Osteria Il Basilico

My echoes location is Osteria Il Basilico. On first glance, this restaurant is very good (for instance, their pizzas and branzino are stellar), but uninspiring. For me, the significant of this establishment came from the employees who work there.

During my first week at NYU Florence, I by chance decided to eat here with a friend, and ended up making friends with one of the waiters, a gentleman named Stil. Not only was Stil a kind server, but he went above and beyond to engage in conversation with us, both in his Flawed English and in our [Immensely-]flawed Italian.

Throughout the semester, I have returned to this restaurant every week or so, excited to share with Stil the new Italian I have learned. It was a highly memorable moment for me when, for the first time, I carried out an entire conversation with him in Italian! Il Osteria Basilico served as a safe space to practice Italian, and over time become more and more comfortable engaging in local culture. The restaurant certainly does not compare to the famous monuments of the city, but it certainly helped shape my unique Florence experience.

• Michael Steinhof