As much as I traveled throughout Europe, Florence was my home. I was not able to blog about Florence as much as I wanted, but this photo blog is a window into all of the fun activities I took part in and tasty foods I ate throughout the second half of my semester in Florence. I could go on and on about the palaces I visited, museums I toured, artists I admired and the food I ate, but I believe these photos serve up more than I would ever be able to express in words. Florence was such a dynamic city so enjoy taking a glimpse at all of the places I was able to discover, and fall in love with, during my time there.

All photography by Emily Houston.

1.) Indulged in some delicious fresh fruit from the Mercato.

2.) Visited the Santa Croce church where Michelangelo is buried.

3.) Cooked Onion Jam for our cheese platter in my Pairing Food and Wine class.

4.) Stood on the edge of the Arno.

5.) Took a new way home from class.

6.) Saw my roommate Mel’s printmaking piece, which was featured in the LdM student art exhibition Art is in the Square.

7.) Made a pit stop to see the San Marco church.

8.) Admired the window displays as Florence prepared for Easter.

9.) Stopped by the San Lorenzo cloisters.

10.) Visited the Uffizi and saw Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

11.) Along with Buontalenti’s Tribuna Room, which features over 6,000 oysters shells on the ceiling.

12.) And an incredible view of the Vasari corridor, which is a secret pathway created for the Medici’s that connects Palazzo Vecchio to Pitti Palace across the river.

13.) Cooked Butternut Squash Risotto in my Pairing Food and Wine class.

14.) Had my Travel Writing class in the Rose Garden.

15.) Found some of my favorite street art.

16.) Explored the Santo Spirito neighborhood and spent a Sunday afternoon walking around a farmer’s market.

17.) Enjoyed a morning cappuccino paired with a view of Piazza della Repubblica atop the Rinascente rooftop.

18.) Toured Palazzo Vecchio, one of the oldest public palazzos in Florence and the seat of the Florentine government.

19.) Visited the Leather Market more times than I could count and spent more money than I’d like to admit.

20.) Took a field trip to tour the Corsini Palace during my Palaces of Florence class.

21.) Cooked Pork Chops with Bacon, Licorice and Rapini in my Pairing Food and Wine class.

22.) Took a half day trip to visit the Medici Villa La Petraia just outside of the Florence city center. 

23.) Celebrated Easter by attending the explosion of the cart in front of the Duomo, which is a 350 year old Florentine tradition.

24.) Stopped in the Bargello Museum to see Donatello’s David. 

25.) Admired the beautiful flowers across the city, which also gave me some not so beautiful allergies. 

26.) Ate some delicious Nutella and frutta fresca crepes at La Milkeria. 

27.) Went inside the Medici Palace, which belonged to the most powerful family in Renaissance Florence, and was the prototype of all Renaissance palaces.

28.) Made a valiant attempt to meet Tom Hanks as he filmed his new film Inferno, in Piazza Signoria, and across Florence.  

29.) Ordered a heart shaped Margherita pizza at Gusta Pizza with Mel and cheers-ed with some beers. 

30.) Visited the Salvatore Ferragamo museum, because we couldn’t actually afford to buy any of the shoes in the store above the museum.

31.) And took some pictures of the shoe molds the company uses for famous people such as Michael Jordan, Prince George, and Madonna.

32.) Attempted to capture the beauty of the Ponte Vecchio in a picture.

33.) Found beautiful art on my way home from class.

34.) Admired the Medic’s family’s private collection of art inside the Palatine Gallery of the Pitti Palace.

35.) Took too many pictures inside the tunnel filled with wisteria at the Bardini Gardens.

36.) And took equally as many pictures of the incredible view from the tunnel.

37.) Cooked Beef Stew in my Pairing Food and Wine class.

38.) Soaked up the sunset at my favorite place in Florence–Piazzale Michelangelo.

39.) Stopped by a street artist’s stand on my way home from class one day. As I looked through his artwork, I asked if he would be there tomorrow so I could buy some. He said yes and told me he’d give me his business card. Instead of giving me a card, he painted me a picture of the Duomo on a piece of paper to which he said, “I don’t buy business cards, I make them.”

40.) Tried tripe, cow stomach, at the Mercato Centrale. I got three bites in before my gag reflex took over.

41.) So to soothe the taste I ordered my all time favorite meal Mercato meal, Crema al Tartufo aka Truffle Pasta one last time.

42.) Took a picture with our favorite professor in Florence, Marco, who taught our Pairing Food and Wine class.

43.) Rode the carousel in Piazza della Repubblica (twice) on our last night in Florence.

44.) Stopped by the Marist office to take a picture with the Marist Italy sign. Shoutout to my amazing school for offering me this incredible opportunity.

45.) Had a white wine, strawberry, and rustica potato chip picnic with Mel at Piazzale Michelangelo during our last week in Florence.

46.) Climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo with Mel.

47.) And then directly after climbed another 414 steps to the top of Giotto’s Bell Tower, which offered one of my favorite views in all of Florence.

48.) After climbing a grand total of 1,754 steps, and almost passing out due to the Florentine humidity and heat, we kept it low key by visiting the Baptistery. 

49.) Cooked Neopolitan Pastiera in my Pairing Food and Wine class.

50.) Became a certified Wine Spectator, and rocked the chef outfit while I was at it.

51.) Posed with my European partner in crime in our David by Michelangelo and Birth of Venus by Botticelli aprons. Best 5 euro we spent in Europe.

52.) Ate my last true Italian pizza with fresh mozzarella and prosciutto on my last night in Florence.

53.) Had our signed dollar bills posted on the Wall of Fame at our favorite bar.

54.) Said goodbye to our trusty and lovable apartment, Via Ghibellina 90, that treated us so well while we were in Florence. Except for the all too frequent wifi crashes, but we can ignore that for sentimentalities sake.

55.) Made a city my home. Firenze Forever.

Ciao for now,

Emily