Two days in Florence, Italy

I visited the beautiful city of Firenze (Florence), which is the capital of the Tuscany region in Italy, over a weekend (as a student, I try to travel as much as possible over weekends). Florence is a beautiful small city, known for the historic and cultural connotations of its art and architecture, dating from the Renaissance period. Most notably, it is home to the very famous and recognizable artwork and architecture by Michelangelo, Botticelli, and various other coveted artists, sculptors and architects of the Renaissance period. 

Florence is also home to the renowned Italian wine brand - Chianti's vineyards, and of extremely beautiful landscapes viewable from the outskirts of the city. I had only ever seen photographs on the internet, or via friends who had visited, so I was really excited to travel to Florence on my own. 

FROM MILAN TO FLORENCE

The distance from Milan to Florence is about three and a half to four hours by road. Trains take time anywhere from two hours (fast bullet trains) to even six hours (with stops in between, and a slower speed, but cheaper price) to reach Florence. I went by a mid-morning train, that costed me approximately 35 euros round trip. 

DAY ONE

I took a train from Milan Centrale railway station to Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway station. I reached there around noon, so the weather was sunny and pleasant. The railway station is very near to the city centre (where the Duomo Cathedral and famous museums and artworks are located). From the Railway station, I took a tram ticket (line T2, from Alamanni Stazioen to Nenni-Torregalli) that would drop me off about a kilometre and a half (around a twenty minute walk) from my hotel accommodation. I had got a great deal at the Hilton Florence Metropole hotel through booking.com for my dates of travel, so I had booked it without checking its location - and I do not recommend it for a short trip, like mine was! From the station, the tram took around thirty to thirty two minutes to reach near the hotel. Even though the connectivity was present, the time and location was still not good enough for a small weekend trip. 

The are around the hotel is nice enough. It is surrounded by local residences and a small commercial centre that has some retail options as well as some resturants. I checked in to the hotel (which was really nice, as of course it was Hilton), and went up to my room to rest and relax a little. The view from my window was great, though! I could see the iconic red dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and half the expanse of the city, merging with the hilly, contoured landscape behind, until all of it blended into the horizon. The hotel reception also offered tickets for a direct shuttle bus to the railway station, which was good but unfortunately the service was not working while I was staying there. A little while later, I walked back to the tram stop and took the tram back to the city centre.

I reached the railway station, and walked towards the Piazza del Duomo, which houses the famous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. I roamed around a little, admiring and appreciating the beautiful, intricately detailed architecture, reminiscent of the Renaissance period, surrounding me. The Cathedral, standing tall like the Duomo of Milan, made me feel so overwhelmed - the two are really different in style and history from each other, but I could not help but feel appreciative of the artisans who worked for years without technology building this beautiful form that has stood the test of time for hundreds of years!

Walking aimlessly around, I reached Piazza della Repubblica. With excitement, I even spotted a carousel ride! Feeling like a geeky kid, I sat and enjoyed the slow movement for fifteen to twenty minutes. The Piazza della Repubblica is a beautiful, wide square, with luxury hotels, international and local well-known brands and extremely beautiful and elegant outdoor cafes and restaurants surrounding the square. It is said that of the many restaurants, historical Caffé Gilli, Caffé Paskowski and Caffé delle Giubbe Rosse located there in the Plaza were meeting points for many of the city's artists, scholars and writers in the past. The beautiful marvel of architecture which is the Arch of Triumph looms over the square, elongating in to a portico on either side. 

I sat at one of these many restaurants in the square (Side note: They are fancy, and expensive. Remember to check prices online if you are on a budget!). I had some really well-cooked veal, backed by the suddeenly more relaxing atmosphere, as the sun set behind. Many artists and performers were setting up stage in the Plaza, ready to liven up the night with amazing performances that could possibly make them earn as well. It was a really nice feeling, just standing there looking aorund, realizing that this blend of modernity against a historical backdrop was not only surreal, but could only be achieved here in Florence!

I decided to walk towards the banks of the Arno river, crossing streets decked up with retail brands - both international and local - and even more restaurants, bars and cafeterias. On my way, I saw the crowded Fontana del Porcellino, which is an old bronze fountain of a boar. I learnt that tourists and travellers rub the snout of this iconic bronze fountain of a boar to ensure their return to Florence! I indulged in this tradition, and I recommend you to do it too- it makes you feel like a part of something bigger!

I walked towards the Ponte Vecchio - which is an old medieval bridge that connects the city on either side of the Arno river. It is a closed bridge, lined with arches on both sides for viewing the river and the city. It is also filled with fancy jewellery shops on either side, and some nice but expensive souvenir shops. I stayed there for some time, admiring the beauty of the river, and then decided to walk back towards the Piazza del Duomo for dinner.

At dinner, I tried white wine sangria for the first time (I had to try the wine here, as I recommend you to do it too, as many vineyards are located around the outskirts of Florence, so the wine is fresh, locally made and home grown). The white wine sangria was so good, very fruity and nice, unlike anything I had tasted before. I liked it even better than the original red wine-made sangria! Dinner was also quite well-cooked, and all in all it had been an enjoyable day. 

I went back to the station to catch a tram, around 12 am. There was a long waiting line for the tram (as the last one departs at 12.30 am, and it was a weekend, thus the long queue). So I took a cab to the hotel, as I was pretty tired.

DAY TWO

Day Two started with a really nice breakfast provided by the hotel. After finishing breakfast, I roamed around the hotel to enjoy the facilities and amenities they provided, and had a drink at the bar. 

I had decided to do some cultural sightseeing today, so i bought online tickets to visit Uffizi Gallery (18 euros for standard ticket, after student reduction), the David of Michelangelo at the Galleria dell'Accademia (Academia Gallery), and the Leonardo Interactive Museum. I took the tram from the stop nearest to Hilton Florence Metropole hotel, that is tram T2, and reached the Florence railway station. From there, I walked towards the Gallery of Academia of Florence, located near Piazza San Marco. The ticket for the viewing of Michelangelo artworks was 20 euros, but I got in for free as it was the first Sunday of the month, and the first Sunday of every month gurantees free entry to museums almost all over Italy! 

It was so over whelming! The experience of viewing the David of Michelangelo is really surreal - the contours of the body, so realistic and constructed in marble, is an artistic feat that many few would be able to achieve by hand in this age and time. Some history that I found for the statue of David of Michelangelo: 

"The statue is a Renaissance interpretation of a common ancient Greek theme of the standing heroic male nude. ... Michelangelo's David has become one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture, a symbol of strength and youthful beauty."

All the other sculptures and artworks followed the same theme, and it was really a very surreal experience for me. 

From here, I went to the Leonardo Interactive Museum. This was such a fun experience! It is a fully interactive museum, and also has a gift shop. You can review the designs and plans of famous machines made by the renowned artist Leonardo da Vinci, try and check the functioning of real machines built by him and study the codes he made, and you can try the Virtual reality stations through which you can see the world of Leonardo the artist and the person. The exhibits also span the main and most famous pictorial works created by him, like the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, which are reproduced and exhibited here (as originals are present in the Louvre Museum and the Last Supper museum in Paris and Milan respectively). They even host some workshops, where you can actually try to reconstruct some of Leonardo da Vinci's built inventions!

After this really fun experience, I started walking towards the river bank (near where Uffizi Gallery is located), and crossed the main Plazas. Since it was a Sunday, the small city was crowded by both locals and tourists, but not crowded enough to make it feel like a stampede situation. I walked further from the Uffizi Gallery towards the Arno river banks to sit an outdoor restaurant for lunch - it was pizza day today! After finishing lunch, I walked back towards the Uffizi Gallery. It is a beautiful complex, very reminiscent of the Renaissance period - detailed architecture with European and Classical connotations. The artwork displayed is beautiful too! Intricately detailed ceiling artworks, highlighting the masterworks of the Renaissance period, was a very beautiful experience. 

It was time to leave after about an hour of roaming around the Gallery. I came out and started going towards the station to catch my train, but not before trying the best gelato (as advised online) in Florence! I crossed the Ponte Vecchio bridge to try the Hazelnut gelato at La Strega Nocciola, which was really, really good! Walking along the river, surrounded by awe-inspiring architecture and the gentle buzz of the conversations of the crowds around me, eating my creamy gelato while the sun shone down on me - Florence was really worth it!

Florence is a really beautiful small city, full of extremely classical art and architecture reminiscent of the times gone by, and of the skilled craftsmanship held by the artisans and craftsmen of the Renaissance period. The blend of modernity and classical is an experience in itself - so Florence is a must-visit!