My friend Leah and I spent four nights in Florence as part of a spring break trip while studying abroad. Her friend from home was doing her own study abroad semester in the city, so we were down to visit. This is kind of embarrassing to admit as I am now an Italian citizen, but I had very little interest in Italy at the time. Like... I wasn't opposed to going, but I also didn't much care (maybe a little about Venice, but that was it). That was dumb. I was pretty dumb. Italy is fantastic.
So in relation, I didn’t know much about Florence before the trip, but it was immediately clear that it was a city full of art and culture. From the brown, red, and white tones to sculptures around every corner to the small streets that open up into the big piazzas, it would be difficult to mistake Florence for another city.
We flew into Pisa (from Belfast) since it was cheapest and took a train to Florence from there. We stayed at a great hotel, Hotel Medici, right in the middle of the city next to my favorite piazza, Piazza della Repubblica, which houses a carousel (adding rides makes anything my favorite).
Hotel Medici was very nondescript from the outside, but we had a high-ceilinged, wooden floored room with a huge window and old-fashioned wooden and brass furniture.
There was also this fantastic wrap-around balcony on the sixth floor terrace full of plants overlooking the Duomo, Florence’s famous cathedral. It was a gorgeous view.
This isn't even zoomed in.
Instead of detailing our days since it was so long ago and we mostly wandered around the city, I’m going to list my five favorite things we did (which are the five things I think you should do too).
5. Visit the San Lorenzo Market
There are two halves to this market- an outdoor open-air section, and the indoor stalls at the Mercato Centrale. Outside you’ll find plenty of Italian trinkets, bags, clothing, and of course, leather. I do not buy or wear leather, but I have a friend who loves going to Italy to buy nice leather jackets. Leah may have purchased one while we were there as well. I am not condoning leather! But it's there. But don't contribute to the animal slaughtering industry!
The indoor market is full of food. You’ll find butchers, fruit and veggies, cheese, wine, and more. I bought some penis shaped pasta as a charming gift for a friend.
4. Eat and drink
I mean, you’re in Italy. It’s kind of a given. This was my first ever time in Italy though, and I was loving the food! Especially the gelato. I literally ate gelato every single day, usually a couple flavors at a time. There were so many to try! It’s basically ice cream times ten. That's actually an insult. Ice cream is nothing next to gelato.
We also had our fair share of pizza, streetside sandwiches, and pasta at a restaurant where they provided free wine to students (which we were!).
One piece of advice: Avoid those delicious looking waffles filled with gelato. The first bite or two may be good, but then you will feel sick from all that sugar. Too much.
Right before I tossed it in the trash.
Also, unpopular opinion time- I am not a gigantic fan of authentic Italian pizza. I like my deep dish pizzas, and Italy does them thin. Oh, also be aware that the waiters may flat out tell you no if you ask for any changes to pastas and such. They think it's best with the preset sauce on the menu, so it is coming to you with the preset sauce on the menu.
We had one night out where we hit up a sushi restaurant for some saki, a Beatles bar called Bebop with a cover band on, and a nightclub called Twice which I was amused to see featured on the Jersey Shore season in Florence a year or two later (ha, not that I watched every single episode of Jersey Shore or anything!...), but overall, I wouldn’t go to Florence for the nightlife scene. It’s not that kind of city.
3. Have a wine picnic on top of Piazzale Michelangelo
When I say “wine picnic”, I literally mean we had a picnic only consisting of wine, but you’re more than welcome to bring food as well. Just make sure you get to the top of the Piazzale Michelangelo for a beautiful panoramic view of the city. We opted to walk, but despite the stairs and gradual incline, it’s still a high hill, and you may prefer to take the bus or drive. There will be plenty of people sitting on the stairs enjoying the pretty scene.
2. See the David
And all the other art. Florence is full of art from statues in alcoves along the streets to the famous museums. I didn’t go into the Uffizi, but even just viewing the sculptures outside of it was interesting.
The one museum you must visit though is the Accademia, home to the David. It’s not a large museum at all, but there is a long hall of Michelangelo’s works. You’ll pass by a bunch of unfinished half-carved blocks which are quite cool since you can see people and things starting to emerge from the rock as if they’re struggling to escape this stone imprisonment.
At the end of the hall, there’s the David towering above you. I was SO impressed. I’ve never been this in awe of any other work of art. It’s absolutely huge standing at 17 feet tall, and the detail is just unbelievable from the veins in his arms to the tone of his muscles. I tried to secretly snap a photo, but the buzzkill guards were being pretty strict about pictures, so it didn’t come out so well half-hidden under my coat.
Go see it in real life instead of looking at this shit photo that does it no justice.
Oh, we also walked by Michelangelo’s old house at one point, but it is just a door along the street, so that’s not overly exciting.
1. Climb to the top of the Duomo
You really can’t miss the Duomo. It’s huge. It’s absolutely worth waiting in line to go inside too if you are physically up to climbing the 463 stairs to the top. They vary the whole way up between straight sections, spiral stairs, wide, narrow, etc, although all cement.
There were points to stop along the way where you could look into the church from balconies or view rooms of statues. The best part was seeing the ceiling up close. It starts with hellish images on the bottom perimeter of demons and fire inspired by Dante’s Inferno. As the dome moves upwards, it switches to heavenly figures.
The very final sets of stairs were steep, narrow passages, then you finally emerge outside at the very top of the dome. I immediately got vertigo and had to grab a railing, it was so high up. The view is incredible. You can circle around and see the city from all sides, all red roofs and white buildings. Florence is just laid out below you.
If you appreciate Italian culture and a quiet getaway, Florence might be the place for you. You could always fly down to Rome from there, or do what we did and catch the train over to Venice only a couple hours away. It's hard to go wrong in Italy!
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