20 Things I've Learned in Florence in Two Months

1. Sneaking the forbidden photo of the David is easy! Keep your cool, turn off your flash and any sounds your camera might make. Just don't get caught or yelled at. Same goes for the Uffizi.
2. The Boboli Gardens are HUGE and mostly uphill. Don't plan on even denting it in one day.
3. If you go to Florence and do not eat a Bistecca Fiorentina, you WILL regret it.
4. Siena's Duomo pales in comparison to Florence's.
5. Fresh pecorino cheese has changed the way I look at dairy products.
6. Halloween is celebrated over here, but it's a more low-key, less slutty holiday than it is in America.
7. Buildings with red numbers are businesses, black means residential.
8. If the stairs are closed to get to the Piazza de Michelangelo, be prepared to take the long, windy, uphill car path. Or just take a bus.
9. You don't have to eat Italian food all the time. There are fantastic Mexican, Spanish, and Chinese places to dine at as well.
10. Because after a while, you realize that all of the restaurants food tastes almost exactly the same. Cause it is.
11. "Thank you" is grazie, not grazi. You scream "American" if you use the latter.
12. Don't buy water, soda, or food near any huge tourist spot. It is going to cost significantly more.
13. Once you've seen one painting of Mary with baby Jesus on her lap, you've seen them all.
14. I live 2 minutes away from the Medici Chapel. And I didn't learn this until today.
15. The Chianti region is positively lovely, even in a downpour of rain.
16. There's nothing quite like making eye contact with one of Michelangelo's statues.
17. Do your best not to book flights in Italian. It's a headache and a half to translate.
18. California folk do not know how to dress for cold. And by California folk, I mean myself.
19. Scarves and boots are an absolute MUST to fit in with Florentine fashion.
20. Florence is so much fun to travel in with your mommy and daddy :)