Travel stories

Introduction

We arrived in Florence on the morning of May 2nd, very sleepy from not having slept, but full of excitement. The trip went well; there was only one issue with the airline, which was resolved on the spot. There, we waited for our driver, who took us to our apartments.

The landlady welcomed me along with the only flatmate who didn’t work in the mornings. With my flatmate, we took a walk around the neighborhood, and he showed me how Florence’s public transportation worked. On Friday the 3rd, we went to the academy in the morning for the welcome and a talk with the tutor, then visited the companies where we would do our internships. Over the weekend, I took the chance to explore the city center, see the river, and walk around many areas of Florence.

On Monday, I started my internship. It’s a small company that develops apps, websites, and other services. At LambdaSoft, it’s just the three of us: my tutor Luca, who owns the company, another Spanish guy doing his Erasmus internship, and me.

My work schedule is from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Then I have time to go home, have lunch, and return from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. When I arrived, we started a project for a cooking recipe web and Android app. I’m in charge of the technical part, and my colleague handles the design.

I spent the weekend going out with my flatmates and taking street photos. Florence is a beautiful city, so I brought my analog camera to capture it.

Living together and the city

I'm learning a lot when it comes to living with other people. I had never lived with anyone outside my family, and it's teaching me to be very patient. I feel like I’ve become part of Florence, and I like it. Public transportation is great thanks to the city’s new tram, which I use daily. The food is simple but very good, although groceries here in Italy are a bit expensive, especially meat and imported products. That said, I’m starting to miss my Iberian ham and fuet that I used to have for breakfast every day. Every weekend I meet up with other Erasmus students. This week, it was a girl from the group’s birthday, and we threw her a surprise party where we ate at the traditional Antico Vinaio.

The experience

This week, Luca wasn’t around, but we still had a lot of work to do on the app. On Friday, some friends doing Erasmus in Arezzo came to Florence, and I took them to the Boboli Gardens and walked around the city center. On Saturday, I went with two flatmates to the Galileo Museum, where you can see tools and scientific instruments used by figures like Galileo. I really enjoyed that museum because I love seeing what science was like before the technology we have today.

On Friday, I went to an antique market in Dalmazia, where we bought a few fun things to give to our friends and families. That night, we went out for drinks in the city center. On Saturday, we woke up early to go with several friends to Cinque Terre, a group of five small seaside towns connected by train. The one I liked most was Corniglia, a town high up that you reach by climbing many stairs, but it’s worth it for the views.

The final stretch...

This week our project is quite advanced; the website is working, and the Android app is starting to take shape. On Saturday morning, we visited the Uffizi Gallery, a palace that now houses a major art collection. It includes works like The Birth of Venus and Primavera. On Sunday, we went for a walk and had a small picnic in Le Cascine park, a large park that the Arno River flows through.

Less than two weeks remain before Erasmus ends. At work, I’m learning a lot about how to develop an app from scratch. Luca always helps when I need it, and we get along very well. My colleague has finished his Erasmus and is leaving in a few days, so I said goodbye to him. Over the weekend, I visited an audiovisual art exhibition at a cultural center—an old tobacco factory that now promotes art and culture. On Sunday, we had lunch at a trattoria in the center called La Fettunta.

It ends

This week, my flatmates left, so now I’ll finally be able to sleep in peace. Even though they sometimes got on my nerves, they’re great people, and I’ve had good times with them. I hope to see them again. It’s been the last week of my internship, and I’m very happy with my experience at the company and everything I’ve learned there.

Over the last three days, I said goodbye to the friends I made who are still in Florence. I took the chance to buy some gifts for family and friends and packed my suitcase. On the last day, someone came to pick us up from the apartment to take us to the airport. I’m very happy with these two months of Erasmus. I’ve enjoyed it a lot and learned at the same time. It’s an experience I would recommend to everyone.