Apertivo

After some disappointing news last night, my morning went very differently than planed as my school field trip to Rome was CANCELLED! The cancellation was due to severe weather conditions in Rome as it was snowing – an event Rome is neither used to nor prepared for. Apparently all cars, buses, and taxis were not running, museums were closing and the entire city was at a stand still. Although Rome didn’t sound too much fun in “blizzarding” conditions, I was still very disappointed not to be going as I was excited for my first overnight travel of the semester. Seeing as my future weekends are fairly full, to my dismay, Rome may not happen this semester.

So instead of waking up at 6am Saturday morning to head to the train station, I slept in and took my time eating breakfast. After being lazy for a couple hours, Ali and I made moves to go for a run together. We bundled up and headed out, exploring a new way to get to the Duomo from our house. On our way home, we stopped by grocery store on the to pick up some lunch items. A hot cup of tea was needed to accompany our lunch in order to warm us up after being out in the frigid temperatures.

Later in the evening I headed back out into the cold to meet friends for my very first apertivo! Many of the local bars sport “apertivo” in the early evening which includes a plethora of appetizers and a drink. The bar we went to was recommended by a friend’s host mom who said we must go to apertivo at least once during our stay in Florence. Apparently it is a popular Italian event. It was so much fun! I told the bar tender I wanted something sweet and not too strong and he made me a delicious berry cocktail. With my drink I enjoyed roasted vegetables, bruschetta, and lots of mini sandwiches – the smoked salmon and cream cheese was my favorite.

I had a great night sampling all the different foods, sipping my delicious drink, and hanging out with friends. I will definitely be frequenting apertivo in the future!