This is a guest post by Roxanne Bridger who lived in Florence for four months during 2009. She is a travel blogger for Simonseeks.com, a community of travel experts, enthusiasts and celebrities sharing their tips on the best places to eat sleep and visit, ranging from the best nightlife in Amsterdam to the cheapest hotels in London.
Whether you plan on visiting Tuscany for a few days of a few months, the only real way to get to know the Tuscan way of life is to live like the locals do. Travel should be much more than ticking of a list of places you have lived, you need to understand how the locals live their day-to-day life to truly experience an area.
Tuscany is an area that is rich in history and culture and there are plenty of sights to be seen. But when a true traveller visits a new destination, seeing the famous landmarks is only a small part of the trip.
Florence Market
When you next hear about a local delicacy, it’s one thing to go to a restaurant and try it, but why not learn how to cook it yourself. The Castagnaccio (Chesnut cake) is a classic sweet dessert from the chestnut woods of Monte Amiata in south Tuscany or Garfagnana hills near Lucca. However, chestnuts are harvested all over Italy with many regions having slight variations typical of the zone such as those of Montella in Campania. This makes for subtle variations in the Castagnaccio recipe. So why not learn more about the differences and help make your mind up about which you prefer. If you learn to cook like the Italians, you can be sure to impress your friends and family when you return home. When you do dine out, eat wherever the locals eat. You can sit with them, chat, gossip and share the same meal. Food is something that connects us all.
Whenever, you are in a foreign place, not knowing the basics of a language can be a bit daunting. Why not try to go beyond the normal phrases and find out a few of the local sayings. Many regions have their own sayings and learning these will help you feel part of the community. Smile and don’t be shy about speaking another language. The first mistake is worrying that you look out of place. You are, but that’s not a bad thing, people will you see you respect them, and in turn, open up to you more. The Tuscan people are welcoming and friendly and any visitor will find a warm welcome in the cities, towns and villages of the area
When it comes to local dress, don’t just assume that the shops you will find in the town centres are where the locals shop. Many of these are built with the tourist in mind and the Tuscan people will avoid these shops. Don’t be afraid to ask your new friends where they bought that dress you are really like. You will probably be introduced to a range of markets with excellent quality goods that you may ever have found on your own.
Staying in a completely new area may seem like it would be hard to try and fit in but as long as you are willing to make friends, you will. Introduce yourself to everyone you meet. You don’t know what doors this could open to an otherwise inaccessible world. Your experience transforms from travel to immersion, and the connections you make along the way will help you with this.
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