Second Week: The Opera & Hot Spots

This week I was able to have an experience that I never had before. An Italian friend of mine was kind enough to invite me to the Opera. In the beginning, I was not that interested because I’ve never been to the Opera and thought that it would just be loud singing in a different language so going would be pointless. But then I remembered that my goal of this trip is to be open-minded to Italian culture, so I decided to give the Opera a chance.

At the Opera, I was able to experience the show of Madame Butterfly, who is a very popular. Surprisingly, the show surpassed my expectations. The plot was created fantastically and the actors did a fantastic job. Even though the singing was in Italian, there were hanging translations in English, so I was able to follow along with the plot. The actors did a magnificent job at portraying their emotions, that I was able to experience what each actor was feeling. I absolutely recommend visiting the Opera, because the experience is truly beautiful.

• 

This week was very special, because I was able to celebrate one of my roommate’s 20th birthday at the best restaurant I’ve been to so far. The service was phenomenal and the staff were very friendly. I highly recommend visiting this location (Trattoria L’Oriuolo).

• 

A very famous Gelato shop that everyone who travels to Florence should visit is La Carraia. Honestly I have been to this shop almost every other day and I tried a couple different Gelato shops but this one by far is my favorite. My first time eating Gelato was in Florence and I was surprised at how quickly the ice cream melts compared to ice cream in America.

• 

One place that I fell in love with was Pizzale Michalangelo, which offers a lovely view over the center of Florence. Many people head to the Pizzale to watch the sun set. I recommend going here to take pictures and observe nature’s beauty.

•