Michael's Blog
Tales of my first trip to Europe for my internship with Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci in Florence, Italy.
The Flight
Day 1
Eager. That’s all I was as I sat anxiously waiting in a little blue chair in the middle of the C terminal in the Cleveland Airport. My flight was quickly delayed from 1:10 to 2:15 when I decided I would wait at the Great Lakes that was right across from my terminal where I would get some food and what I thought would be my last local Cleveland beer for quite some time. It didn’t take long for the flight to get delayed until 3:30. I looked it up and I would still have plenty of time to make my connecting flight in Newark. As it got close to 3:00 I walked to the terminal when they almost immediately announced the flight would be delayed at least another 3 or 4 hours due to a mechanical issue with the plane. This is when I knew there was no chance of catching my connecting flight. As I waited in the enormous customer service line that stretched well into the terminal, I called my dad to see if there was anything he could do. The snail-paced line had barely moved when I got a call back from my dad saying I would have to wait until tomorrow to try again.
Day 2
Again I eagerly marched through security and to my terminal. At this point I was very skeptical of the reliability of the planes but we left on time for Chicago without any issues. Chicago to Zurich was the long over 7 and a half hour flight. I had flown a lot previously but on nothing even close to this Goliath of a plane. Every seat had little TV’s in the back of the headrests with plenty of free movies and TV shows. The flight also offered free beverages and free meals. Even though I was flying in a kind of luxury I had never previously experienced, the flight still seemed like it would never end. We eventually landed in Zurich on time at 5 in the morning. Before leaving all I had heard was horror stories about how everyone in Europe would try to pit pocket me and steal my passport if I let my guard down for even a second. So there I was all alone in an air port, in this allegedly dangerous country, where I could not understand any of the signs and tried to blindly find my way through customs and to my next flight, while also covering my pockets and back pack. Once I got on my flight I realized I had bought into everything my overly paranoid mother had said and that in reality I was fine and safe. Finally I landed on time in Florence without any further delays and complications.
First Day At Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci
Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci is a small sixty-one-bedroom hotel in the middle of Florence, Italy, which features a gourmet restaurant, a bar, as well as a garden roof top terrace. It has a very classic fancy Italian feel to it. They strive to create an environment of high class and luxury for all of their guests.
The first day I went in I found out I would be training with Lorenzo behind the bar on the top fourth floor at the roof top garden bar. I nervously traveled in the small steal death trap they call an elevator until I reached the top of the hotel. Lorenzo was extremely friendly and as outgoing as can be. There were a few language barriers but for the most part we could figure everything out. He showed me everything he had to get ready from cleaning the outside terrace, cutting fruit for garnishes, how to make the coffee, where to take the trash, what liquor goes in what glass, and stocking the bar with water, mixers, liquor, beer, and wine. The bar seems to run pretty well in Italy most likely due to the low volume, but from my experience behind bars in the United States there were a few things that immediately stood out to me. First was their system to charge people for drinks. When someone ordered a drink Lorenzo would write it down in a book along with their room number and then call down to the front desk to relay the information. This seemed like it could be done way faster with a computer system, but maybe they feel that is unnecessary with the low volume they do compared to the bars I have previously worked for. The second was that they did not have an ice station by the bar. If someone ordered a drink requiring ice Lorenzo would walk all the way down the hall to get the ice, which again could be due to the low volume. The staff kept stressing to me that I needed to learn Italian so that was the first thing I worked on once I got home. Overall, my first day was pretty good. I learned a lot about how to work behind the bar at the beautiful hotel and am very excited to learn more during these upcoming seven weeks.
Landing And The First Day
My excitement turned to nervousness as I tried to find a taxi in a new country where I could not understand anyone. Once I flagged one down I handed the driver my phone with the Kent State Florence address because there was no way I was going to be able to correctly pronounce it. Once I got the keys to my apartment for the next two months, I got another taxi there. After much struggle with door I called Nicoletta, our Kent State advisor for our stay in Florence, who was luckily walking around with students right by my apartment. She quickly came up and showed me how to work the fancy Italian locks as I immediately entered to pass out exhausted after the long day of traveling.
I awoke once my roommates Jackie, Zach, and Andrea got back from their internships. We decided to go out for a fantastic Italian dinner and then go out and explore the streets of Florence. Having been there and walked around for a day the others knew where they were going much better then myself who was clueless. When we done with our explorations, Jackie and Zach decided to walk a new friend home while Andrea and I went to our apartment. What seemed like a completely simple and reasonable decision quickly turned to disaster. Andrea and I walked around the streets of Florence for around twenty minutes when we realized we were completely lost. At first this was still an exciting new adventure as we further explored Florence. We met several people from around the world as we walked around aimlessly asking for directions. We talked to one girl from London for a while. She gave us directions we followed for awhile until Andrea decided they were wrong, grabbed my arm, and pulled me like a dog sled team as she took off in a different direction. Once Zach and Jackie made it back to the apartment they called us freaking out because we were not back yet. They tried giving us directions but neither group had any clue on how to get around in this new foreign city. They eventually came out looking for us. While talking to them on the phone and walking around aimlessly, somehow Andrea and I miraculously and completely randomly made it back to our apartment. (Andrea will probably tell you she knew exactly where she was going and got us back no problem.)
Hospitality In Italy
Being a student of and working in the hospitality industry for a few years now I can’t help but notice the differences in the industry between America and Italy with every bar and restaurant I walk into. You know how they say everything is bigger in Texas? Well everything is smaller in Italy. The cups are coffee are microscopic compared to something you would get at Starbucks. I’m by no means the biggest guy around, but am rarely stuffed after a regular meal due to their smaller portion sizes. Their water glasses are only big enough for about one big gulp. Due to the tap water being unsafe, if you would like water the table would have to purchase a big bottle to share. They also will not split checks in Italy if you go out to eat. What is great is the abundance of places open for fantastic cheap lunches. There are shops featuring great sandwiches for about 3 euros and pizzas for about 4 that also have a full bar and fantastic gelato. Gelato has quickly become a favorite of all of us and I have come to like it a lot more then ice cream. For nightlife there are plenty of places that cater to Americans as well as college students. Every night of the week there seems to be a different bar that will feature drink specials usually catering to groups like a bucket of beers or margarita pitchers. They also host different events such as beer pong tournaments. The bars get busy around 10:30 and usually close at 1. At that time people migrate to the different dance clubs that are open until 4:30am. Clubs typically open at 12 or 12:30. To encourage people to go there before the bars close they usually offer free covers or some type of additional deals for those who are there before 1.
There are two big things America could take away from the hospitality industry in Italy. The first of which, being family style meals. The four of us went to El Gato E Del Volpe because as Kent State students we get a discount there. They recommended we tried their family style meal, which was absolutely fantastic. It featured a big pitcher of wine, bread and dipping oils, a large platter with an assortment of meats and cheeses, grilled vegetables, and two types of bruschetta, and then finally four large bowls of different types of pastas that were the chef’s choice and change every night. We got all of this for twenty euros a person and we were all completely stuffed and had pasta to take home. The other thing that would be great to see in the states is apertivo. Apertivo is featured in many bars around Italy. It usually takes place from 5-7 and is a buffet of appetizers that comes with the purchase of any drink for about 7 euros. The buffet usually consists of some salami or prosciutto, a salad, a pasta dish, bruschetta, and usually another meat. The dishes usually change up a decent amount. Guests are given little plates and forks to encourage smaller portions rather then something like a typical American all you can eat buffet. This concept could be a bit difficult in the states due to Americans eating larger portions and would not be practical for a place such as Bar 145 who has a large dinner crowd but could be a good idea for a place like Water Street Tavern who does not have such a dinner rush.
Living In Italy
When going to do an internship in Italy there were going to be many obstacles I was well aware of such as the language barrier and not having a phone plan with data. One that I was not aware of was how much of a pain going to the grocery store would be. The nearest grocery store is a good ten to fifteen minute walk from our apartment. Carrying heavy bags of groceries along with big cases of water on the walk back is far from fun. Every store/restaurant in Florence sells beer, but since drinking on the street is perfectly normal they are all sold in singles. At Conad’s, the grocery store, one can purchase a bottle of wine for the same price as a single twelve-ounce beer. After a solid month Zack and I grew very tired of drinking wine all the time and made up a plan to get some beer. We went to Conad’s and grabbed cases of Corona before they were taken out and stalked as singles. When we went to the cash register and the lady had no clue as to how many beers are in a case it was made clear you are not really supposed to do this. We also had to pay for each beer separately so it was way more expensive then anticipated. On the walk home we got weird looks from plenty of Italians but a group of very attractive Penn State girls came up and talked to us for a while because of it so it all evened out.
Italy is fantastic and I have loved nearly every moment of it. That being said, after about a month and half there have definitely been things about home I have started to miss. Pasta and pizza here are great but I have been missing the wide variety of foods America offers. After a month and a half I have grown to miss my girlfriend back home as well. Maintaining a relationship for that long when one of you is half way around the world isn’t that easy. Of course I have also grown to miss my family. Even my obnoxiously loud and extremely inappropriate little sisters who are at least kind enough to facetime me and remind me that I am a looser, butthead, or really whatever name happens to pop into their head that day.
Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci 2
At the beginning of my second week at the hotel I started to know just about the entire bar and waiting staff. The first event at the hotel I worked was a buffet for a meeting/conference that was held on the fourth floor. We had two of the same buffets set up both featuring pasta, gnocchi, mini sandwiches, a meat and cheese platter, and bruschetta. At the end of each buffet station there was an ice bucket set up featuring pinot grigio and two different types of white sparkling wine. The house red wine was right next to the bucket. A server was located behind the stations ready to pour the wine for the guests. I worked there for a while before I was needed behind the bar where beer, liquor, coffee, and non-alcoholic drinks were being served. There was a fairly long line to the bar through out the whole course of the buffet.
I think Lorenzo expected me to keep just watching him most of that second week but that Monday he left to do something and we got hit with a bit of a rush. He seemed a little shocked I had served everyone and recorded it as he had showed me all by myself. After this he mostly started going to do his own thing and leaving me behind the bar myself, but if I had any questions he was never far. He showed me how two properly make Aperol spritzers and negroni’s, two very popular Italian drinks I was not very familiar with before.
My favorite guests so far have been a couple from South Carolina but are originally from Ohio. The wife’s sister in law, another guest at the hotel, is actually a Kent State alum. The husband, Steve, recently had a stroke and they have been traveling as much as possible ever since. They were extremely nice and had some great stories. When the wife went to help her sister in law check in Steve told me to quickly pour two beers so his wife didn’t catch him drinking so much before noon. He told me some really funny stories and it was a delight to see them for the rest of their stay.
Wednesdays are Lorenzo’s days off so I work with Behar who otherwise is usually a server during the day then bartends a bit more at night. Behar and I have been hitting it off. At 26 he is quiet a bit closer to me in age then Lorenzo and has pretty good English. He has been the only one to ask me a lot of questions about America mostly concerning girls and where to buy cheap I-phones. He has a slightly different approach to the bar then Lorenzo so it is great to learn from him as well.