Some big differences between Italy and the U.S.

Because my weeks are pretty boring now that I am on a schedule, I thought I would spice things up by sharing some differences I have noticed between Florence and home. I hope you enjoy! 

To flush the toilet, there are two buttons. One is small for “small things” and one is big for the “big things”. This is a great water saver!

The toilet in our bathroom! Notice the
buttons on the wall.. I know, weird that I'm
putting a picture up of a toilet on my blog! 

You must ask the waiter for the bill when you are out to eat. They will not just bring it when its looks like you’re ready to go. If you don’t know this, you could be there awhile!

No dryers. All clothes are hung up so they sometimes smell like laundry soap, smoke (from chimneys), or whatever you had for dinner the night before.

Italians don’t typically form lines. I had no idea about this until the first time I went to the grocery store by myself and people kept walking past me to go to the next register. At first I thought it was rude but it turns out its kind of handy, if you’re aggressive that is.

It is hard to find peanut butter and when you do, its super expensive. Nutella is the “spread of choice” here and is the same price as peanut butter would be at home. Yesterday my roommates got a jar of Nutella that was as big as my head for 2 Euro! Such a good saldi (sale)!


Wine is half the price of water here so when we go out to eat, we almost always get a pitcher of the house wine with our meal. This is not only very tasty, but also a great way to try all of Tuscany's different wines! If you do decide to get water, there are two kinds: Mineral water (acqua minerale) and sparkling water, or water with gas (acqua fizzante). I am not a fan of the "acqua fizzante" but am growing more accustomed to it.

When you order a sandwich (Panino) here, they always put it in an oven and warm it up a bit. They are different than what we think of as Panini’s because the cheese isn’t melted but they are so good! (I am a little addicted!)

This is my FAVORITE kind of Panino. Ham, HUGE
chunks of Mozzarella, juicy fresh tomatoes and lettuce!
YUM! I usually pick up a sandwich after class at the same 
place and the woman who owns it decided it was in my best interest to tell me she closes her shop next week for the season... Very Sad!