Redesign Me Italy

You just got to Florence, the sun is shining, and you are sitting on the steps of Piazzale Michelangelo. The only thing wrong with this picture is that you are not holding a cone of gelato in your hand.

Luckily, the annual Florence gelato festival is starting this week and you will be able to get some of the best ice cream in the country! Gelato was born in Florence when Bernardo Buontalenti invented it for the court of Catherine de’Medici over 448 years ago. He created gelato with cold cream made from milk, honey, and egg yolks (of course with a splash of wine). Every year Florence holds the annual gelato tour. It starts May 17 and lasts until May 26.

Being an avid gelato lover, I decided to investigate this delicious festival. I walked over to Piazza Repubblica yesterday to see what all the fuss was about and let me tell you, it was worth the 7 steps it took me to get there. I bought a card for 5 euro, which allowed me to taste 5 different flavors in pretty large cups. Heaven.

If you are in Rome and think you are missing out, don’t worry, Bus2alps has a Florence Day Trip that will bring you to the festival with an experienced Bus2alps guide who will make sure you eat the most ice cream you have ever eaten in your life!

http://www.bus2alps.com/en/tours/1832/rome-2-florence-day-trip

There are a lot of different events scheduled for the week so you can check them out on their website below.

http://www.gelatofestival.it

As a traveler you must always try to break the walls between you and the locals, or else you will be just considered a tourist. A major breakthrough can be made when you speak the language that locals speak. You don’t need to be fluent, but if you know just a few words locals will appreciate it. It shows that you took the time to get to know their culture, which means you took the time to know a part of them. No matter how awful you sound, for the most part, people are going to open up to you a little bit more and a little bit of that wall between traveler and local will be broken. (Unless you are in Greece, there is no wall and they will love you anyway.)

Italian

È delizioso! It’s Delicous!

Everything you will eat in Italy will be delicious and Italians love to hear they pleased yet another person with their ridiculously good food.

Un altro, per favore. Another, please.

You will want more of whatever you are eating while in Italy. Period.

German

Mehr Bier bitte. More beer please!

Germany is one of the cheapest places in Europe to buy beer and has over 1,500 different brands and types of beer in the country. Trust me you are going to need this phrase while in Germany. 

Wo ist das WC? Where is the bathroom (washroom)?

After all that beer, this question will need to be answered.

French

Excusez-moi! I’m Sorry! (Excuse me)

France, especially Paris, can be cut-throat when it comes to walking around the busy streets. The French are pretty intimidating, so when you accidentally bump into a beautiful French woman, knowing Excusez-moi will be an important to know.

Enchanté(e). Nice to meet you.

Okay, the French language is so classy and beautiful the word for “nice to meet you” is “enchante” which literally translates into “enchanted”. I am enchanted to meet you, beautiful French man, and your beautiful words.

Spanish

Por favor, páseme la…   Pass the…

Tapas are appetizers that you share with your friends and pass around the table. If you are going to want more than one delicious snack you are going to need to know this phrase.

Hable despacio por favor. Speak Slowly Please.

Spanish speakers are known for speaking fast. If you cruised through four years of Spanish in high school and you understand the language, you can impress with your spanish knowledge instead of saying, “Habla ingles?”.

Please. Thank You. You’re Welcome.

These are the easiest and most useful words while travelling. They are some of the first words we learn as children and the weight they carry is heavy. Say these polite phrases in local language and in return there will be good karma and maybe even a smile from the crankiest of cranky bus drivers.

Italian Perfavore. Grazie. Prego.

German Bitte. Danke. Bitteschön.

French S’il vous plaît. Merci.De rien.

Spanish Por favor.Gracias. De nada.