With a similar setting as Rome, Florence was alive with serial tourists.
We arrived in Florence with a light drizzle on the walk to the hotel, which increased throughout the late afternoon. We checked in and then headed out for a walking tour, which ended at a local restaurant. By then the heavens had opened but our spirits were far from dampened. The meal was fantastic and the would-be magician waiter made it all the more enjoyable. On the walk back we slipped into a church opposite our hotel to listen to an organ recital. Florence is a truly beautiful city, even in drenching rain!
We headed out early at 7 am and watched Florence slowly awake. We ventured out for a café latte and pastry, and then walked to the Piazza della Signoria where the imposing Palazzo Vecchio and a replica of David stands. In the afternoon, my fear of heights dissipated on top of the Duomo, allowing me to enjoy the fantastic view of the entire city.
Having the Renaissance and what seems like the entire catalogue of 13th to 16th century Italian art at your fingertips cannot be a bad thing, but you will certainly be driven mad with all the choices on offer. Florence is the home of Dante too. We had considered visiting the Palazzo degli Uffizi but did not fancy a two hour queue, so we spent that time in the Galleria dell’Accademia instead - and Michelangelo’s David did not disappoint! David stands at the end of a long hallway which is flanked by half carved marble ‘slave’ figures that have a huge presence about them. Then you reach David, standing in that provocative pose so powerful and masculine yet boyish and charming all at once,. he is just divine.
And just when you think this walk through Florence could not possibly get better… all these old world buildings give way to an overabundance of piazzas, restaurants, street-side cafés, bars and shops to satisfy your every whim! Our walk ended with excellent food and wine at Bibo Trattoria near the Ponte Vecchio. We got excellent personal service and the food was phenomenal! We had pasta zuppa, spaghetti passatore, risotto alla funghi and tiramisu. Truly a gastronomic delight!
Florence is louder than your average big city - on top of your usual city noise there is a constant droning of ambulances and police sirens, the spluttering and beeping of vespas, and the splendid raucous and clamorous ringing of hundreds of heavy church bells, on the hour, every hour. However as with most large cities, Florence by night has a mellower tone more conducive to meeting the locals and smelling the roses by. We really enjoyed our evening walks in Florence; and we also love the local custom of passeggiata- the evening stroll just before dusk in the piazzas or lanes, where arm in arm with your loved one or beloved friends you walk and chat…the perfect opportunity to see and be seen…we loved it! I will close this post with a note that the gelati in Florence are out of this world…I would go as far as saying they are an epiphanic experience!
