italy

Last Week Living in Florence, Italy

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

After almost four months living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, my time eventually had to come to a close. I saw some of the most amazing things and traveled to the most beautiful cities. Here, I learned a lot, not only in school, but about myself. I ended up spending a good amount of time by myself and kind of figured out what I wanted to do with my life when I got home. I had a great time and will definitely be back very soon.

Ciao for now!

xx Bella

Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy

Rome, Italy | 11/30/18 – 12/2/18

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Rome is by far my favorite city in Italy. I’m thankful to say that this was my 4th time visiting and I’m always ready to go back again for a 5th.

Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria Maggiore

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Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona
Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Pantheon
Santa Scala (Holy Stairs)
Colosseum
San Giovanni

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If you are ever in Rome, you HAVE TO GO to Trattoria Luzzi for lunch. This place is so good and SO inexpensive. It is just a few blocks from the Colosseum and halfway to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterno.

Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City

Unfortunately, we did not get to go inside the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel because it is closed on Sundays… important to know if you’re there on a Sunday :/. However, just standing in front of the church is incredible and being in this area feels like you are in a totally different place.

Pisa, Italy | 11/26/18

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The iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa is only an hour train ride from Florence so it is a definite day trip must! Pisa is a very small town and you can do this in a day, or just a few hours like I did.

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outfit : top : Forever 21 (similar) | shorts : Zara (similar) | boots : Zara (similar)

Pisa, Italy
Pisa, Italy
Pisa, Italy
Pisa, Italy
Pisa, Italy

We ate dinner at a place called Pizzeria Trattoria Toscana right across from the leaning tower and it was absolutely amazing! Slightly touristy but we wanted to stay close to the tower. Very good- if you go, you have to try it!

Pizzeria Trattoria Toscana
Pizzeria Trattoria Toscana
Pizzeria Trattoria Toscana

Bergamo, Italy |10/20/18 – 10/21/18

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Bergamo, Italy is a town in the Northern part of Italy closer to Austria and Switzerland. I had no idea what to expect when going here but it was actually really cool. My mom wanted to go here because her family was from there and loved to visit.

Bergamo
Bergamo

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To get to the historical part of Bergamo, you have to get on a trolly type ski lift thingy to get to the top of the hill. Walking is also an option, but apparently it is a hike and we only had a day here.

Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo

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The Bergamo Cathedral is one of the prettiest churches I have ever been to! Is is small but extremely detailed. It is free to go in which is a plus. When in Bergamo, this is a must see.

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outfit : jeans : vintage (similar) | jacket : Amuse Society (similar) | shirt : Levis | boots : Zara (similar)

Arezzo, Italy | 10/19/18

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Arezzo, Italy is a small town just an hour train ride south of Florence. I would have never thought to go to this town if it weren’t for my mom mentioning it. We covered this town in just a few hours because it was so small; a great Tuscan day trip.

Arezzo
Piazza Grande
Bergamo
Duomo
View of Tuscany

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outfit : top : Zara (similar) | shorts : Zara (similar) | boots : Zara (similar)

 

International Festival
International Festival

We were lucky to have visited on the day that they were having their international festival! There were vendors with stands selling things from tons and tons of countries. The line of tables and tents was probably almost a mile long.

Sugar
Sugar
Sugar

There is also a lot of amazing shopping in Arezzo. I purchased a beautiful pair of western leather boots from Sandro Ferrone.

Florence, Italy – Study Abroad : Week 7

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Some photos from my 7th week spent in Florence!

Santo Spirito
Morning Walk to school
Palazzo Vecchio

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The Bargello Museum in Florence is such an underrated museum. There are some really important works of art in there and everything else is extremely beautiful. This museum doesn’t take long at all to go through and is definitely worth seeing if you’re ever in this city.

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Vivoli is said to be some of the best gelato in Florence. I’ve learned that the less attractive and decorated the gelato looks, the better it tastes. That is so so true; so if you’re ever in Florence, or anywhere in Italy, stick to the less touristy, less pretty gelato places for a more authentic taste.

Florence, Italy – Study Abroad : Week 6

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Here are some random photos from my sixth week living in Florence, Italy!

Santo Spirito
Santo Spirito
Santo Spirito

On the second Sunday of each month, there is an outside market in Santo Spirito. Vendors are selling everything from food, to home goods, to vintage designer items. I picked up a vintage Fendi tote bag for an amazing price here.

Don Nino
Piazza Repubblica
Uffizi
Scorpio Sign

OOTD : 10/14/18

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Mixing prints and patterns is one of my favorite looks but sometimes I find it so difficult to accomplish correctly. This dress, luckily came with it done for me! I love the mix of stripes, polka dots, and florals. It is very feminine so I added some chunky white Fila Disruptors to add something different.

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dress : Giulia Rocchi | shoes : Fila Disruptor II