Wake-up: 9:00 AM
By this time you have gotten ready for the day, packed your bag, grabbed breakfast to-go from food you recently bought at Conad or you have eaten a delicious croissant at your favorite café. You have made the 15- or 20-minute beautiful and jaw-dropping walk to school where your new Italian professor awaits you. You’ve made it a point not to forget your apartment keys, meal tickets, school calendar, and phone, of course.
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Four hours of class have gone by, and surprisingly they’ve gone by pretty fast. With a break in the middle, you’ll have walked down the cobblestone streets to a favorite café to restore your energy with a cup of coffee, or you tide yourself over until lunch with a small sandwich or some fruit from the market down the block. You’ll have heard interesting stories about how to properly drink wine from the professor in your Food and Culture class, or have been shown how to paint the perfect overcast sky from Frans, your painting professor. It is now time to meet up with your newfound friends and find a restaurant from the list of delicious and endless options on the AIFS meal plan.
1:00 AM to 2:00 PM
You’ve found a new restaurant to try that is compatible with the AIFS meal plan and inform the waiter that you are an AIFS student. A pre-picked menu is handed to you, along with a basket of bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Your mouth waters as you and your friends order a bottle of water and attempt to figure out, in English, what exactly the meal options are (a short description under each one is usually provided). After devouring the savory food you ordered — while practicing the little bit of Italian you have picked up thus far — you have signed the meal ticket, waived the waiter down, thanked them, and head off to fulfill the fun-filled plan for the rest of your day.
2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Class is done and your stomach is full, with some room for gelato of course. The rest of the day is filled with endless amounts of events planned out for you by AIFS, such as:
- Gelato tour
- Pizza-making class
- Cooking class
- Tour of the Uffizzi
- Tour of the David
- Tasting of Italian food
- Climbing the Duomo
- And plenty more!
7:30 PM to 10:00 PM
The AIFS meal plan once again serves you well and you and some friends head off to yet another new restaurant. It is part of the Italian culture that dinner isn’t normally eaten until around 8 PM or 9 PM, but don’t worry, you will easily adjust to the time! The menu is handed to you just as a man in a suit starts to play the violin from across the street, as your table is set outside under some beautiful strung lights. While you sip your glass of wine, a hot plate of delicious-looking gnocchi is set in front of you and the day has been an unforgettable one.
10:00 PM to Bedtime
After a delicious dinner, you head off to a night out on the town, back to your apartment to relax before you get ready for bed, or to a friend’s apartment to hang out and get to know each other more. Whatever you decide to do, the night is yours and another day of excitement awaits you as you study abroad in Florence!
