Shoe Shopping in Florence: According to Fiona

Like most people visiting Florence, I wanted to buy some nice Italian shoes. I went online and simply googled “10 best shoe stores in Florence,” and after some clicking around I ended up on TripAdvisor.com, where I found two promising shops.

The one I decided to visit first is called Goccia, which is on Via Pellicceria in Florence (really close to the Piazza de Repubblica). It’s a pretty tiny shop, but it’s worth finding for sure! I was there during the last few days of their winter collection sale. (The TripAdvisor review that convinced me to go)

I bought 3 pairs of shoes there! 

Petra, me and Nino. They’re both very nice, and speak English really well. They’re really helpful; just tell them what you’re looking for and they’ll be able to assist you.

My roommates Elizabeth V. and Kat L. tagged along, and they both bought shoes there too. Elizabeth V. ordered this style of shoes to be made for her.

Elizabeth V.

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Fall back.

The week following a historic football match was always going to be a little on the slower side.  However the city did continue basking in the glow of victory for a few more days, with the local newspaper, La Nazione giving away a commerative poster on Wednesday.  A few copies have ended up in the study center and we will find homes for them soon...

Soon to be found on the walls of the AIFS study center.

Our friends from Pasadena City College were busy studying for Mid term exams as well as fine tuning travel plans as their Mid Term break began after class on Thursday.  Paris, Amsterdam, London and Barcelona appear to be the most popular locations and we're looking forward to hearing all the stories when classes begin again on Monday November 4.

On Tuesday, all our students attended a guided visit inside our local church, Santa Croce. It was a very pleasant afternoon, the Summer crowds have departed and the church was brightly lit but quiet, allowing Angela our guide to tell us all we ever wished to know.

Santa Croce Church

The students armed with listening devices enter the church.

Plenty to see, including the tomb of Michelangelo.

The remainder of the week has been fairly quiet.  This past weekend, Jordan and Nicole from Oregon took a trip upto Venice and Professor Lyons jetted down to explore Sicily. The Oregon students do have class this week.

Marta from AIFS chats to Nicole and Jordan about where to travel in Italy.

At the end of the week, the clocks changed, giving us all an extra hour in bed.  This has meant a brighter start to the day but by 5pm it is now starting to get dark.  Winter is coming. 

Halloween is also upon us, a quick stroll through the city reveals decorations and costumes are available but certainly on a smaller scale than in the USA.  No doubt some people will be in the mood to make the most of Thursday October 31 as Friday November 1 is the feast of Ognissanti (All Saints Day).  For the majority of Italians it is a public holiday.  It is traditional for Italians to visit the graves of relatives on this day. 

Sunset over Florence, viewed from Fiesole on Sunday October 27 2014.

Have a good week everybody.

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Ferragosto and beyond...

Once again, it has been a while.  Summers go by so quickly as it is our busiest time in terms of groups arriving and departing.  Thank You to all our Summer Students for coming and spending time with us in Firenze.

We've had all the usual trips, Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Rome, Venice as well as a hop over to the beautiful island of Elba.  Each of our programs is different and is customized to the desires of the faculty.

We've sampled wine and oil from the region, made our own pizza and studied gelato. We've taken in free concerts around the city, enjoyed opera and plenty of group meals. Some of us ran a 10k as part of the San Giovanni celebrations before enjoying the fireworks along the river.

Now the city is quiet.  Many shops and services are closed with signs posted saying they will be back at work on the August 26 or September 2.  That's just the way things work here.

In the AIFS office, work continues preparing for the arrival of Pasadena City College on September 13.

Across the city, our good friend Todd Bolton (of Tuscan Trails), our Wine expect had a wonderful Ferragosto with the arrival of a baby girl, Sophia Ines Bolton.  Congratulations to Elisa and Todd.

Welcome Sophia Ines Bolton!

For our American friends, we hope you had a good Summer.  Those of you in the Education business, good luck getting back to work.  Too those in Europe, there are a few more weeks to enjoy the sun, sea and the mountains.

If you have any questions about what we do, please don't hesitate to get in touch.  Email us via florence@aifs.co.uk.

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Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast Part I

Whilst the students have been studying abroad in Florence, they have had opportunities to travel.  Spain, France, Switzerland, Ireland and the UK have been popular destinations, like always.


Its always fun to remind the students what a beautiful country Italy is, with the 54 students that signed up for the AIFS tour to Sorrento, we were able to do that.


The group left by high speed train (Florence - Naples) directly after class on the 29th March.  From there we took a private coach around the Bay of Naples onto the Sorrento Peninsula and settled into our hotel.  The next day was a relatively early start for Breakfast and a day spent on Capri.

On arrival on Capri we took our own Private Boat Tour around the Island.  Silvana our guide gave us the commentary.

It was a beautiful day and the scenery particularly impressive. 

Everything is better by boat, right?

We were lucky enough on this trip to be able to get into the World Famous Blue Grotto.  (Extra Charge, of course).  

After a High Speed Ferry ride over to Capri, we hopped on a smaller boat for a cruise around the Island.  Everybody was enjoying the sunshine and despite a couple of waves here and there, the going was smooth.  As the tide was being friendly, those that wanted to were able to pay extra and visit the Blue Grotto.  Something everyone should do once in their lives..?


The cruise over, it was time to head up to Anacapri, the highest point on the Island.  We had our very own Private Minibuses to tackle the steep winding road.

Some enjoyed the Minibus ride to the top, some didn't...

There was an opportunity to catch a ski lift to the top of Monte Solano for wonderful views.

After a busy day, it was time to take the Ferry back to the mainland

It was a busy day but everyone was sad to leave Capri.  However this was only the end of Day 1.  What more did this wonderful part of the World have to offer?

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Florence Food Tour

Just after the Mid Term Break, some of the students and Faculty from Northern California signed up for a Food Tour of Florence.

Our guides Sandra and Tanya took small groups into the smaller side streets of Florence and introduced them to different types of Meat and Cheese, amongst other things...

The tour begins outside school with a small selection of fried rice balls.
A guilty pleasure...

A local shopkeeper talks about his wares.

In the Mercato Centrale, you can never be sure what you will come across...
Hearts, Livers, Feet...  Some of the students felt it was more like a Biology lesson!

We were able to try Four different cheeses.  A Parmesan Cheese that was aged 30 months was particularly popular, along with various types of local Ricotta and Pecorino (Sheep) Cheese.  Nice.

It was a great opportunity after living in Florence for almost two months, to rediscover the city again.  To pay more attention when hurrying to class and to try those side streets as you never know what might be down there.

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