Before I left for Florence, I had the daunting task of packing for six weeks. I’m a fashion major, so clothes are how I express myself.

This is a skater dress that I got at H&M in Florence.

I had no idea what clothes I needed to pack, and I couldn’t find much on the internet about what the locals wore. I heard somewhere that shorts are a very American thing to wear, so I decided to only pack a few pairs of shorts. Since I knew Florence was going to be hot, (it was 95+ degrees every day!) I decided to pack mostly sundresses. I packed a couple rompers too, but since those are basically shorts I didn’t want to bring more than a couple. I also brought 3 pairs of pants that I knew would match multiple shirts that I packed. I also packed sandals and comfortable tennis shoes!

This was another one of my favorite dresses!

When I got to Florence, I immediately started taking note of what the locals were wearing. I was so glad that I didn’t pack many shorts because I didn’t see anyone wearing shorts anywhere! Dresses, skirts, and pants were all I saw. I mostly saw women wearing pants, but since it felt like a thousand degrees outside I decided that wasn’t an option! So, dresses are definitely best for Florence in the summer!

I wore shorts when I traveled around cause they were easier. Sometimes you have to embrace the tourist in you!

Since it was so hot outside, I wore dresses all day every day. I tried to wear pants one day rolled up into capris, but it was so hot outside I had to go back and change before I got too far from my apartment. I also bought sandals before I left the States, and I can’t express enough how important it is to buy comfy sandals and break them in BEFORE walking around the city.

This was my favorite dress because it was so comfy!

Side note: ALWAYS pack clothes and a toothbrush in your carry on because there’s a big chance your luggage might not make your connecting flight! When I got to Florence, my luggage got stuck in the Paris airport, and I was stuck wearing the same pants for 3 days! Luckily the grocery store had some great dinosaur toothbrushes for me to buy!

This was one of my outfits that I wore on cooler days.

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Carly was a SAI Florence Summer 2017 student from Washington State University.