Category Archives: Travel Tips

If I had a euro for every time someone asked me “what is your favorite restaurant in Italy?” or “where was the best meal you ever had,” I would be a wealthy woman and probably have purchased my own villa by now. Fortunately, my answer to all of these questions is the same – Davide’s. Now, for those of you who have had the pleasure of eating at Davide’s in Florence, Italy you know what I am talking about. You would also know that Davide’s is not the name of an actual place; it is instead wherever Davide Sama (restaurant owner extraordinaire) happens to be on any given night. Impressively, he owns and manages many restaurants in Florence…4 and counting. They are not chain restaurants. While the menus and ambiance at each are similar (i.e. friendly, cozy, welcoming, and always beyond satisfying), they are unique and serve a variety of different delicious Tuscan specialties. Chances are you will not find these establishments listed in your Rick Steves’ or Lets Go! guides. Trust me, this is a good thing. Correction: this is a great thing.

These places (listed below) are generally unassuming smaller restaurants, outside of the Florence city center (where restaurants are filled with over-priced and underwhelming tourist menus) and filled with happy locals (see map below). Continue Reading…

Technorati Tags: Florence, food, Hard to find, Italian food, Italy

Welcome back to our Top Ten Tips for Studying Abroad!
Hopefully you enjoyed and were endlessly impressed by the breadth of information in Part I and are dying for more juicy details in Part II. You probably were since, as I recall, we did a totally kick-ass job.
 
For those new to our Top Ten Tips blogs, these posts will provide you with all the most important information and advice you will need for your study abroad adventure. To help you, our reader, better digest so much material we have divided these tips into three separate posts:
Part I. Pre-departure and arrival
Part II. Getting settled and learning the ropes
Part III. Advanced travelers and beyond
 
In Part II we will be touching on some key details that you’ll need to know once you’ve finally slept and unpacked your bags. This will help you start living it up Italian-style with as few snafus and headaches as possible. If you have already found yourself in some, don’t worry, you’re not alone and you’ve come to the right place. Be sure to use the comments section below to ask us questions or perhaps suggest some new tips that should be incorporated. Onto Part II of the Top Ten Tips for Studying Abroad in Italy (with, as per usual, a special eye to Florence).
Yes, we agree. It’s a beautiful thing.
Continue Reading…

Technorati Tags: biking, Florence study abroad, Florence tips, Italy tips, shopping tips, study abroad, study abroad tips, tips

So, you’re going to Italy to study abroad. It’s a dream come true. You can’t wait to leave. You’re also a little overwhelmed about what you need to do before you leave and what to expect when you finally arrive.
 
I remember it like it was yesterday and, believe me, I knew next to nothing about how to navigate a completely new city (let alone one where I barely spoke the language). I only wish I had done a little more research before I left. If you’re reading this ahead of your departure, then you’re already ahead of the game, good work! If you’ve already left, well you’ve already seen, and perhaps found yourself in, some of those classic pitfalls. Not to worry. You’ve all come to the right place. Let us give you a helping hand.

Technorati Tags: Florence, Florence study abroad, Italy, study abroad, study abroad tips

Florence has lured lovers of art, wine, food, and fashion for centuries. We can all imagine the artist and the art aficionado, the vintner and the reveler, the chef and the foodie, the designer and the shopaholic wandering the streets of Florence, but what about families? You may not immediately think of a family (parents, 2.5 kids) when you think of the average visitor to Florence, but think again. Trip Advisor recently ranked Florence as the 2011 Traveler’s Choice #1 Family Friendly City in Europe! (See article here.)

Fellow travelers voted on this one, so I think we should all take note. Now, I know some you may not be planning on traveling with a family (now or ever) and believe that this ranking is not relevant to you or your travel plans. Some of you may even be thinking that family friendly more clearly translates as “boring.” Well, let me set you straight. Locations, like Florence, that are praised for being ideal for visiting families are in actuality ideal for all travelers. Such locations rise to the top of the family friendly list when high standards of safety, transportation, and sightseeing are met. For example, last year Florence closed its center off from traffic. So, no more buses or motorini racing around streets crowded with tourists. I imagine that this major change contributed to the general enjoyment of visitors and Florence’s climb to the top of the family friendly list. Travelers young and old, in a group or flying solo, the jetsetter and the backpacker can all appreciate visiting a place that makes them feel safe, that is easy to get around, and that offers a wide variety of activities. As the thousands of insightful reviewers on Trip Advisor determined, Florence does just that. It manages to be a destination that is comfortable without being boring and dynamic without being overwhelming. Florence strikes a beautiful balance that makes a trip there just right.

In honor of Florence’s big win (that is, in the traveler reviewing world), here is a list of favorite family activities chock-full of fun for everyone. Toddlers to teenagers will get a kick out of these. In fact, travelers of nearly every age can enjoy these things to do and see in Florence. Continue Reading…

Technorati Tags: Family Friendly, Florence, Florence study abroad, Italy, study abroad, study abroad tips

Been to Rome before? Seen this, done that? Well…maybe you have and maybe you haven’t. Here are some of my favorite off-the-beaten-path things to see/do that are not always an easy walk down one of Rome’s breathtaking cobble-stone streets. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth every ounce of effort to see. Maybe you need to go back. Hopefully, it will be with Select Study Abroad. Continue Reading…

Technorati Tags: art, day trips, Hard to find, hidden, Italian history, Italy, off-the-beaten-path, Rome & Pompeii, study abroad, study abroad tips, tips, travel