First time to Firenze

As you know Darryl and I are living in Italy for the summer, it has been my mission to visit as many cities as possible. The first one on my list was Florence or Firenze ( I hate how we Americanize these beautiful city names). As much as I love Bologna, its become somewhat of a ghost town on the weekends due to the summer heat, which makes it a perfect time to travel. Firenze is only 30 minutes away from Bologna by high speed train! 

Ever since I downloaded GoEuro traveling by train anywhere in Italy has been fast and affordable. It's been the best way to optimize as many cities as Darryl will let me. 
We arrived to Firenze's main train station Santa Maria Novella, from there we made our 10 minute walk to our cozy little Airbnb in Piazza di Santa Trinita. Our apartment for the weekend was small but it was the perfect location in my opinion, the Ponte (bridge) Santa Trinita offers the best views of Ponte Vecchio (see below). 

I always make a plan of what I must see when visiting a new city, but Darryl actually kinda hates when I do that. It took us awhile but we've finally found a way to have it all. Like Darryl I don't like to waste hours standing in a line, if we can't get the VIP express line service to a Cathedral or whatever, we'll skip it.  Heartbreaking at first but I've started to realize just because I didn't go inside Duomo doesn't mean my experience was any less memorable or moving. It actually stunning from the outside as well. 

This trip I used my "VIP express" on seeing the original David by Michelangelo. I still cannot get over how stunning and perfect he was. The statue left me completely flabbergasted that something so smooth was chiseled over 500 years ago. We paid 20 euros each but didn't waste a second in line. 
In my experience, I've found that if you pick one tourist attraction, you can do it up. You should go all out and pay the extra fee to avoid lines and get a great tour guide with insider tips. This doesn't apply to all cities but it worked for us in Firenze. 

There are so many breathtaking spots in Firenze a few of my must visits were the obvious: Ponte Vecchio, the David, the Duomo and Piazzale Michelangelo. 

• Ponte Vecchio is a beautiful work of art that was the only bridge in Firenze to survive WWII, it was said that Hilter spared this bridge because his love of art and architecture. Walking across the bridge today you can see at one end where it was rebuilt. I really enjoyed how the bridge was lined with gold jewelers left and right. 
• The David is housed in Academia di Belle Arti a beautiful museum that also showcases other works of art by Michelangelo. After visiting the museum you'll see why much of Firenze was influenced by him. 
• The Duomo exterior is unlike any other church I have ever seen; green, pink and white marble cover the facade. It's gothic structure rises high above the city sky line, unmissable from any view. 
• Reaching the top of Piazzale Michelangelo is one of the most rewarding views in Firenze. You get the best view of the entire city. Every building just pops out. It was also great to relax and get a glass of wine. 

A few must try foods: 

• Good news: Gelato is everywhere! I preferred Venchi but it is a chain :( 
• Gusta Pizza, this was recommended to us and we were not let down! 

We really enjoyed our stay in Firenze, however I would recommend visiting this city in the off season. Early June Firenze was piping hot, without a single breeze. Early spring or late fall would not take away from your experience here. 

Hope you plan a trip to Firenze! 

xx. Abby 

Below I've added some photos from other places we visited during our stay.

Boboli Gardens

Garden seating at Enoteca Le Barrique

Fountain of Neptune in the center of Piazza Della Signoria