Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Dreaming of Florence, Oh and Gelato

Florence is the prettiest city I have ever been.  Hands down.  Whether you have a taste for old or new architecture, Florence is truly enchanting.  I have yet to travel to Paris, but Florence at night takes on a whole new level of magic.  Watch out Disney World, I'm pretty sure Florence has you beat on the whole magical feeling.

Last night I decided to venture out (with my roommates of course, Florence isn't the safest place at night) to find this famous gelateria.  I know you're probably thinking, 'Corinne has been in Florence for a full week and has not even thought to get a gelato!?'  I know, I know.  What was I thinking.  As I ventured out, the night cold and wet, I admit I was almost dreading walking around.  Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been very friendly to me aka raining and freezing.  When it rains in Florence, it literally pours.  But to my surprise, Florence at night takes on a new vibe, that's inviting and warm.  Walking down the street it was almost as if I was seeing a whole new city, the reflection of the lights illuminating the street giving the buildings a soft glow.  The hectic sounds of traffic were quieted and the stores looked brighter and more colorful.  As we walked through the streets in awe, I realized Florence was still very much alive.  


Unlike Americans, many Europeans like to shop at night which I find strange, and as I strolled into the more busier area of central Florence, the city came to life.  Vendors were busy selling their various street food, which included some sort of bread and toasted walnuts. Men and women with children walked briskly from store to store with bags and bags of clothes.  Older couples strolled slowly down the sidewalk.  Vendors were busy trying to convince anyone to buy their leather goods. So alive; I loved it.  

As a kid, when asked 'what's your favorite food?', I would always respond, ICE CREAM! (says a lot about me as a child), and I knew my first gelato would life changing.  Before I knew it, I was standing in front of 'the best gelato in Firenze' according to my host mom.  Entering it looked like any other Gelateria.  In Florence, they display the gelato like candy in a window, sculpting the creamy goodness into beatuiful waves of pure deliciousness.  I decided on the basic chocolate and stracciatella (similar to chocolate chip).  As I placed the first bite in my mouth, done.  Gelato is different than ice cream, in that it's a thousand times better.  Honestly, it's the creaminess.  I highly recommend it.  Before I knew it, my small cup of gelato was gone, sadly, but I was satisfied. 

Walking home I couldn't help but wonder, what is it like to live in Florence?  Florentines walk around everyday like it's nothing, but how can you get used to a beautiful city like this?  My deep thoughts on life were then interrupted by me stepping in a large puddle. It really needs to stop raining.

Enjoy the pictures I took, and come to Florence!

xoxo
Corinne

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