After spending two days in the beautiful Cinque Terre region of Italy, we boarded another train to Florence, the capital of Tuscany and birthplace of the Renaissance.
Our apartment was located within walking distance of all the main tourist sites. Shortly after checking in, we wandered over to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as "Il Duomo di Firenze." This cathedral is massive and takes up nearly the entire square. There was a huge line to go up to the dome around mid-day, and a slightly less huge line at the bell tower to get tickets to enter the paid sites of the cathedral. I would say that it is worth it to go up the dome, which is the largest brick dome in the world, designed by the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi. The views of Florence are beautiful, but if you're even the slightest claustrophobic I would not recommend going, as the 463 steps to the top are on a winding staircase that is quite narrow and extremely crowded with people. There were times where we had to squeeze to the side of the steps, getting up close and personal with the people heading the opposite way on the same set of stairs. Mid-way up to the top you can walk around the inside of the dome and see the amazing painting of The Last Judgment on the ceiling, done by a number of artists who collaborated together on this massive painting of 3600 square metres.
Due to the crowds and hours of entry, we bought our tickets to the Duomo a day in advance (the tickets are good for 24 hours) and then went the next day shortly after lunch. We ate lunch at the top-rated sandwich shop in Florence - Panini Toscani. This small panini shop is take out only (only a few tables out front on the pavement), always busy, and located directly across from the Duomo. You can grab a sandwich to go and save time by eating it on the street while waiting in line to go up to the dome. The thing that was unique about Panini Toscani was that the owner lets every guest sample three kinds of cheeses and meats before you make your decision. Ordering is simple since you only really have a few options to choose from which will not overwhelm you. You choose your bread and then let them know "cheese #1, meat #3" etc. After that, you get to choose other sandwich toppings like sun dried tomato, roasted peppers, eggplant, etc. Your fresh Italian panino is made right before your eyes. It's like Italian "Subway"! You can even get a bottle of vino for take-away to go along with your delicious panino.
Another great place to eat was the Mercato Centrale, just around the corner from the Duomo. On the ground floor of the building you'll find numerous vendors selling all the best of Italian cuisine - bread, prosciutto, salami, cheese, olives, limoncello, you name it. Upstairs you'll find a very cool trendy food court of sorts, with plenty of food and drink options. It has a great atmosphere and the only problem with the place is that you'll find it hard to choose where to eat, as everything looks delicious!
Despite the amazing food, Florence's true attraction is its rich art history. Florence truly is a city for art-lovers, and our cultural education didn't stop at the Duomo. We decided to head over to the famous Uffizi Gallery one morning to take in the masterpieces. This museum is located right near the river, directly next to the Ponte Vecchio. Even though we arrived somewhat early (within half an hour of the opening time), there was a huge line to get in. We realized that it was extra busy that day since it was the first Sunday of the month, which means free entry. After waiting for nearly an hour, we got inside the museum and immediately I felt overwhelmed. There was art everywhere (as expected in a famous art museum) and I didn't know where to begin. Normally I get easily bored of religious art but the art here was quite impressive. After a while though we were experiencing art overload and after hitting up famous pieces (my favourite was Botticelli's Birth of Venus) we decided to call it a day. If you highly enjoy Renaissance art I would recommend making a visit to the Uffizi Gallery, otherwise I would say to skip it due to the long lines. There are also plenty of other art galleries to visit in Florence, but beware of museum burn-out!
This was my second trip to Florence and I'm happy that I got to experience some new attractions here. One thing that I remembered about the first time I visited Florence was a square called Piazzale Michelangelo. In the square is a bronze copy of the famous David statue which overlooks the Arno River. This place has the best view of Florence and is a popular location to watch the sun set. We visited the square just before the sun went down and had some wine and appetizers at a table outdoors - the perfect place for the sunset, people-watching, and to take in the beautiful city of Florence.
Our apartment was located within walking distance of all the main tourist sites. Shortly after checking in, we wandered over to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly known as "Il Duomo di Firenze." This cathedral is massive and takes up nearly the entire square. There was a huge line to go up to the dome around mid-day, and a slightly less huge line at the bell tower to get tickets to enter the paid sites of the cathedral. I would say that it is worth it to go up the dome, which is the largest brick dome in the world, designed by the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi. The views of Florence are beautiful, but if you're even the slightest claustrophobic I would not recommend going, as the 463 steps to the top are on a winding staircase that is quite narrow and extremely crowded with people. There were times where we had to squeeze to the side of the steps, getting up close and personal with the people heading the opposite way on the same set of stairs. Mid-way up to the top you can walk around the inside of the dome and see the amazing painting of The Last Judgment on the ceiling, done by a number of artists who collaborated together on this massive painting of 3600 square metres.
Due to the crowds and hours of entry, we bought our tickets to the Duomo a day in advance (the tickets are good for 24 hours) and then went the next day shortly after lunch. We ate lunch at the top-rated sandwich shop in Florence - Panini Toscani. This small panini shop is take out only (only a few tables out front on the pavement), always busy, and located directly across from the Duomo. You can grab a sandwich to go and save time by eating it on the street while waiting in line to go up to the dome. The thing that was unique about Panini Toscani was that the owner lets every guest sample three kinds of cheeses and meats before you make your decision. Ordering is simple since you only really have a few options to choose from which will not overwhelm you. You choose your bread and then let them know "cheese #1, meat #3" etc. After that, you get to choose other sandwich toppings like sun dried tomato, roasted peppers, eggplant, etc. Your fresh Italian panino is made right before your eyes. It's like Italian "Subway"! You can even get a bottle of vino for take-away to go along with your delicious panino.
Another great place to eat was the Mercato Centrale, just around the corner from the Duomo. On the ground floor of the building you'll find numerous vendors selling all the best of Italian cuisine - bread, prosciutto, salami, cheese, olives, limoncello, you name it. Upstairs you'll find a very cool trendy food court of sorts, with plenty of food and drink options. It has a great atmosphere and the only problem with the place is that you'll find it hard to choose where to eat, as everything looks delicious!
Despite the amazing food, Florence's true attraction is its rich art history. Florence truly is a city for art-lovers, and our cultural education didn't stop at the Duomo. We decided to head over to the famous Uffizi Gallery one morning to take in the masterpieces. This museum is located right near the river, directly next to the Ponte Vecchio. Even though we arrived somewhat early (within half an hour of the opening time), there was a huge line to get in. We realized that it was extra busy that day since it was the first Sunday of the month, which means free entry. After waiting for nearly an hour, we got inside the museum and immediately I felt overwhelmed. There was art everywhere (as expected in a famous art museum) and I didn't know where to begin. Normally I get easily bored of religious art but the art here was quite impressive. After a while though we were experiencing art overload and after hitting up famous pieces (my favourite was Botticelli's Birth of Venus) we decided to call it a day. If you highly enjoy Renaissance art I would recommend making a visit to the Uffizi Gallery, otherwise I would say to skip it due to the long lines. There are also plenty of other art galleries to visit in Florence, but beware of museum burn-out!
This was my second trip to Florence and I'm happy that I got to experience some new attractions here. One thing that I remembered about the first time I visited Florence was a square called Piazzale Michelangelo. In the square is a bronze copy of the famous David statue which overlooks the Arno River. This place has the best view of Florence and is a popular location to watch the sun set. We visited the square just before the sun went down and had some wine and appetizers at a table outdoors - the perfect place for the sunset, people-watching, and to take in the beautiful city of Florence.
Such magnificence! There is nothing like the ancient world if you love art!And...such magnificence in the food department too!
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