Miriam Hurley has been cycling in Florence for four years. In that time, she has had one bike stolen, one bike helmet stolen, hit one pedestrian and broken one or two traffic laws. She now works at home as a certified Italian-to-English translator. www.miriamhurley.com
Florence is perfect for biking. Well, almost perfect. The center of town is flat. The climate is mild. The city is small and most points in Flor-ence proper can be reached in less than 20 minutes by bike. Bikes free their riders from the plagues of bus strikes,
The piazza was invented for warm summer evenings, sipping a drink, crossing ones ankles and admiring the strollers-by. Piazza Santo Spirito is one of Florences finest for these purposes, with its lush trees, the majestic curls of Brunelleschis 15th-century church faade, and its Oltrarno location. The Santo Spirito/
Studying abroad is not a vacation. However, if you are heading to a holiday magnet like Florence for a year or for the summer, friends and acquaintances will most likely exclaim, ‘Oh, what fun!' Yet, with studying abroad, as with other momentous life events, the word ‘fun' doesn'
Forgive me a stereotype: Italians like to talk about food. A lot. Running a distant second among favorite subjects is the differences between people from Italy’s various cities and regions. A likely conversation might seamlessly flow between these two stand-bys. “What are you doing this