Today was our first full day in the beautiful and bustling city of Florence, or Firenze in Italian. The day started with a lesson on the history and significance of leather in Florence and in Italy as a whole. We learned that gladiators in the Roman Colosseum wore leather vests both as a symbol of status and for protection. After our time in the leather factory we went on a guided tour where we saw the important monuments and statues throughout many of Florence’s piazzas. Some highlights from the tour were our stops at the golden Gates of Paradise, the Ponte Vecchio, and Dante’s house. The tour concluded at a food market that reminded us all of Reading Terminal! From there we had the rest of the afternoon to explore. Some of us wandered the piazzas a little more (eventually finding a carousel in the middle) and some went to the Uffizi Galleries. A group of us finally found iced coffee, and some visited Michelangelo’s David. It was a great day of exploring, and we can’t wait to see what else Florence has in store for us tomorrow.