Cheap living on the Arno?

Question

I am going to be living in Florence for five months starting in late August as an art student studying marble carving and metalsmithing. Needless to say I won't have alot of money. Can someone please tell me where I can find 1) cheap food, and 2) carving supplies - chisels, et cetera?

Also, is there a good place to ship things like smallish marble statues back to the USA without costing a fortune?

Answer 1

google it

Answer 2

im also studying here in florence, been here for the last 4 years. its not really cheap living along the river Arno, it makes not difference living close to it or not, florence is tiny not like rome. the only way to find real cheap apartments is giong there and looking them up in the internet cafes. there all of them have bulletin boards where people come and i put in andything from renting apartments to selling cars. however the majority is on renting apartments, tehre are millions and millions of adds there. you can also find them close to the university in every corner, also by bus stops. a single room in a shared apartment costs around 375 and up. for a double room its more like 250 and up. some spots are real nice some spots are real dirty and yucky you have to consider that your going to live in old antique buildings and the majority of them are not restructed in the inside.

however you never know, one time i found this add only written '300 Ponte Vecchio' i had no idea whether it was a single or not, but i called doubting it be a nice place. i went to visit it and i couldnt believe it, this g*y couple were renting this room for a single person in a h**l of a beautiful well maintained apartment 15 seconds (literally) from ponte vecchio. in fact it was right in that little piazza thats 20 fee away from it. it was incredible and i have no idea why on earth they rented it for such a low price, if it was for 500 i woudl have still gotten it, but i mean thats how people are here and how things come up. just look and youll find.

about cheap food, my only recommendation is to NOT buy it in the little markets in the center of florence. their prices are like 3 times more expensive than in big supermarkets that are more away from the center of florence. however if youre looking for apartments NOT in the very center you can get one close to a big supermarket to make it easy for your grocery shopping. i can name you some areas where there are big supermarkets if you want.

about carving supplies, ecc. i highly dont advice you to buy them here, they are extremly expensive. im studying interior design and when i need art supplies to make models ive learned to bring all the stuff i can use FROM the states and not buy them here in italy. for example, i use often those white foam boards to cut and create, and in the states they can be sold for packs of 3 about 4 feet by 3 in greatness and they cost me at the most 3 dollars.  here in italy to buy only 1 of these foam board, they cost about 8 euros!!! same with those special prismacolor markets, in the states they cost about 2 dollars each, here about 7 euros each. see what i mean? so all i can say is come here already prepared with your stuff!

about mailing things, there are different types. im not that familiar with it, but one time i wanted to send some minor stuff back to the states in a little box, it weighed a bit, so i asked, whats the cheapest route i can choose? i payed about 12 euros for a 6 lb box and it arrived in about 3 weeks. i dont know if thats a lot, but thats aroudn how the prices go i guess.

ok, if you need anymore questions, send me a message and i can give you a hand!

Answer 3

I can't speak for Florence in particular, but I can speak for general Italian life.  In terms of balacing quality and price, the best place to buy fruits and veggies is big supermarkets like Auchan, Carrefour and big GS locations.  Street markets strategically display produce to hide moldy / rotten / yucky bits, and you're not allowed to touch the food before you buy it.  These big supermarkets are generally the best place to buy all your food except for bread (which is best from the neighbourhood bakery).  The myth of the little alimentari (food store) is exactly that- a myth.  Prices are super-inflated at independent grocers- for the convenience of shopping within a half-block of your house (in my Italian apartment, I had more than ten small supermarkets or food stores within a five minute walk).  However, Di per Di and Crai supermarkets (small neighbourhood franchises) tend to be comparable in price for packaged foods (cookies, soup mix, rice, pasta, sauce, etc) to the big places- but THE WORST for produce.

If you're eating out, look for bars/cafes with lunch specials.  I used to eat across from my house and get bread, a bowl of pasta, a salad and sauteed peppers for EUR 4.50!  There are lots of deals like these to be found from 12.00 to 14.00.

For general info about Italian life, check the travel website I made when I lived in the north of Italy (link below).  You can join the site and find REALLY good info about Florence (obviously, it's free).