Forty-Eight Hours in Florence

I’ve been incredibly lazy here. I wrote about my time in Venice with the intention of completing the rest of my Italian journey soon after, but it’s now been more than two months since I’ve been in Italy and I’m still trying to motivate myself to write. Alas, let’s see how long it takes me to finish this post!

Florence is a very art-y city. Italy was the site of the Renaissance and you can see much of the art from that period there. It is also home of the beautiful Duomo Cathedral, which is the place you usually see the skyline views over Florence from. We packed the entire Florence experience into two days there, but it was an experience of a lifetime.

The Art

We made sure to check both the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia while we were there. I personally preferred the Uffizi Gallery, which is home to one of my favorite paintings: The Birth of Venus. This place is really big and it’s easy to get lost! My friend had to ask for directions to see a hall she really wanted to see. At the Uffizi, there is definitely more to see and more variety. It’s also a bit prettier and definitely in the prettier part of town.

The Accademia, however, is home to the world’s most famous sculpture: The Statue of David. Basically, we paid money to see the David. For me, the rest of the museum was a bit of a disappointment. Some of the famous paintings there were loaned out to other places and a lot of the religious themes of the paintings had been overused for me (granted this was day 3 or 4 of seeing art museums). The Accademia also has some Stradivarius instruments, but my friend, who plays violin was disappointed in the lack of violins they had.

What More to See

Of course you have to visit the Duomo. It’s the most famous building in Florence. It’s a massive cathedral in the middle of the city. To enter the cathedral, it is free, but for just €15, you can get 24 hour access to climb top to the top of the Duomo, as well as to climb Giotto’s Bell Tower, and several other cathedral-affiliated sites. A warning though, the steps get very narrow toward the top, where you have to wait for people to come from both directions. We had to make room for some larger Americans visiting the Dome. It’s very tiring. Also, take a break between climbs. We climbed the Bell Tower right after climbing the Duomo and our legs were absolutely exhausted. It was great training for my climb to Montserrat, though!

We also visited the Palazzo Vecchio. It has had many uses throughout the centuries, such as the site of the ruling body of Florence and home to the Medici family. It is a grand palace with many rooms that are filled with Renaissance art. My favorite room was the map room because I have a fondness for maps and travel. Unfortunately for us, there was a symposium happening the grand ballroom, so we didn’t get to look around or take very good pictures.

One of my favorite places was the Basilica of Santa Croce. Some of Italy’s brightest minds are buried here, such as Michelangelo and Galileo. That was my favorite part – seeing all the tombs and monuments that are dedicated to all the famous Italians that we have studied throughout school. If I’m honest, the inside isn’t spectacularly beautiful, but the outside has a very pretty garden. We just sat in the courtyard for a good twenty minutes because it was peaceful. As in the rest of the country, there is a plethora of Italian art for you to see. A fare warning: be careful walking around inside the basilica. Some of the tombs on the floors are deep. Some are not marked off and some are so I watched several people trip over the tombs. I felt bad laughing inside a place a worship, but I’m one of those horrible people who can’t help but laugh when someone falls.

Food

If I’m being honest, it’s been two months since I’ve been there, so I don’t remember exactly where we ate and what we ate. I do remember one place, though. It was called The Yellow Bar. No, it doesn’t have wifi, as one of the waitresses sassily told the Spanish girls behind me, but it does have really good food. They make their pasta from scratch in the restaurant, and they show you how they make it. I remember the food being really good, although I’m not 100% sure what I ate (laziness problems).

Compared to Venice, Florence definitely has more of the “Italian food” we all know. Venice has more seafood, and Florence has more pasta and pizza. Oh another thing I remember, Yanna eating an entire pizza herself. Go Yanna!

Transportation 

Walk. Walk. Walk. This is honestly the best and easiest way to get around Florence. Florence isn’t that big of a city, so I don’t think we walked more than fifteen minutes to get to a particular destination. Cars can’t even reach the center of town where the Duomo is, so it’s honestly just a lot faster to walk. Plus, you get to see all the cool shops (where you can buy €100 leather purses when the sparkling water opens in your purse, Yanna) and just experience the Italian life.

Also, from Venice, we took a train. It took an hour and a half and it was super simple.

Anything else?

Florence is a city that is rich in culture, a hotbed for Renaissance life. It’s also near the town where Pinocchio was created, so expect to see a lot of him around! It’s a really laid-back city, with lots of art and food and shopping. So just enjoy what Florence can give you.