Firenze aka: Florence

One of my favorite stops on my tour in Italy (bar Napoli perhaps) was Firenze. Partly this was because I told myself to cut down on all the walking and put my feet up for a bit. I stayed at this gorgeous hostel in the Villa Camaretta. Only downside was that it was a YHA hostel (so many rules, no kitchen, no atmosphere). But in the afternoon when there was hardly anyone there and I was sitting in the garden reading my book with just the birds and a squirrel for company, it was lovely.

And Florence itself is just amazing. There is so much to see, from the Ponte Vecchio to the many squares to museums and the boatload of churches. And it also has the best pistacchio icecream (I did an analytical study on the matter) which is a tiny spot in one of the sidestreets of the Duomo. You can spot it by the queue outside.

The only thing I found annoying about Florence is there are a lot of ticket issues. You have to order your tickets ahead at extra costs or wait in line a lot, some churches separate tickets for the cloisters, church and crypt, which really add up.

Awesome! Great museums! saw the Piazza del Mercato Vecchio and The Duomo. Uffizi Gallery was worth seeing! Find the Irish bar and go there!

just about.
Hard to think of better times.

I’m going to go back and live here for at least 3 years next time.

A beautiful and charming city where everything is within walking distance of everything else. Florence is very easy to explore and extremely rewarding.

A tip for visitors: buy your museum tickets in advance from one of the ticket offices around the city, it saves you an extremely long wait. My friend and I arrived at Uffizi before the opening time and already there was a huge line outside and we waited about 30 minutes.

i spent an amazing 5 weeks here studying the art, architecture, villas, and gardens. this trip was truly life changing; i cannot begin to explain it. italy has such a beautiful culture, language, and just a certain way of life about it and i miss dearly. i can’t wait to go back!

I’ve studied Art History for several years now, and thought I knew what to expect from Florence. What I didn’t know was how deeply it would affect me. Seeing great works in galleries is a wonderful thing, but doesn’t have near the impact of seeing great works in their original setting. I cried buckets of tears daily. My soul was awakened, and now I can only think of when and how I can go back.

So much to see – art (Michelangelo’s “David”, Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”), the medieval Ponte Vecchio, the lovely multi-coloured Duomo and Santa Croce.

Eat.
Often.

And walk where you need to go.
Don’t be afraid to practice your little Italian.
E bene.
Vero.

We are going next week, and I want to see lots of art and drink lots of wine. Il vino rosso per favore.

I feel at home here! Qui sono a casa mia. Questa e mia vera patria.