Words and photos by Ally Parkinson, who studied abroad in Florence with ASA during the spring semester of 2025.
Before studying abroad, most people's first thoughts are not academics and logistics, but what an average day might look like while abroad. I am going to take you through a typical day of my study abroad experience on a day without any travel.
MORNING ROUTINE
I was not accustomed to getting up early for classes before studying in Florence, so this was something I had to adjust to. In my first couple of weeks of classes, I would get up earlier than I needed to so I could see what time I had leftover in the morning, then I would wake up a little later the next day. In the end, I typically woke up around 7:30 for my 8:15 classes.
I am not an early riser normally, so something I would do was pick out my outfit the night before, so I had less to think about in the morning, and not bother my roommate too much with any shuffling through my closet. Once I was dressed, I would make sure I had my laptop in my bag and head into my kitchen.
I found protein pancakes at the grocery store that I would microwave for breakfast. I had a hard time finding maple syrup in Florence, especially for cheap, so I would usually have the pancakes with honey.
Once I had my teeth and hair brushed, I would head out my door to class at 8 am.
CLASSES
On Thursdays, I would have my first class, "Hospitality Marketing," from 8:15-11:30 am. I was
nervous about such long class times abroad since I had never taken a class that long. But I found all my classes very interesting, and I made friends in my classes, which made me more excited to go and spend time with them.
I took classes with Florence University of the Arts (FUA), and the way they scheduled classes was perfect for me. I had one session a week for each class, which made traveling on the weekends much easier. They also give you a mid-session 20-minute break where I would sit in the school’s courtyard (pictured below), and it was very enjoyable on days with nice weather.
At 11:30, when my first class got out, I would return to the courtyard to get some work done and have a snack before heading to my next class at 12:15. This class was "International Tourism," which I also found interesting and followed the same structure. By the time my last class ended at 3:15 pm, I was usually very hungry, so I would head right back to my apartment.
POST-CLASS
I tried to cook at least one meal a day to save money while abroad. My go-to meal was some pan-fried chicken with cous cous or potatoes, and either tomatoes or cucumbers on the side. I would sometimes meal prep this because of how hungry I was after class. I did not cook much before studying abroad, but not having all my usual comfort foods gave me the motivation to attempt to make it myself. Another comfort food I would make myself is guacamole. The vegetables from the store were always fresh, and it was a nice, healthy snack to have and fun to make!
Once I had eaten something, I would either take some decompression time in my bed, or try to get some work done so I did not have to worry about it while traveling. If needed, I would do laundry as well. I found this very important to time out because there are no dryers in Italy, so everything had to dry on a clothes rack. I tried to do this mid-week so I had clothes ready to take on weekend trips.
EVENING
One of my favorite parts of my day was when all my roommates came home and we could talk about our day.
If we were not cooking for dinner, we would either go to one of our favorite restaurants or try a new one! On our walks, we would often talk about our “rose, thorn, and buds” of our day, which was a good part, a bad part, and something random we did or something we are looking forward to.
Our favorite restaurant, which I must share so that everyone can experience it, was a place
called Ok Bar. We ended up becoming regulars there, and the staff was always so kind. We
often got steak there and we found it was the best price (€20) for good quality.
Sometimes, if we were already out, we would stop for gelato at our favorite place, Don Ninos, right by the Duomo, before calling it a night.
Back in my apartment, I would shower, then put on a TV show on my laptop to wind down
before bed. I always tried to go to bed between 11 pm-12 am during the week so I was well rested for classes/homework.
CONCLUSION
And that is what a day looked like for me abroad! This routine was much different than my usual one at my home university, but I wouldn't change those views on my walks to classes for the world!
Thanks Ally!