CAPA WORLD

In his final post as a CAPA Florence blogger, Chris Reidy has arrived home and taken time to reflect on his life abroad. He tells us the things he’ll miss most about Florence and living in the heart of one of the world's most historic and important cities.

As a business student, Chris took the opportunity while abroad to attend classes that were outside of his major and field. These were the classes that piqued his interest and what he learned from them in Florence.

Fully exploring your new home city and surrounding towns is a good way to know more about your study abroad location. Chris gives us some insight into 5 Tuscan towns and cities in Italy and what makes each of them special and worth visiting.

From visiting world-renowned museums to seeing the best sculptures for free around the city, here's how to plan your visit to Florence. Chris shares a list of paid and free experiences to check out. 

Chris tells us it's extremely worth it to step out of your comfort zone to try all aspects of Italian cuisine. In this post, he shares ways and things to keep an eye out for when exploring the Tuscan diet in Florence.

Life happens even while you're abroad—including sometimes getting sick (with something other than COVID). Chris shares his recovery experience while studying abroad and talks about how accessible the pharmacies are in Florence if you need medical assistance. Learn more about CAPA's comprehensive health assistance while abroad for all students, including assistance with prescriptions and medical appointments here.

Life is expected to be different when you're living in a whole different continent. Chris writes about some of his favorite ways to enjoy Florence on a daily—in both little and meaningful ways. Find out what his day-to-day life is like while studying abroad and how he's taking the essence of the city in.

What's it like landing in a city where you don't fully know the language just quite yet? Chris Reidy shares his first post on our blog today on the language difference in Florence and how to get by in the city while you learn Italian.

Meet Chris Reidy (he/him), an official CAPA blogger in Florence, Italy for Spring 2022:

University: University of Miami
Major: Economics
Study Abroad Location: Florence, Italy

What are you most excited for during your study abroad semester?
I think I am ultimately most excited to explore Florence and the surrounding parts of the country. I have never been to northern Italy despite constantly hearing about its beautiful scenery and culture, and getting to truly learn the city and this region of the world will be my main goal while abroad.