sono arrivata!

Well, I made it!

It's been a few days now since I arrived in Italy...but it's all been quite non stop and I at least wanted to get a quick post up. I went straight from Rome to Florence when the plane touched down, and the city welcomed me right back! The weekend was a bit cloudy, but after a big storm through the night on Saturday, yesterday I awoke to gloriously blue skies, and slightly dropped temperatures. Pretty much weather perfection.


After a couple days of getting settled in, having some logistic complications, making other arrangements, and sorting out my new time zone - I'm really ready and looking forward to my time here this season.


I was seriously messed up with jet-lag (and still am a bit)...but nothing seems to whip a body and mind back into shape, than 3 intense yoga classes in the first day and a half. Today my official course started, and it's just made me even more excited about embarking on the journey.


The people here are lovely. I don't have a kitchen, so I'm going out to eat all the time and meeting more people that way. I've already picked a few "regular" places where I hope to get to know some of the workers! So far...I've had truffles, mozzarella, foccacia, gelato, pasta, pesto, wine, and coffee...tried out two new(er) vegetarian restaurants, gone to see the film "The American", met up with a few friends, and walked back and forth over the Arno.

...more to come! a presto :)

my new neighborhood

just across the river...
I'm running around like crazy these next couple weeks but really wanted to post an update about my upcoming return to Florence! I had some very good news get finalized this week...I have a place to live! Yay. It was getting quite close to my departure date and I still had no address of destination, so I'm so glad to be able to mark this off my list of to-dos.

It's almost the perfect situation and type of place that I was looking for. Number one, because it's in the Oltrarno area of Florence. Oltrarno is short for "oltre l'Arno" which means "beyond the Arno (river)". Still considered the centro of Firenze, this neighborhood does have more of a permanent, homelike feel to me and doesn't seem to be as crazy with tourists. It was my first choice of neighborhoods to try and live this time around.

When we lived in Florence before we were in the HEART of the center, which was great for the time, but I looked forward to being in a bit more tranquil part this go 'round. Plus, the yoga studio where I'll be studying is "beyond the Arno" as well (though not very beyond as it's just a block off the river) and now will be just a short walk from my new room.

view towards the city • palace • Fiat parked on a neighborhood corner
The building is so close to the city's most famous garden...and palace. So not too shabby if I do say so. These are some photos we took when we visited that same palace and garden before...what an amazing view back over the city from the grounds there. In the building, I have my own private entrance, room, and garden! (yes, a lovely piece of un giardino), and the house is shared with an Italian family who seems just lovely and with whom I hope to have some great conversations (in Italian of course).

...and who can beat neighbors like these?

(although I may have to watch out for that last guy!)