Ciao da Firenze!
My name is Pooja and I’m a currently a sophomore studying Marketing
and Global Business! I am currently studying abroad at NYU Florence,
because it offers the Stern classes I need for my major and some great
food and sites to see.
I’ve been here for a little under two weeks and so far, I am
absolutely in love with this place. Florence is such a small city, so
you can pretty much walk almost everywhere without having to take the
bus or a taxi (if you aren’t in a rush!). Fortunately, I was lucky
enough to get a homestay that is in between the campus and the center
of the city so I can easily walk to all the major sites. However, most
people live in the city center, near the Duomo or the Arno river so
they have to rely on the buses in order to get to campus on time.
Every day, I’m always so eager to go to class because the NYU Florence
campus is absolutely a dream. It is so stunning, but words can’t even
describe how beautiful it is. The area both inside and outside campus
is super hilly, which can make the walk up to campus very painful, but
hey, I’m getting a workout so I can’t complain! It just means that I
have to leave earlier for class so I don’t have to run up the hill
every time I go to campus.
As for my classes, I’m really excited for all of them. I’m taking two
Stern classes, Financial Accounting and Management & Organizations,
and I’m also taking Italian and Renaissance Art. I really like how all
the classes are very small, so it is easier to understand the content
and get your questions answered by the professors. I’m looking forward
to my art history class because a majority of our classes meet in the
center of Florence to explore different museums and major sites. We
even get to go on a day trip to Pienza!
Speaking of traveling, I went on a bus tour this weekend to San
Gimignano. We explored the Tuscan countryside outside the city to see
how wine is made, then we visited the city and had a three-course
lunch. The city was absolutely gorgeous. It was unique because the
entire city was super hilly; in Florence, the outer parts of the city
have a lot of hills but the center is pretty flat. It was kind of
difficult to walk in San Gimignano because it was raining so I thought
I would slide backwards down those steep hills, but I didn’t so I
basically accomplished so much (not really)! Then we had a
three-course meal back in the countryside and the food was SO good. I
was so full by the end of this trip. I hope I get the chance to visit
this city again.
I’m super stoked for the rest of the semester, and I can’t wait to
share my adventures with you all. If you want any more insight on
choosing a study abroad location, living in a homestay, or anything
Florence-related please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Have a
great semester ladies!