If I were talking to a someone considering studying abroad in Italy, I’d say that it is a beautiful country that is full of culture and history. I’d suggest that they go, but to do their best to get an authentic experience and avoid the tourist traps. Florence, while it is a quintessential destination in Italy, has essentially become Disneyworld. Florence used to be looked on as a hotspot for intellectual and artistic inspiration, but nowadays it is full of people simply looking to be entertained. Anywhere you look, there’s someone with a gelato in their hand or gorging themselves on cheap wine while the museums and libraries are empty. I imagine that the gelato eaters go away from Florence with a positive memory, but no understanding of the place they just were. I encourage any prospective traveler to be the one digging deeper into the culture and getting to know the city and the people that live there. One of the best suggestions I got was to walk 30-45 minutes in any direction and find a place that catches your eye. In doing this, you’re far less likely to get tricked into an overpriced, ingenuine experience. My friends and I found my favorite restaurant AND my favorite study spot by applying this method. Also, while using Apple maps and Yelp can be very useful for finding the best food in the United States, it can become a misguiding signal in other countries. What I noticed is the places that got the highest quantity of ratings ended up being higher on the lists. The places with the most ratings tend to be the most touristy. Getting to talk to the local people about their favorite places tends to be your best bet if you’re not looking to walk and happen upon something. Final Tip: Tik Tok suggestions are good and bad. To my surprise, the places Tik Tok suggested were actually very good, but as you can imagine the line was long, and all tourists. So, I’d suggest weighing the pros and cons there and make sure to get in line for those places before they open or at uncommon times (e.g. 3:00PM 10:00AM, but common eating times vary by country/culture).
