As someone who has always loved traveling and experiencing new places, when I heard that my family was planning on going to Italy this summer I was more than happy to go on this adventure. When I asked where exactly we would be going, the one city that unlocked a core memory in my brain was Florence. Now, the city of Florence is not only known for the beautiful architecture and rich culture, but in my chronically online mind it is known for housing the Jersey Shore cast for six weeks. “Housing” is a nicer way to explain how Snooki, JWOW, Deena, Sammi Sweetheart, Ronnie, Pauly D, Vinny, and Mike “The Situation” absolutely wreaked havoc on this historical city. Naturally, to hype myself up for this trip to Italy, I thought it would be a great time to sit down and re-watch my personal favorite season where the cast explore what they refer to as “the motherland”. This season will be my guide to experiencing all Florence has to offer. Here are my “do’s” and “don’ts” of my Italian vacation with help from the cast of The Jersey Shore:
Do- Learn Some Italian beforehand
While packing for my two week trip, I think it would be helpful in the long run to redownload my Duolingo and work on some simple Italian phrases. While the Jersey Shore cast did not have the ever-so helpful Duolingo, they had their resident translator, Vinny. Although some of the boys beforehand learned some tips from Vinny’s Sicilian family and how to say “Cab’s are here!” or “T-shirt Time!”, they were mostly going off hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate with the locals. But even Vinny struggled, claiming there is an “international language of love” when trying to pick up girls at the club. He quickly realized that he is not as smooth with his Italian as he thought, and was shut down by a girl who he thought was feeling him when she said “I don’t want to screw you”.
Don’t- Try and Make Homemade Coffee
As an iced coffee lover, I am so excited to try and experience different coffee shops in Italy, but I did have the thought of picking up some coffee at a local grocery store to make at wherever I am staying to save some extra euros. That idea was quickly shut down when I watched Jenni (JWOW) struggle to make her singular cup of coffee. She started with this strange metal contraption (nothing like my Nepresso), which was an old espresso machine. Then crushed her coffee beans with a ravioli shaper, scraping them up with a knife, and heating it up on the stove. As she tasted it, I could tell she immediately regretted her decisions not to just buy a cup from right down the street.
Do- Eat Florence’s Pizza
Like many of the previous seasons of Jersey Shore, whenever they go away, they usually are signed up for some kind of job, like working shifts at a T-shirt shop at Seaside or an ice cream parlor in Miami. This trip the cast is helping out at one of Florence’s local pizza shops making pizzas and handing out flyers for advertising. At their orientation when Snooki is taught how to make the perfect pizza by the owner Marco, I could not help but notice how absolutely bomb the pizza she made looked. I know Italy is known for its amazing food, but I have made it my mission to find that exact pizza shop and get a slice in Florence. With some research I found the shop was called Pizzeria O’Vesuvio Firenze. So yes, I will be dragging my whole family there to eat the same pizza as the cast of the Jersey Shore did.
Don’t- Drive Without a License and Hit a Cop Car
Obviously, you should ALWAYS drive with a license. But now I am making it a point to remind my father to double check after watching Snooki and Deena’s run in with the law. While driving their Fiat, Snooki experienced a fender bender with (just her luck) an Italian cop car. When pulled over, the police asked for her license. Since she did not have it, her and Deena were escorted out of their car down to the station to fill out some paperwork. As this was going down, shots of the four boys were rushing to catch up to the crash with Snooki’s license and the cop was being taken away by a stretcher for whiplash. Needless to say, we will be driving extra carefully down the Italian streets.
Do- Shop Till You Drop
Every vacation I have been on, I have made it my mission to find some article of clothing to take home with me that isn’t a kitschy touristy “I heart wherever” shirt. I have already picked out some outfits for my vacation, but some other planning has to be in order so I don’t get called out in front of a church by a nun just as Snooki did. While watching the show, the moment I related to the most was Jenni, Ron, and Snooki leaving work on their break to sneakily shop for some new outfits for the beach. I was already planning on filling any space left in my luggage with Italian fashion and accessories, but looking at some of the shops they entered, I might be getting most from Florence. I think I especially want to check out something similar to the little market Jenni and Ron ventured to. The belt and the purse that Ron picked out for Sammi (well the gifts that Jenni picked out for Ron to GIVE to Sammi) were so cute and were absolutely accessories I would wear all the time. Although, when it comes to Jenni’s huge floppy hat, I think that will stay in Florence.
Dont- Ram Your Head Into a Wall if You Fight with Your Family
When going on vacation with your family, it is natural for arguments to ensue. It’s only natural for someone to get annoyed with someone while being in a confined space for possible weeks on end. Just remember, no matter how crazy they drive you, DO NOT ram your head into a concrete wall and knock yourself out in order to avoid the fight all together. This rule of course was broken by none other than Mike “The Situation”. When Ronnie and Sammi were on the outs again and arguing all over the cast’s shared space, Mike gets roped in by telling Sam that Ron said (when he was heavily intoxicated) that he had “five girls coming back to the house”. Hearing this Ron, in a drunken rage, trashes him and Mike’s room. Him and Mike start to get into it and according to Mike, who has been in a situation where he fights with a guy bigger than him, that the only way he can “win” is by knocking himself out. Mike launches himself into the cement wall of their vacation house and ends up having to get taken out in a stretcher and has to wear a neck brace for a couple weeks. If I have learned anything from Mike, it is that fighting with your family is not a good “situation”.
After watching this season, I am now fully prepared to experience Italian culture just as the Jersey Shore cast did. I am 100% kidding. It was widely known that during their six weeks excursion, the people of Italy and Florence were NOT happy with Jersey coming to town. When traveling to a new country, it is just as important to respect the culture as enjoying it. All this season did was just get me more and more excited to travel to Florence with my family and help me appreciate this once in a lifetime experience. With all the “knowledge” I have been exposed to from the show and the Italy season, the one thing I will always take away is….don’t knock yourself out by going head first into a cement wall.