If you were lucky enough to call Firenze your home, even just for a few short months, you know that there is so much more to this amazing city than just its pizza and gelato (but not much). Only students who studied abroad in this incredible city can relate to these 40 signs:
1. You started calling the US "The States" because that's how everyone in Europe refers to it.
2. You know which gelato places are the best and which ones are tourist traps.
3. You know which restaurants hold deals that grant students unlimited free wine and you hosted your pre games at those restaurants way too often.
4. You took a wine tasting class and discovered that there is no such thing as bad wine in Italia.
5. And you were extremely disappointed when you came home and realized how awful the wine is.
6. You waited until the very last week to hike up the Duomo but it was, of course, well worth the wait.
7. You experienced the craziest and fastest, but somehow also safest drivers, in the world.
8. You learned not to turn when people called out in English to you because it was actually just a test to determine if you were a tourist.
9. You spent weeks searching for a secret bakery until you finally found one and then proceeded to return every night.
10. You eventually ended up at The Diner because you just missed American food too much.
11. You learned that Italian drivers never stop for anyone and especially not for people in crosswalks.
12. You saw more art on your way to class each morning than most people see in a lifetime.
13. You have a newfound appreciation for free water at restaurants.
14. You actually know how to pronounce grazie the correct way.
15. You learned that Italians will never wait in an organized line and you got over it.
16. You also learned to accept that you would never truly feel comfortable with the Italian's version of personal space.
17. You found your school at Lion's Fountain.
18. You moseyed over to Gusta Pizza at least once a week because it was not only the best pizza in the world but they would also shape your pizza into a heart if requested.
19. You realized that there is no such thing as a bad sunset in Florence and discovered the most breathtaking view was at the top of Piazza Michelangelo.
20. You've become terrified of pigeons because of their insane obsession to dive bomb your face at every opportunity.
21. You know that using any outdoor ATM will likely result in a loss of identity so you stuck to your trusty BNLs.
22. You never realized your longing for grass and trees until you arrived at the Boboli Gardens and spent the whole day just admiring all of the green.
23. You avoided the Market because it was basically just old men harassing you into coming over to their table.
24. You discovered a whole new meaning to a "die hard fan" at a Fiorentina football game.
25. You learned how to dodge the questionable men handing you “free” roses at every corner.
26. The Duomo became your main access point whenever lost.
27. You know that buying anything on a blanket on the ground could result in jail time for both you and the man selling it.
28. You miss aperitivi and wonder why the United States hasn't come up with something similar yet.
29. You toured a vineyard in Tuscany and discovered the most picturesque views that won't soon be forgotten.
30. You learned to avoid Piazza del Duomo during the day because trying to shove your way through thousands of tourists just got old after a while.
31. You missed Diet Coke more than you could even explain.
32. But you took full advantage of the open container law and carted a bottle of wine around with you on your nightly excursions.
33. You realized after your first trip to Conad that you not only have to bring your own grocery bags but you also have to pack them.
34. You spent more time in church in those four months abroad than you had the rest of your life combined.
35. You learned techniques to prevent pick-picketers from sneakily ripping your bag off your shoulder (or cutting it off).
36. You stopped wearing shorts because it just caused the Italians to stare even more at you.
37. You discovered that paying for public transportation was an extremely difficult and confusing process but a huge fine was the penalty should you fail to pay.
38. You fell asleep to the soft strumming of guitars on the Ponte Vecchio every night.
