1. Italians make Superb Coffee. I drink Macchiato's every day. Like 4 of them. (espresso + drop of milk)
2. However, Italians do not drink Cappuccino's after 12.00 and think you are crazy if you do.
3. Italians do not eat food on the go. Or drink coffee on the go. "To Go" coffee cups, don't exist. This is nice because it makes you sit down, slow down and enjoy your pastry and coffee in the morning.
4. Italians don't leave the house with wet hair and always look put together and well dressed. If you look unkempt or are wearing sweats then they assume you are an American.
5. In Italy there is a different type of store for everything. Il Forno is a bakery, Pasticceria is for Desserts, Macelleria is for Meat, Farmacia is a Pharmacy but you have to ask for whatever you want, its not like a Rite Aid. Etc... This makes shopping much more of an adventure....
6. When you buy your produce at a supermarket, you have to weigh it yourself and put a sticker on it with the price. My roommate missed this and got yelled at by the cash register.
7. How to make Gnocchi!!! This is surprisingly easy and incredibly delicious!
8. Dinner doesn't start until 7.00 at the earliest. Most restaurants aren't even open until 7.00 or 7.30. But, the food is soooooo good. Also, Italian dinners last about 3 hours and it is considered rude if the waiter brings the check without the customers asking for it. A "full" Italian meal includes an Antipasti like bruschetta or caprese salad + a "primi piatti" like pasta + a "secondi piatti" some type of meat + sometimes a "contorni" which is salad or vegetables and "dolci" dessert (tiramisu, fruit, gelato) and a cafe (but not a cappuccino). And of course lots of wine.
9. Wine is often around the same price as soda and cheaper than juice!!
10. And Italians don't drink the tap water unless they have filtered it. And if you do they think you are crazy. In fact they say "l'acqua e male! non ti piace" (essentially that the water is gross and you won't like it). So you have to buy bottled water everywhere. I personally really like bubbly bottled water which is delicious and cheap so that works for me.
11. Going Running? Weird. Italians think that people who "go for a jog" are also weird. They don't do that.
12. In Italy I walk EVERYWHERE. My walk to school is ~40 minutes and my walk into the city is between 30 min to an hour depending on where I am going. Although it is far it really forces life to slow down a little bit.... Plus that way I can eat lots of delicious food!
After being here a few weeks I have learned lots of things about what to do and what not to do. Italians are quick to correct you but generally nice about it and laugh with you. Also they really appreciate when you try to speak Italian and most of them help you try to... (well they help me anyway).
Florence is great so far. For my Etruscans class last week we went to the Archaelogical Museum in the city and for my Architecture class we went to San Marco church and walked to the top of the Duomo (again!). It was awesome though because my professor pointed out all the other sights nearby! Fun!
Here are some more pictures from Italy. Mostly Florence but some are also from my day trip to Lucca.
This is from a Tower in Lucca. Lucca is this awesome town in Tuscany. It is pretty small and very beautiful. It has huge wide walls which are now turned into a park! People run, ride their bikes, etc. on top of them. It's pretty sweet.
Part of Villa la Pietra, my beautiful campus. I have classes in that yellow building, Villa Ullivi! Pretty!!
Wall and Towers in Lucca! Pretty!
Some of my new girlfriends hanging out on the tower in Lucca!
Ciao!
Palazzo in Siena! Pretty!
I leave you with a delicious macchiato.... 
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