Jersey Shore in Florence: To Watch or Not to Watch

Florence, Italy is my first great love - at least as far as foreign cities go.

Florence Skyline. Photo by Putneypics on Flickr.

Before I even applied to college, I knew I wanted to study abroad in Italy and I waited patiently for my junior year to spend a semester in Florence. The city won me over immediately. Art and history around every corner, hiding in corners where you least expect it. Sumptuous food and wine, some of the best meals I've ever had in my life. Long dinners over several bottles of vino, darting in to see Michelangelo's David on the way to the grocery store, getting lost with friends and discovering some stunning hidden architecture. My memories of the city are sacred and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

So when I heard that MTV's Jersey Shore was filming in Florence for their fourth season, I had mixed feelings.

I've never been one to buy into outrage over entertainment for the most part. After all, I'm Italian-American and from New Jersey and I've always found Jersey Shore to be a delicious guilty pleasure instead of an appalling reflection of my ethnicity and state. So why am I apprehensive about seeing them in Florence?

It has something to do with the cast confirming the ugly American stereotype, to be sure. In the trailer alone, you can see some really appalling behavior from Pauly D and the gang. But that's nothing new and I've enjoyed watching it for the past 3 seasons (except for the Sammi/Ronnie drama, let's be honest.) So if I ask myself honestly, why this season of JS bothers me, I don't have to dig too deep to realize it's simply that I'm jealous. Why do these fools, ignorant of the wonders of Florence, get to be in my magical city and I don't!? They get to live in a gorgeous suite, only a block from where I lived as a student, and drink Chianti while I have a small room in Brooklyn and drink Two Buck Chuck. They get to sit in my beloved Piazza della Repubblica everyday while I sweated it out on the subway. I'm green with envy and it's petty, I admit.

After going back and forth for awhile, I've decided I will be watching this season and salivating over the scenery the whole time. And no matter what offenses these idiots commit, Florence is a very old city and has survived plagues, floods and Savonarola. It can survive Snooki.

Piazza della Signoria. Photo by untipografico on Flickr.

Season 4 of Jersey Shore premieres on MTV on August 4.