From Bologna to Salerno - The enchanting Florence (3/9)

Florence

A cloudy day on the River Arno, in Florence

On the second day of July we caught a train in Rimini that would take us to Florence, the Renaissance city. The price of the ticket was less that 15 euros. In my case, it was the third time that I'd be visiting this exquisite and magical city, capital of Tuscany. With that it was clear the thing that I liked the most; it's a place in which, undoubtedly, I could live.

The streets are flat in Florence, and there are many points of interest, museums and monuments; in fact, the historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.

First things first is to highlight the imposing Piazza della Signoria, in which you can admire an outdoor "museum" exhibiting several sculptures, in a portico of the square, such as Perseus and Medusa, the Rapture of the Sabinas, or Hercules and the centaur Neso: this is the Loggia della Signoria.

Details of Perseus and Medusa in the Loggia della Signoria

In addition, in this place we had a big surprise: walking by one night through the city centre, we became spectators of a gig on the Loggia della Signoria.

Concert at night in Piazza della Signoria

In this square one also finds the Old Castle or Palazzo Vecchio, the second Medici palace (the first place that belonged to this family was the Medici Riccardi palace). On the other hand, the big Neptune fountain stands out; unfortunately, it was being restored when we were there, but for me it's a spectacular sculpture.

Palazzo Vecchio

Another well-known square is Piazzale Michelangelo, from which there are stunning views of the city; in this square you can find an imitation of Michelangelo's David. I should also mention the Republic Square and its Colonna Dell'Abbondanza, in which the Roman Forum was formerly found.

And what of the beautiful Ponte Vecchio? A curious fact that very few people know is that it is full of buildings with windows, which today are jewellers, due to the Medici family who built a corridor that crossed the Arno River and connects with the Medici's second palace, the Pitti Palace, that would be the third palace belonging to the wealthy family. This is because Eleanor of Toledo, Duchess of Cosimo I de Médici, hated walking through the streets of the city and preferred to move from one building to another without mixing with the Florentine commoners.

On the bridge there is also a bust of Benvenuto Cellini. Undoubtedly, this bridge is one of the most charming places in Florence, and usually at night there's a lot of atmosphere, and an artist of some kind sharing his music with the tourists.

Ponte Vecchio at night

As for the religious buildings, I'll highlight the Duomo of Florence, which is located in the Piazza del Duomo, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, crowned by Filippo Brunelleschi's great dome. Next to these buildings are Giotto's bell tower and the Baptistery of San Juan, where you can find Ghiberti's bronze doors.

Details of the Duomo and the bell tower

I also recommend visiting the Basilica of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito, which is located in a square where there's a lot of atmosphere at night; the Basilica of the Holy Cross (or Basilica di Santa Croce); the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte; the Church of Santa María Novella; and the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

As for the museums, I'll highlight the Uffizzi Gallery, the Academy and the Pitti Palace.

The Uffizzi Gallery and the Academy are a must-visit for all travellers going to Florence; there you can admire ancient Roman works, the works of Boticelli and David by Michelangelo, among others. The entry cost to these two museums is around 15 to 20 euros, although there are also discounts for young people between 18 and 24 years old. However, be very careful with the processing costs when buying online, since the total cost can end up quite high.

Entrance to the Uffizzi Gallery, where several artists exhibit their works on the street

Visiting the Pitti Palace was incredible: we toured the Palace Gallery, the Modern Gallery and the Boboli Gardens. In addition, by showing our ID cards (to prove our age), we benefited from a very generous discount: the entrance only cost us 6. 50 euros per person.

Exterior facade of the Pitti Palace

One of the corners of the Boboli Gardens

To get to know the history and some of the city's curiosities, we took a tour in Spanish that started in the Republic Square; with the tour we saw the most important places in Florence. We did it with Freetour and our guide was Manuel, a wonderful Italian man who spoke our language really well. At the end of the tour, we paid the guide according to the quality of his work. On this tour we got to know the city even better and Manuel also gave us recommendations for bars and restaurants to go to in different areas of the city. Honestly, doing the tour was a great idea because you can never know enough about the history of the sites you visit, and it is a way to discover new places.

We were also saw an interesting exhibition that I strongly recommend if you go to Florence before 2nd October, at the Buonarroti house. Entry costs 6 euros and under the title "Michelangelo e L'assedio di Firenze" works are displayed that were carried out by the artist during the time he spent in hiding, fearing reprisals due to the deterioration of his relations with the Medici.

We also went to a a museum that we had yet to visit (and to think it has been open since 1908! ): the Stibbert Museum. It has little has to do with the Renaissance; exhibited there are suits of armour and other pieces of art, not just European but also works from the Middle East and Japan. The collection was compiled by Federico Stibbert in his own home, or rather mansion, which had to be expanded as he was collection kept growing and the space was too small. He had the various extensions constructed by important architects and artists of the time, such as the painter Bianchi. Admission costs 8 euros and I think the price is just, given this immense and quite peculiar collection, not to mention the building itself, the decor of the ten rooms and the very beautiful gardens with a lake, caves and even a temple. The good man left his legacy to the British State but he gave this to the city of Florence.

As for food, in the Piazza della Signoria there are several restaurants, although it's true that most of them are quite expensive. We ate in this extraordinary place, in the restaurant Il Bargello, where we enjoyed a delicious lasagna for 9 euros, so it wasn't too exorbitant. In Florence practically all restaurants have a cover charge (about € 2), and also the drinks are quite expensive. They always offer two types of mineral water: natural or frizzante, that is, natural or sparkling.

Another restaurant we went to is located in the Santo Spirito square: Ricchi Restaurant, which was both a cafe and ice cream shop. There we had a pizza for 9 euros and, although the waiters were very nice and friendly, it truthfully wasn't the best pizza we ate during our trip. As in other establishments, the cover charge is €2. A restaurant that we liked a lot was the Trattoria Dante, in which the pizzas are around 8 and 10 €; and the cover charge is 2. 50 €. These two restaurants are located on the other side of the river, which is the area in which we were staying and, although it does not have as much atmosphere nor is so touristy, we thought it was cool and relaxed. Contrary to some opinions of other travellers, we found this part of the city to be very safe.

However, if there's a pizzeria in Florence that we loved, it would be Gusta Pizza. In this small establishment, they serve take away pizza and you can also take plastic cutlery and napkins. They also sell cold drinks. Returning to the pizza, it was very cheap: you can have a margarita pizza for only 5 euros... it's outrageous!

Continuing on to the ice cream parlours, there are many scattered allover the city, but I'll put the spotlight on the ice cream shop La Carraia, in which the ice cream is not only delicious but also sold at a good price: two scoops costs 2 euros. In other ice cream shops the prices go up a bit more, like in the famous Venchi ice cream parlor, in which a two-scoop ice cream is 3. 50 euros.

One of Florence's delicious "gelaterias"

When you go to Rome, it's tradition to throw a coin into the waters of the Fontana di Trevi if you want to return there some day; in Florence, you should touch the snout of a bronze boar that's in Porcellino or New Market Square, to be certain that you'll return to the city. As I never fail to touch the boar's snout when I go, I return again and again to Florence every now and then.

Next post: San Gimignano

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