After catching a train (high-speed, “via” type train) in Venice, we arrived in Florence about 2 hours later. This time we knew how to get to our hotel, so off we went by foot (it was only about a 5to 10 minute walk from the train station) and got settled in at Hotel Enza. It was a nice hotel with free internet and a great location.
We had a full week in Florence (7 nights) and lots that we wanted to see and do. When first arriving here after coming from Venice, I was a little overwhelmed because there were SO many tourists and traffic and noise and cars and tour buses…I wanted to run back to Venice! I think I actually said to Rich “get me out of here….I hate Florence”. He looked at my puzzled and said that he’d never heard (or imagined) that anyone could say that. Who hates Florence? Well, I didn’t actually hate it, I just had a bit of a meltdown at the Piazza Pitti, and then I was okay after that. I just had to adjust. And adjust I did!
The first thing we did was take a walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo which was elevated and overlooked the Arno River and the city of Florence. Here I could also get a feel for the Tuscan countryside (Florence is in the region of Tuscany). It was gorgeous!! We walked around the city, over the Ponte Vecchio (famous bridge) and then settled in for lunch. I think it was here that I fell in love with Italian food. The tomatoes, the basil, the olive oil, the mozzarella…so fresh and so flavourful. I was in heaven. Being a vegetarian, I mostly ate pastas and pizzas, but we literally walked from 9am to at least 7pm each day, so luckily I didn’t pack on any pounds and was able to enjoy myself!
Florence had so much to see…the statue of David in the Accademia museum was awe inspiring. To be 5 feet away from Michelangelo’s masterpiece carved in stone so many years ago. It was much bigger than I had imagined and one of my favourite things to see. We also did a guided hike called “A Morning in Tuscany”, followed by “A Taste of Tuscany”, in which we met with a guide (a young Australian girl) and I think 3 other women, and we did a walking tour up in the hills and countryside of Tuscany.
On this walk, we visited an old quarry where Michelangelo used to come with his step-father when he was young, and also where Leonardo Da Vinci would test out his flying machines. We stopped at a beautiful villa and had lunch in a hill-top restaurant overlooking the beautiful Tuscan landscape. The wine and food was abundant and it was one of my favourite days in Florence.
We found a great Market in Florence close to our hotel and we would go there for our breakfasts (fritatta paninis and cappuccinos) before heading out for the day. The market was full of fresh fruits and vegetables and of course beef, pork and cheeses. It was amazing!!
We climbed up the Duomo (a huge Domed church) that had very tight, dark, winding staircases to get to the top. It was very eerie and a little scary being in there climbing up, but once we got to the top, the views were amazing!
While in Florence, we did two day trips – one to Sienna (beautiful!), and another to Pisa to see the leaning tower! Loved both cities and visiting them made the time in Florence even more fulfilling.
I’m sure I’m forgetting lots of stuff!! So I’ll come back and update this post later on once I find my notes (I kept notes of the things we did because we did so much and I knew I would forget!) But here are the links to our pictures from Florence, Sienna and Pisa!
Florence:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=jzztdya.9ngk12ya&x=0&y=-9i8pbx&localeid=en_US
Sienna:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=jzztdya.br1ta1wy&x=0&y=uqzng9&localeid=en_US
Pisa:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=jzztdya.7bxc5z02&x=0&y=ugl2z0&localeid=en_US
More to come on Rome when I get some more time! Stay tuned....
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