Throughout my eight weeks interning in Florence, I have truly perfected my daily routine. I’m currently a marketing intern for a small local import/export wine shop that is located in the heart of Florence, just near the Duomo. In my role, I work on creating social media content, shooting any necessary photography, designing any flyers and posters for the store, analyzing available data, and more. Due to my work being mostly on my laptop and always needing a strong Wi-Fi connection, I spend many of my work days in the CEA CAPA Florence center or at cafés around the city. I'll take you along for the day and share all my secrets for finding the best places to work and be productive.
I start each day with a stop at the shop where I'm interning to see if there’s anything I need to do in person that day. This can be going over a proposal, or designing or shooting some photographs to use for social media. I did in fact have a vast amount of work to do, therefore I knew I needed to find the perfect café to work in each day.
Favorite Places in Florence
Ditta Artigianale
One of my favorite cafés is Ditta Artigianale; they have a couple locations throughout the city. I end up deciding on which one I'll go to depending on the time of day as some locations are busier than others. The set up and style of each coffee shop is different: one has an outdoor patio, one has two floors, and so on.
Ditta Artigianale, located on Via de Neri 32R.
One of the busiest locations is located near the City Hall of Florence and is a block over from the famous All'Antico Vinaio sandwich shop. This coffee shop is located on the corner and the address is Via de Neri 32R. This is a great location if you can get in and when the weather is good, you can sit near the window. Many times, though, this location is packed and it can be hard to get in.
The view from my table.
Piazza Ferrucci 1R and Via delloSprone 5R
T wo other great locations are Piazza Ferrucci 1R and Via delloSprone 5R, both located on the opposite side of the river. The first one has outdoor seating in a quaint patio courtyard and the second one has two floors. They all have great coffee—specifically their cappuccino—and they also have a great homemade yogurt bowl and chicken Caesar salad.
Another Ditta location.
Retrobottega
After completing my to-do list and signing off for the day, I usually meet with some of my CEA CAPA classmates. There’s always something to do in the city no matter what, whether that's grabbing dinner or something else. The sandwich shop is called Retrobottega (located at Piazza de Cimatori 5r) and they truly have the best schiacciate (focaccia) sandwiches. I highly recommend the La Bambola and the Jersey Boy; they’re both amazing and perfect for an easy lunch or dinner.
A La Bambola sandwich at the Retrobottega.
Piazzale Michelangelo Overlook
Once we filled up on sandwiches and caught up on each other's workdays, we’d often go to the Arno to see the sunset. One night, we ended up going to the Piazzale Michelangelo overlook, as it’s one of the best places to see both the sunset and a view of the entire city.
The best view of Florence from the Piazzale Michelangelo overlook.
Every day in Florence is an adventure and you never know what you might end up doing or finding. Even after seven weeks of being here, I still find new places and sites to see. I’m truly not ready for it to be over so soon—but for now I keep enjoying these sweet Florence days!
Lucey Savino is an official blogger for Summer ‘23, sharing her story in frequent posts on our blog. A Marketing major at Sacred Heart University, she is studying and interning abroad in Florence this semester. All views expressed are her own and may or may not reflect the experiences of other students.