Studying abroad in Florence was easily one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I am studying at Florence University of the Arts (through a provider called SAI) and on top of studying, they gave us so many free extracurricular things to do and really showed us the city.

By far, my favorite one was the pizza-making trip, where I got to make and eat the best pizza I’ve literally ever had. I went with my friend Brian, who also goes to Mizzou and is also studying at FUA and we, by chance, met Hannah who goes to Mizzou, too! We went step by step through the whole process, making the pizza dough from scratch, picking and placing our own toppings, then cooking (and eating) our marvelous creations.

I made mine with pepperoni, which in Italy is actually spicy salami because peperoni in Italian actually means bell peppers. I also put mushrooms, mozzarella (of course) and fresh basil on my pizza. Delicious!

There are so many opportunities like this, not only through SAI but also to be discovered on your own, that have made this trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. I wish I could share the pizza dough recipe with you, but I guess you’ll have to come to Florence to find it!