80 it's hard to turn down. Read more about it here. Via dei Neri 9/11

Great gelato and yoghurts to choose from. This place also won first place at the Gelato Festival (how Italian!) Close to the Galleria dell'Accademia. Via de' Ginori 49/R

Honestly this probably isn't the healthiest option but if you're ever feeling naughty then try this place out. Again, like Gelateria dei Neri they have lots and lots of options. One of my favourites is baci (kisses), a mix of hazelnut and chocolate as well as their passion fruit flavour. The Piazza Nazario Sauro one is definitely bigger, although a little further away, just off of the Ponte alla Carraia so if you're looking for lots of flavours definitely go to that one. Piazza Nazario Sauro 25/R & Via de'Benci 24/R


This one was recommended to me by one of my Italian teachers as she used to work there part-time when she was studying at university. They use all natural ingredients and have great Sicilian style granita. Read more about it here. Via Ricasoli 60/R

Please remember that when an address has /R at the end it means that the house number is red. This gets a little bit confusing as number 7 and number 7/R for example are two completely different places and may not even be next to each other.

I hope that you find something that you like in here - and that most importantly of all, you enjoy Florence and all that it has to offer!

Welcome to Pompeii, an ancient Roman town that was buried under volcanic ash and pumice after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and left everything preserved for over 1,500 years. This means that today we can see everything as it was left: the pillars, houses, frescoes, streets, pottery and even people. Pretty fascinating stuff! When we went down to Naples for a couple of days we just had to visit so we woke up bright and early and made our way by train down to the ancient site.

Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed (and preserved) Pompeii

The richest homes in Pompeii had a constant supply of running water which is incredible considering that it was only really available to the modern world in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The water was carried through a complex plumbing system which used lead pipes - the word "plumbing" even comes from the Latin plumbum which means lead!

In ancient times, like today, plumbers were always needed and already had very successful businesses. The lead pipes also helped to improve the sanitary conditions of the city which I just find fascinating as water borne diseases like cholera and typhoid were still an issue for the UK in the 19th century! Their old and inadequate sewage system lead to the "Great Stink" in London in 1858 - maybe they should have looked back at ancient times for some advice.










They also had the concept of fast food which you can see in the last two pictures above. When they excavated the site they didn't find much tableware or formal dining areas, nor did they find many full kitchens in their homes which would suggest that cooking and having sit down family meals weren't very important.

In fast food places you could buy both food and alcohol and could either have it take away or sit down at the little tables they had. Apparently many poor people used these as they couldn't afford to have a private kitchen in their own homes but I doubt that these places were exclusively for them.

The Temple of Apollo

 





What I absolutely love about Pompeii is that it gives you a real look into Roman life, frozen in time, buried under the ash. A lot of the houses are still really well preserved and the graffiti found on the walls gave historians and classicists great insight into Vulgar Latin, the every day spoken version of the language. Not to mention how all of the objects in the city were preserved because of the lack of air and moisture - archaeologists could see the exact position that people were in when they died.

How beautiful is this? Found in the House of the Small Fountain

House of P. Casca Longus

The House of Menander

The Lupanar that we went into was the largest brothel in Pompeii with 10 rooms. Brothels were normally quite small with only a couple of rooms and, like the Lupanar, were not extravagantly furnished, although they did have a number of rather graphic scenes on the walls *if you're under 16 please look away now* !



Our last stop before our feet felt like they were about to fall off was the amphitheatre which is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre. Like the Colosseum in Rome, it was used for gladiator fights, animal slayings and executions. Other than being a historical landmark it's also been used for concerts - Pink Floyd made a concert film there in the seventies!


At the end of our long day of exploring we were exhausted and ready to go back to Naples to eat some more pizza so made our way back to the station, nutella sfogliatella in hand.

Pompeii Visitor Tips

Tourists have been going to Pompeii for over 250 years and has about 2.5 million tourists each year which isn't surprising considering that it's one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy, not to mention a UNESCO World Heritage Site so here are some of my tips...

1) If you can afford it, get a tour guide. There isn't any information about anything once you get onto the site and it can be a little bit difficult to navigate yourself around the different zones. Make sure to take the map that they give you at the entrance.

2) If you can't afford a tour guide (we couldn't), at least have a guide book with you or a phone with internet connection so that you can look up all of the different places otherwise you will miss out on so much.

3) If you can, go in winter or at least outside of the tourist season. We went at the beginning of December which meant that there were hardly any people there. As I said before, I've been to Pompeii twice before and both of those times were in summer, in the height of tourist season which I really would not recommend. It's hot and packed with people so if you do end up going in summer make sure to bring lots of water, hats and snacks as well as spf because you will more than likely burn up in the southern Italian heat.

4) Take your time, but equally don't take too long. Someone told us that seeing the whole of Pompeii would take two whole days - I think that this is nonsense. We saw probably 70% of it in 3-4 hours or so. You don't want to rush because it's an incredible experience with such rich history which needs to be absorbed, however at the same time if you want to see everything you really can't be spending more than 10-15 minutes in each place. We simply prioritised what we wanted to see and went from there.

5) If you're under 25 and an EU citizen bring your ID card with you, you'll get a reduced rate!

6) There aren't actually that many artefacts on the site itself, for those you will have to go to The National Archaeological Museum of Naples so please don't get your hopes up or expect the wrong thing before your trip to Pompeii - you will only see the buildings and some artefacts.

How to get to Pompeii:

By train
It's actually really easy to get there by train from Naples, which is what we did. For the Porta Marina and Piazza Esedra entrance take the Circumvesuviana Naples-Sorrento train and get off at Pompei Villa dei Misteri. For the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance take the Circumvesuviana Naples-Poggiomarino train and get off at Pompei Santuario or take the FS to Naples-Salerno and get off at Pompei.

By bus
You can take: SITA from Naples and from Salerno, CSTP no. 4 from Salerno & CSTP no. 50 from Salerno which is faster and via the motorway.

To be honest I would take the train as it was really easy and inexpensive from Naples, less expensive than trains in the north thankfully.

Entrance to the site is only €11 or €5,50 if you're under 25 and an EU citizen. If you're an EU citizen under 18 you go for free!

From the House of Venus