Return from the Italy Soiree

For those who attended the Soiree in Florence I want to say Thank You. Each of you contributed to making the event special and supporting our mission to include cultural competence and people to people exchange.  If you missed it, you missed a great time and we hope you can join the next one.

We stayed in an apt one train stop from the city centre and the hosts were fabulous. True Italian hospitality. Staying outside the city centre gave us the opportunity to experience Italy as a local. Not only did we interact with our hosts but it also gave us the opportunity to visit local businesses.

Our first night we stopped in a shop/bar to buy a bottle of Prosecco and the owners welcomed us with Prosecco tasting and friendly conversation. They were excited to share their stories of their recent adventures to America. As you speak with people in other corners of the world you will find there are many parallels. For example, the owner has a good friend who owns a Pizzeria in my hometown and has visited there. It was great to hear their stories of visits to places such as New Hampshire, Vermont, and Pennsylvania instead of the common, popular New York City. Each day we passed by we were always greeted with Caio and a welcoming face. We were no longer tourists.

We continued with visiting the neighborhood spots such as a restaurant and were again welcomed and the waiter was happy to have a chance to practice his English as we were happy to try to order in Italian. Food was authentic and prices were great.

Staying in a residential neighborhood presents many opportunities and a great way to connect with the people and the place you are visiting. I encourage you to have this experience when you travel.

It was a busy week. We discussed the results of the IDI assessment that the participants had taken, we talked about cultural competence, the continuum and how to progress, we spent some time on the terrace at the Biblioteca delle Oblate, a hidden gem close to the duomo with spectacular views,  we found the wine windows, we ate gelato every day, we spent time shopping and eating at the Central Market in San Lorenzo, we spent the day at Asmana Wellness World ( a great way to take a ride into the Tuscan countryside) and so much more. A well rounded week full of special moments.

We, the team of Culture and ESL would love to share this experience again in the fall of 2023, please stay tuned for details. Would you like to be part of this experience? Subscribe below and follow us on social media to stay in the loop.

Until next time,Caio,

Renee