DAY 9: FLORENCE

17th July 2019

First Impressions of Florence

Florence is a beautiful Italian city, with the labyrinth of winding streets and yellow and peach houses looking just as they would have done in the Renaissance. Whether crossing the remarkable Ponte Vecchio, wandering through the Mercato Centrale or stumbling across the incredible sites of the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio, the entire city thrived with culture and elegance. We knew, almost immediately, that the few days we had there would not be enough to explore everything the city had to offer, and just seeing the Duomo lit up at night was enough to make us want to return.

Tip #5: Do a walking tour as soon as you get there!

Just like in Prague, we used a free walking tour (https://www.florence-freewalkingtour.com/tours/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoJvk5NXr4wIVR7TtCh1TGgx4EAAYASAAEgJZSfD_BwE) to help us get our bearings and understand a little about the history of the city. As the tour guides are natives or current inhabitants of the city, you can be sure that they know what they’re talking about. This particular company offered a morning and an evening tour with different topics (we did the morning tour, focused on the Medici presence in Florence) and if you have time, we would recommend doing both. It is worth every penny and is so much cheaper than other tours. The guides are also available to give you directions, recommendations for restaurants or good things to see.

Highlights of the tour included: Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo and fake David!

Tip #6: Visit the Boboli Gardens (and take a picnic in with you)

The Boboli Gardens are an enormous complex of gardens attached to the Pitti Palace. You can purchase a ticket for just the Gardens (the reduced price was 2 euros), if you don’t have time to visit the museums within the palace itself.

Although there is a metal detector and security to go through, Lydia managed to sneak in a takeaway pizza (from GustaPizza, apparently the best pizzeria in the city, according to our walking tour guide: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187895-d1155597-Reviews-Gustapizza-Florence_Tuscany.html). Eating in those beautiful gardens, with a majestic view across the other side of the Arno, is an experience you should definitely try – and provides welcome shade in the midday sun!

Tip #7: Book the Uffizi in advance

When in Florence, it’s almost compulsory to visit at least one of the incredible art collections. The Uffizi, the most famous gallery, did not disappoint (the collection including Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, etc), but when visiting, make sure you book your tickets in advance. There is a 4-euro fee for booking online, but with a separate entrance – meaning you skip the large queues – it is definitely worth it.

We spent around 2.5 hours in the Uffizi but were somewhat rushed, so if you are interested in art, we would say put aside around 3 hours. Make sure you pick up a map at the entrance if you don’t have time to see it all, and only visit the rooms that you are interested in.

Tip #7: Watch the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo

By this point, finding a spectacular viewpoint to watch the sunset had become a bit of a ritual. Piazzale Michelangelo, on the side of Oltrarno and further up the river, has an incredible view over the river and the Florence skyline on the other side.

However, if you want a good view, it’s necessary to go there a few hours before the sunset. On our first evening, we arrived while the sun was setting, and though got good photos, were constantly getting in the way. The second evening, we went up at 6pm (sunset was at 8:50), and just sat down behind the railing. This gives you a little shelter from the sun, and somewhere to sit, but it means that when the sun does start to set, you can just stand up and take photos, without bothering the other tourists the rest of the time.

This is an incredible experience and due to the regular summer heat in Florence, the sunset is unlikely to disappoint!