Piazza di Santo Spirito

The Basilica di Santo Spirito is being lit up from the sun during sunset in the Piazza di Santo Spirito in Florence, Italy on Sunday, May 25, 2025.

I first arrived in Florence feeling overwhelmed and jetlagged. I started to ask myself why I decided to come here as soon as I got on the bus. It was exciting to be in a new country, but I was tired and confused.

That confusion only intensified when I had my first dinner, which I was hoping was going to be a group activity with the study abroad group. It was the first time I had to find a meal on my own in Italy.

I managed to find some girls to eat with, so I was not alone. We found a place in the Piazza Santo Spirito to eat. I was told before I left for Italy that the waiters do not typically approach you to order a meal or give you the check. The waiter will wait for you to call them. I also assumed we had to order the first, second, and third courses of a meal. I thought that was what I had to do and was the respectful way.

That was not the case. The waiter approached our table, asking what we wanted to order, but I had originally thought we were supposed to grab their attention. The girls I was eating with only ordered one course, so I felt I needed to. The full-course meal would have been very expensive.

Piazza di Santo Spirito is full of tourists and locals as they eat their dinner at restaurants in Florence, Italy on May 26, 2025.

The waiter had noticed our confusion. “You all look so confused,” said the waiter as he grabbed our menus. We were.

The waiter even let us come inside to do separate checks, which, before the trip were told to pay all on one check because they find it easier. It was a long process to pay separately, but we did, and it was my first experience learning that some areas frequented by tourists might do it differently than local places in Italy because they expect people to not understand the customs there. It took me some time to understand how to pay at some restaurants properly, but I understood after some time.

Basilica di Santo Spirito from the Piazza di Santo Spirito in Florence, Italy on May 22, 2025.

Piazza di Santo Spirito was across the Arno River from Florence or Firenze. The Piazza has the Basilica di Santo Spirito with beautiful works of art inside and a bell tower that rings every hour. There is a lot of life with dogs roaming around playing without leashes, people eating at restaurants, kids running, those having lunch at the steps of the fountain, and photo taking by many tourists.

Nono reaches for a treat from Aya Afifi at the Piazza Santa Spirito, Florence, Italy on May 23, 2025. Often dogs are without a leash in the streets and parks of Italy. Afifi and Nono are from Palestine. They are staying in Florence while Afifi studies product design at the Accademia Italiana for two years.

I met people from all over the world at the Piazza. I met not only locals but people from China, India, the U.S., South Africa, Palestine, and more that I saw but did not have the chance to ask where they are from.

Stuti Agarwal dances with her 7 year old son, Yuvraaj Bagaria, in the Piazza di Santo Spirito while Bluesound plays his violin in Florence, Italy on May 26, 2025. Agarwal and Bagaria are from India and Agaral works as a journalist for the Indian Times.

A violinist who did not give a name, Bluesound brought the Piazza to life with a family dancing and children approaching to listen. The violinist got the children excited as soon as he started to play “Let It Go” from Frozen and “Can you Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. The children smiled as the violinist interacted with them as he played his violin.

Bluesound plays music from “The Lion King” for the children in the Piazza di Santo Spirito in Florence, Italy on May 26, 2025.

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