Assignment 2: La vita è bella!

Just 230 km away from Rome there is a small town situated in the middle of the Gulf of Follonica. Follonica is a typical Italian town, enriched by the Roman history and known for its beautiful forests and long beaches. The weather is very pleasant , especially in the summer. It is mainly visited by the Italians themselves, mostly families with children; You will hardly find tourists from abroad. Although Follonica isn’t really a student city like Breda, you can definitely have a great time there as a student.

If going to Follonica I recommend you to start the morning by having breakfast at one of the many Italian bakeries, which offer delicious pastries and (very strong) coffee in mini- coffee cups . Afterwards you can do plenty of activities to explore the town such as cycling or hiking through the landscapes, visiting the Archaeological Museum of Follonica, or just go for a walk through the city centre.

Late in the afternoon, when the sun isn’t too bright, is the best time to go to the beach. You can hire sun beds and tan until you get that golden skin or walk on the white sandy beach and take a dive in the clear sea. The beach is also the perfect place to test your negotiation skills as you will find many Senegalese immigrants selling fake ‘brand’ products such as Louis Vuitton bags and Gucci clothes. If you are a good negotiator and paid attention well during Mr. van Manen’s classes, you will end up buying Prada bags for no more than 15 euro’s, to name an example. Unlike the Italians, the Senegalese sellers are very kind and cheerful, especially if you drop into talk with them. It is said that Italians are very hospitable and kind towards outsiders. However, I have noticed the opposite during my stay in Follonica this summer. Perhaps it depends on to which region you go to.. Furthermore you can buy fresh coco nuts and have a drink at one of the beach bars.

In the meanwhile it should be the time to have dinner. It is common in the Netherlands to have dinner around 5 or 6 o’ clock. In Italy however, people dine from 7 o’clock until late in the evening. Practically everyone in Follonica dines out-of-doors as it is cheap and sociable. There is a great offer of restaurants and pizzerias which provide local dishes and homemade pizza’s. I’ve been to some good restaurants in Follonica, but unfortunately I’ve forgotten their names. However, holiday-apartment-tuscany.net selected some great restaurants which could be interesting in case you would want to visit Follonica. To name a few: Ristorante “Il Tirreno”, Ristorante “Da Maurizio”, Pizzeria “Scalo del Granduca” and Pizzeria “Vesuvio”.

Italy is also praised for its irresistible ice cream, which I can totally agree on. You can find uncountable “Gelaterina’s” (ice cream shops) in Follonica. In order to find out which ones are the best, I advise you to go to the ones with the longest lines of customers.

You might want to dance off those calories you engulfed earlier that day. “Tartana” would have to be 'the place to be' to do this and, of course, to show off your best dance moves.