Una delle mie studentesse (one of my students), la simpaticissima Lisa DeLucchi, is living her sogno (dream) by spending sette settimane (seven weeks) a Firenze (in Florence), where she has affittato un’appartamento (rented an apartment) and si è iscritta (she has enrolled) a una scuola di lingua italiana (in an Italian language school).

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     I’m pretty certain Lisa’s adventure is a dream shared by many of my students and readers. Che bello allora (how nice then) that Lisa has graciously agreed to share her experiences in a series of guest blogs that I will be featuring here on my website, completo con delle fotografie (complete with photos).

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     Ecco il suo primo blog (here is her first blog post).  Auguri e grazie a Lisa! (Good wishes and thanks to Lisa!)  E a voi, buona lettura. (And to “y’all”, happy reading.)

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My dream journey has officially begun!  After a 13-hour flight from LA to Rome, a 5-hour layover to take a 20-minute flight to Florence and a wild taxi ride from the Vespucci airport to my apartment by a crotch-rearranging driver, I am safely nestled in my abode . I am both  cross-eyed with exhaustion and wide-eyed with excitement.

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My 3rd-story (4th in the US)  apartment is superbly located between the Duomo and Piazza Della Signoria, smack dab in the center of Firenze. It is within walking distance of every amazing sight this gorgeous city has to offer.  My first short stroll was to none other than the wine shop!  The owner was so friendly and we enjoyed a cheery conversation. I naturally left with 2 bottles of vino and some delectable snacks to enjoy while imbibing my first official “bicchiere di vino” in Italy!

I can already tell that I am most definitely an Italian by nature as well as by heritage.  I feel alive here with all of the bustling city noises and rather loud voices resonating up through my open windows.  Life really is more beautiful in Italia!

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Good night and good-bye from Firenze!

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Ecco some Italian vocabulary drawn from Lisa’s blog post:

1. a 13-hour flight: un volo di tredici ore
2. a 5-hour layover: uno scalo di cinque ore
3. exhausted, dead tired: esausto(a), stanco(a) morto(a)
4. excitement,  excited: emozione, emozionato(a)
5. to take a stroll: fare una passeggiata, fare due passi
   
6. a wine shop: un’enoteca
7. a snack: una merenda, uno spuntino, un boccone
   
8. a glass of wine: un bicchiere di vino

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Do you dream of an adventure like Lisa’s? We welcome your comments below!

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