Italy Day 60 – 62: Florence

We had a fabulous last night in Rome, we had a meal in Campo De ‘ Fiori again! But we went to a different restaurant on the opposite side of the square, how very daring of us! We both had a Pizza and mine was delicious, tomato, mozzarella and mushroom, it had lots of mushrooms finely chopped under the cheese! 😋The food in the restaurants in Campo De ‘ Fiori is all of a really high standard and not hugely expensive, possibly as it’s not a tourist hot spot and seemed to have lots of Romans eating and drinking there.

We left Rome on Wednesday morning. We took a taxi to the Train station, thank god! As google maps said it was a 30 min walk and Al was happy to walk, I wasn’t so happy, and it was actually a lot further away than a 30 min walk, especially over cobbles, dragging a 20kg Case, a backpack and a handbag!

The Termini is huge, with at least 23 platforms, obviously our platform was the furthest away in the bloody back and beyond! We eventually found our train, boarded and we were sitting with a lovely English guy called Stephen, who lives and works in Rome. He was a great traveling companion, nice, chatty and informative. He departed the train in the wine region on Oritiga? The journey is wonderful watching the Italian countryside pass by with hills, hilltop villages, castles, huge fields of Sunflowers, vineyards. It all looks stunning.

We arrived at our designated station (as stated on our tickets) disembarked only to discover that I had booked the tickets to the wrong station!! Who knew there are at least 3 stations in Florence, we were 1 station short of the main centre. After walking around the platforms for a bit trying to find the exit, we managed to escape and order a taxi with the help of some American tourists who had made the same mistake as us. (So I’m not the only numpty!)

Our taxi driver was great, he spoke very good English and chatted to us about the history of Florence and gave us some fab tips. The taxi cost was also OK!

Our Airbnb in Florence is absolutely bloody awesome! Right in the heart of Florence, with a view of the Duomo (Cathedral) from the front door. It also has a wonderful courtyard garden, which is cool and quiet, it feels like you are a million miles from the centre of a bustling city. Riccardo the host was very welcoming and gave us maps and more great advice and information.

We went out for a walk and I have to say that the sight of the Duomo up close is staggering and far, far bigger and more beautiful than I had imagined. There are, as always, long queues to enter. Al and I walked about and oriented ourselves. We went into a church across a Piazza from the apartment, where I smiled at the elderly gentleman who was putting out the candles, this prompted him to start talking at me in fast Italian and then offered me a couple of prayer cards…for a price! 😍I think I might have over paid and he chatted to me some more about Calenders or some such 😳

In the evening Al and I went to have a drink at the Restaurant just across from the apartment. We sat next to a table of 4 Italian Nonna’s who were visiting Florence, they were brilliant! All drinking wine, smoking, chatting very animatedly. The service in Florence is unlike Rome. In Rome everyone is trying to get your custom here it’s like, Whatever! So we sat for ages waiting to be served, the Nonna’s were laughing and telling us to go and poke the waiter! Their food arrived and they were not impressed! Pulling faces and gesticulating! I bloody loved these ladies, we all managed to have a laugh and share and experience without a word being spoken! Fabulous.

After the Nonna’s food experience we went to eat elsewhere!

Al and I were up early to try and get into the Duomo, however when we arrived at 8.30 there was already a queue and the Duomo didn’t actually open for another 2hrs! Also you have to pay. We decided we didn’t want to stand in a queue for most of the morning, so headed off to explore.

Florence is breathtaking. We walked through the Piazza Della Signoria, a historic meeting place for Florentine’s. Then past the Uffizi Gallery and down to the river. We crossed the amazing Ponte Vecchio an amazing bridge that has shops and building on, the shops had the most ornate wooden shutters. The light on the buildings is magical. We wandered for a while and came back across the river into the posh part of Florence with all the designer shops. We stopped and had a cup of tea in a lovely Piazza and people watched for a while. I also got to speak to Grantley, who had arrived at University for his first day! Thank you to the wonderful Curly Steve who delivered all his belongings and helped him settle in, Curly, you are a fantastic!

Thank you also to Laura for sorting out a potential problem for me, you are a Star. 😘

Al and I had the most gorgeous lunch in our garden, I had Mozzarella, Tomato and basil, fresh bread with balsamic and olive oil!! The best!!

In the afternoon we visited Accademia Gallery, the home of Michelangelo’s David. The Gallery is not huge but Wow! We saw several of the Medici families musical instruments including several Stradivarius Violins, Viancellos. Lots of stunning religious paintings and Icons, but the David is awe inspiring. The level of detail, the veins on his arms and hands, the look on his face, the musculature is beyond beautiful. You also don’t get a perspective on the size until you see it in real life. Stunning. There are also other sculptures by Michelangelo, the Unfinished Slaves were wonderful as you could see the tool marks made by him as he carved. 

After this we spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring some more, we visited the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, which is a beautiful Piazza, quiet and tranquil. We enjoyed the peace sitting with a refreshing Aperol Spritz. 😍

So far Florence has been a revelation. I feel I needed to learn more before my visit, the history is long and complex. The city feels very accessible and I will most certainly come back, there are 100s of Museums and Palazzos to see and just not enough time to see them all. Once again I have run out of superlatives! I need Stephen Fry to edit my blog! 😂

That’s all for now.

Ciao Bellas ❤️❤️❤️