Weekend in Florence

As part of our Erasmus experience, we did a lot of trips during our first semester in Italy. In addition to Genoa, Cinque Terre and Lago di Como, we also went to Florence, which is called Firenze in Italian, in Tuscany and spent a whole weekend there. This was in mid-October, and it was a really nice trip!

We went there by bus and the round-trip cost us about €25-€30, for a three-hour drive. We left on a Saturday morning and arrived there at lunchtime, picked up the keys to the room that we had booked for the weekend and then went straight back outside to visit the city (well, first we got a pizza).

My expectations for this trip were mostly to just have a good time with my friends. I had been to Firenze when I was younger with my family but did not really remember it so much before coming back there (although when I was there, some places felt like some "flashbacks" and I remembered them quite clearly from my first trip). I just wanted to have a nice weekend with friends, have fun and visit a nice city. In the end, this week-end turned out pretty well.

One of the main things to see in Florence is the Duomo, also called Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (yes again, another Duomo). This one is really nice because of the colors it has on its façade and because of its shape that is quite different. We visited the inside for free the day after our arrival, on Sunday morning (it’s possible to go only inside, this one doesn't have terraces like in Milan).

The constructions to build this cathedral started at the end of the 13th century and ended in the 14th century, much quicker than the construction of the Duomo in Milan, and it's just as impressive!

The area of the Duomo is really nice because there are no cars allowed and there are many shops and restaurants. You can find anything you are looking for, whether it is food, souvenirs or even ice creams. As it's also one of the main place of the city, there are a lot of animations, most of the events take place there.

After we had a first look at the Duomo, we looked for a place to have lunch. We stopped in a small pizzeria, called SimBIOsi. It was just about 5 minutes away from the Piazza del Duomo. All of their pizzas are organic, and perfect. It's a very affordable place, with a great atmosphere and very nice and smiling waiters. I definitely recommend this place to have lunch or dinner!

Later in the afternoon, we walked towards the Ponte Vecchio (which translated into “old bridge”). First we were on the sides of the canals to have a view of the canal with the bridge, before we decided to go on it to catch the sunset over the canal.

When we were on this bridge, the view was gorgeous. The sun was going down behind the city and that was so beautiful. But there were so many people it was hard to get to actually enjoy it. It was like "the place to be" to see the sunset. Everybody was there and wanted to take pictures to capture this beautiful view.

After that, we walked a little more around the city before going in a restaurant for dinner and then, we went back to the apartment.

On Sunday morning we woke up a little early. We wanted to visit the “Accademia Gallery”, a famous museum, and we knew we had to go there early to not have to wait in line for too long. We arrived there around 9 and already we had to wait about 30 minutes to get inside. The entrance is not free but there is a reduced price for students that come from a country in the European Union between 18 and 25 years old.

The most famous masterpiece in this museum is “David” by Michelangelo. This museum is one of the “must-see” of Florence.

Another place that we saw multiple times during this weekend is the Piazza della Signoria. It is, with the Piazza del Duomo, the main place of the city, and the second biggest. There are many important monuments around this place, and there are also some tall sculptures to admire.

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In the afternoon, before going back to the bus to head back to Milan, we climbed up to the Piazzale Michelangelo.

This place is a little outside the city, but still accessible by walking, and there are a few steps to climb but the view is really worth it. Once you get up there, you have a very nice view all over the city of Florence. This is also one of the places that you have to go to if you visit Florence.

I really liked visiting this city (again!). It has a lot of history, beautiful architecture in every street and there is a nice atmosphere, although it is quite a touristy place. Going there in October was great because we had a nice weather and the city was not too over-crowded!

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