I thought Rhode Island was a small state, but Europe can be even smaller.

This past week I left Milan for both personal and school related travel. I started my week of travel on Saturday and headed to Switzerland for fun.  My friend Micah and I took a tour bus to Torino, a small Italian town on the Swiss border. In the town we shopped around and had a classic Torino lunch before boarding the Bernina Express for Switzerland. When we got on the train it was close to 90 degrees and when we reached our destination of St. Moritz, Switzerland it was 60 degrees and windy. The train ride on the Bernina Express and St. Moritz completely surpassed my expectations. It was incredibly beautiful and a nice break from Milan. We were able to go to the top peak on the mountains accessible by train, where we saw glaciers, lakes with glacier water, wild animals, and people hiking. On the train, Micah and I met a family from Texas. We enjoyed sitting next to them and they relayed some information on the mountains to us. Below are photos from the Bernina Express to Switzerland.

 

In St. Moritz, we visited a chocolate store right on the lake. I am a chocolate lover and I was definitely in my happy spot. I managed to spend 50 euros on chocolate, but it was well worth it. Below is a photo of the chocolate store I spent 50 euros on chocolate in. We also did a little bit of souvenir shopping. I purchased a German Vogue as the language spoken in Switzerland is German. I love collecting Vogue magazines from different countries and seeing the cultural differences between that country and the United States. It is amazing to see how different the magazine content and advertisements are. It is important to not only understand what is happening in the fashion industry in the US, but industries around the world.

 

On Monday, everyone on my study abroad program boarded a bus to Florence. The ride was long, but it was well worth it. The ride was picturesque and had amazing views of central Italy. Fortunately for us, the bus was a massive tour bus built for 40 plus people so we were able to spread out and enjoy the ride. We also had a stop at G2 Textiles in Prato. G2 Textiles produces textiles for designers, such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander Wang and Theory. I loved seeing how textiles are produced and finished for the designer level. As someone who wants to be a potential buyer, I think it is important to know the quality of a garment from start to finish. G2 Textiles was the start of many designer garments. Below is a photo of the textile manufacturing.

 

We arrived in Florence later on Monday afternoon. My friends and I dropped off our bags in our hotel room and ran out to explore the city. The hotel we stayed in was right on the Arno River a few bridges down from the Ponte Vecchio. From that first afternoon I could tell I would love everything about Florence. On our first afternoon, Alyssa, Alexis and I looked at gold jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio, had the best gelato I have had so far and then got ready for a group dinner. Below is a photo from the Ponte Vecchio.

 

Our first full day of Florence was filled with a site visit to Angela Caputi, followed by many museum visits thanks to the Firenze Card. Once the card was activated, we had 72 hours to visit as many museums as we could fit. We started off at Pitti Palace and visited the Silver Museums, Palatina Gallery and Costume Museum. I then ventured with my friends Alyssa, Alexis, Chelsea and Briea to the Boboli Gardens. The Boboli Gardens were absolutely stunning, but it was 96 degrees and the walk through the gardens was all uphill. By the time we reached the top of the gardens to go to the Porcelain Museum, we were all exhausted. The museum and views from the top were stunning, but all five of us were about to have heart failure. Luckily, we all survived and we have the photos to show we made it to the top. Below is the view from the Porcelain Museum which is at the top of the Boboli Gardens.

 

Some other museums we visited are the Uffizi and Galleria dell'Accademia. In the Uffizi, I ran into the family I met in Switzerland on the train. I always thought that I came from a small state, but apparently Europe is a small continent! The Uffizi was beautiful. It was hard just to look at the art in the museum, because in my opinion, the whole building was art. The ceilings and windows that lined the museum were beautiful. Outside of the windows, the views were also incredible. The Uffizi is located on the Arno River with stunning views of the Ponte Vecchio. You can also see the Medici family’s secret passages across Florence from the museum. In the Galleria dell’Accademia, I saw Michelangelo’s David. David was one of the most beautiful sculptures I have seen. I saw Michelangelo’s Pieta in the Vatican, but this was more impressive to me because of the stature of David and the fine details you could see, such as veins and ribs. Below is an illegal photo (no pictures allowed) I took with David in the Galleria dell'Accademia.

During Florence, we also went to Pitti. We had appointments with Al e Ro and Leghila. We also had the opportunity to walk around the trade show, network and collect many free tote bags. My favorite part of Pitti was looking at the men’s fashion. I love women’s fashion, but currently I love men’s fashion more. All of the men whether they were working at a booth in the trade show, a buyer visiting the trade show, or a fashion blogger looking a new trends; they all looked impeccable. This was my first experience at a trade show and I loved watching the interactions from buyers and vendors. Later in the evening, I also stepped out to some of the post-Pitti parties to see how everyone was dressed. Below is a photo of some of the men at Pitti dressed to impress.

 

Overall, Switzerland and Florence were both amazing. Switzerland was a nice day to relax and get ready for a busy week in Florence. Florence has been my best experience so far. The city and its culture are absolutely beautiful. Walking around the city and visiting museums makes you feel as if you were in the Renaissance.