Day 6:     Rain clouds and drizzles hung over us as we stared our first full day in Florence. We kicked off the day with a visit to The Florentine and there we learned what it was like to be an English magazine in Florence. Still a relatively small magazine, with a little over 900 subscribers, we learned about the difficulties they faced in reaching their target markets and also in deciding what content to publish in their monthly releases. Then we were introduced to Professors Guercini and Andrea.
The professors gave us insight into the huge competition in the apparel industry and how it made Italian fashion what it is today. They explained that without this competition and constant pressure to out perform eachother then Italy would not be the fashion capital it is.
After the presentations, we were introduced to the highlight of Florence. We  were introduced to Edoardo, Mara, Jack and Milos. At first we were a little uneasy and we weren’t really sure what to expect from each other. Our first impression to our Italian friends wasn’t the best and they actually later admitted that they thought we were “cold” or more simply stated, they thought we were nerds!
    After breaking the ice and warming up to each other we were then given the day to explore. We regrouped at 4 and made our way to the top of the Florentine Duomo! The climb to the top seemed endless, and the staircase was packed with people, but it was worth it. We reached the first level of the dome and we were able to appreciate the violent art of the constant battles between good and evil.

Then we got back to the steps, and after a few more minutes of climbing we reached the top. At this point we had climbed to the highest point in two different cities, but the view from the Florentine Duomo was like none other. It was the old more traditional feel of the city that really what made this view stand out to me. It was simply beautiful, and for the first time since I was about 15 I really considered taking a selfie. Like the view was too good to pass on and I wanted a picture to show that I was there. After extending my arm I thought twice and reminded myself that I don’t do that kind of stuff. I put my arm down and proceeded to instead take this beautiful panoramic picture that looks 1000 times better then any selfie I could have taken.

After climbing down our Italian friends let us know that it was apperitivo time, actually Edoardo said it was “Apperitivo o’clock.” So we went to a local apperitivo spot that they frequent, and we discovered what apperitivo really is. Around 6pm young people go out and have a buffet dinner and drink for right around 10euros. A pretty cool tradition and  concept. This buffet is not like your regular US buffet, instead it’s like a nightclub during the day, and you drink spirits while techno and electronic music is blasting around you. Best part is we showed our new friends that we weren’t “cold” at all, just cool.