Firenze is the perfect long weekend trip. We left on Thursday evening and took the Eurostar train which costs about 33 Euro each way and gets you there in 90 minutes. If you don’t take the Eurostar you have to take the regional train which is only 15 Euro each way, but twice as long and very very painful.
I should warn you that my friends and I referred to ourselves as “hard core tourists” so our itinerary might seem overwhelming. For Florence make sure you have a plan before you go because most of the museums accept reservations which will definitely optimize your time. Don’t forget to set aside some time for gelato!
Friday morning we went to the Duomo which is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. This is the most beautiful exterior of a Cathedral I have ever seen. The intricate designs mixed with the green and brown colors overwhelmed me. I did not want to take my eyes of the building. The dome was built by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi an innovator of his time because he used a pulley system to set the over four million bricks and for his idea of building a “dome within a dome.” Once inside we walked around the apse listening to our audio guides, which I highly suggest because they are informative and cheap. I was trying to go along with the guide and not to look at the Last Judgment fresco on the inside of dome, but the art history major in me took over and I dashed over.
There are no words for the fresco. It is so powerful, moving, and intricate that as a viewer you can only stand there in awe. My favorite part of fresco is hell. I love the red pigment s and splashes of orange mixed with twisted bodies that are flowing downward in agony. The demons look sadistic and frightening; it definitely evokes a powerful message from the Church. I was looking at it for so long that my neck started to hurt.
After the Duomo we went to the Baptistery. Immediately my eyes jumped to the “Gates of Paradise” also known as the bronze doors. The craftsmanship of the doors is unparallel to any bronze works I have seen. One of the reasons why I love these gates is because of the story behind it. Brunelleschi and Ghiberti were in competition for this work. They both modeled and casted “The Sacrifice of Isaac” and presented them to a panel. Interestingly, one of the judges was Raphael. Ghiberti won the contest, his work is more emotional and flowing versus Brunelleschi’s which was more daring and rigid. I made the mistake of thinking that these were the real gates, but due to acid rain the originals were removed and placed in the Duomo museum. The inside of the baptistery is covered in gold mosaics from the 13th century. It is definitely worth a visit. We then went to the Duomo museum, which was interesting, but by that time my mind was focused on one thing….lunch!
My friends and I wanted to break away from Italian cuisine, so we decided to go to this place called Eby’s which supposedly had a lunch special of a burrito and drink for 4.5 Euro. Long story short, the special doesn’t exist anymore, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat here. I’m not sure if it was the fact I haven’t had Mexican food in a month or that the burrito had meat, but I might be so bold to say that this was the best burrito I’ve ever had.
After that we walked over to the Galleria dell’ Accademia also known to tourists as “where Michelangelo’s David is.” We made the mistake of not having reservations so we had to wait over an hour online, but it was worth every minute. I couldn’t believe how enormous the statue of David is in person. I just kept staring at it and thinking it is perfection from the proportion to the veins. Two or three times we walked back to David to look at it again because it was so breathtaking.
For dinner we went to Aqua Al 2. It was recommended to us by someone who studied abroad in Florence and it was also in our travel books. We had the five dish pasta sampler which was delicious and so fun! The chef surprises you with different pastas, and they were all superb. We also had blueberry steak! I was interested to try this because I have never heard of anything like it in my life. I’m not sure it really tasted like blueberries, but nevertheless it was definitely my favorite meal on the trip.
The next day we decided to start the day off at the Uffizi. If there is one reservation you have to make it is for the Uffizi. It can be up to a three hour wait to get into the museum. This is my favorite museum. I loved how the rooms guide you through time and artists. Cimabue, Giotto, Botticelli, Caravaggio….I was like a kid in a candy store. Leave about three to four hours to explore the whole museum.
Afterwards we decided to climb the Duomo. I should have put together that my fear of heights might become a problem when we reached the top, but I really wanted to see the frescos up close! I was fine till we got to the first tier of the dome. Then I could only look at the wall to my left. I didn’t really get to examine the frescos as much as I would’ve liked because I was focusing on not having a panic attack. However, the panoramic view of Florence at the top is definitely worth the 463 stairs workout.
The day ended with a “Clue Tour” of the Palazzo Vecchio. Our tour guide was dressed in 16th century attire! I would highly recommend this tour because you get to go into secret passageways that are usually blocked off to the public. We even got to see the wooden structures supporting the ceiling! It was a lot of fun and educational at the same time.
For dinner we ate at the Golden View, a restaurant which overlooks the Ponte Vecchio. If you eat here you must have the Tiramisu. I can undoubtedly say this is the best Tiramisu I’ve ever had! Just writing about it makes me want to go back and get some!
Sunday in Florence is a great day to go to the San Lorenzo flea market. Incase your travel guide says anything about Santo Spirito flea market ignore it because it no longer exists. You can buy pashminas, cashmere scarves, and silk ties galore. I have never seen so many stands selling the same items in a row. There are also lots of leathers jackets and bags, but unfortunately a lot of them looked like poor quality. It was lots of fun just to walk around and bargain. I finally decided on a purple cashmere scarf which just happens to be the color of Florence!
