Florence was the most aesthetically pleasing city I think I've ever seen. Even the most basic buildings were beautiful with their sun-bleached brick, sloping roofs and shuttered windows. Each turn down a narrow side street made me ooh and ahh. Poor Matt got tired of stopping for pictures, but I just couldn't help myself.
We made reservations in advance for the Uffizi Gallery and the Academia. I am glad we did this, but it made us feel very scheduled. I would have prefered to just wander the city and see things as we happened upon them, but we didn't have the luxury of doing that.
Basilica de Santa Croce:
Piazza della Republica:
The Bargello Palace:
The David:
El Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore:
The golden doors of the Baptistry:
Inside the baptistry:
There were bikes everywhere:
For lunch, Matt and I discovered a tiny hole in the wall restaurant that served amazing paninis and pastas for ridiculously cheap prices. We were the only non-locals in the restaurant, which was quite a feat considered the city was filled to the brim with tourists. The food was delicious, but the restaurant itself was cramped and not the most relaxing place to take a break.
Later in the afternoon we indulged in gelatto while resting our feet and enjoying views of the Arno River.
The Ponte Vechhio:
Fountain of Neptune:
Instead of waiting in a long line to climb to the top of the Duomo, we decided to climb the bell tower instead. The views are about the same and the tickets are cheaper. The only down side is that the top is "caged" by bars which didn't obstruct our view, but it did hamper our photo opportunities. The climb to the top was quite a hike, and after our adventures in Stresa our (mostly my) feet were definitely in pain. I think the soles of my feet were bruised, which made all the walking and museum touring less enjoyable than it could have been.
Enjoying the breeze at the top of the bell tower:
Looking out over the Duomo:
The Ponte Vecchio at night.
After a long day of zipping through the city, Matt and I returned to our hotel for a shower before heading back out to enjoy the warm evening in Florence. We shared a lovely meal and a caraffe of wine at a fabulous restaurant near our hotel and then just strolled along the streets. It was nice to return to some of the places we'd been during the day and see them in the evening light. By this point, we had seen everything we wanted to see so we were able to just relax and savor the moment.
Florence was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Italy. I would love to return someday when we have more time. We would probably try to go at an off-peak time to avoid the crowds. Next time, I'll skip out on some of the museums in favor of simply getting lost in the city.
