Italy/Central Europe Trip: Florence

After two nights in Venice, we caught the 10am Italo train to Florence.  It was a really nice smooth ride with zero connections, so that was great.  We arrived a couple hours later and then walked from the station to our hotel, BB Emozioni Fiorentine, located on Piazza della Repubblica.  It was very central to the highlights.

view from our room

After checking in and a short rest, we started the Rick Steves Renaissance Walk.  We detoured part of the way upon reaching the Arno River.  We decided to check out the great views from Piazzale Michelangelo for a late lunch with a view at Ristorante La Loggia.  After the meal we climbed the stairs of the church behind the restaurant and peeked inside.

We then returned to the Duomo area where we purchased the Firenze Card and then visited the baptistery before our dome entry time.  For the Duomo dome tour, make sure to book ahead (during tourist season) and print your tickets.  If I had not pre-booked, we would not have been able to climb the dome.  A few minutes before our entry time we lined up and then climbed up many stairs for breathtaking views from the dome.

Next we people watched from the tiny balcony of the Irish pub on the square.  A World Cup game was going on while there and it was fun to hear the Brazilians cheering on their team in the room behind us.

We continued to wander the streets of Florence and then decided we were hungry for a late dinner.  We ended up at a place along Piazza Santa Maria Novella with a beautiful church, but this was my worst meal of trip.  Maybe because the kitchen was trying to close??  My minestrone soup was gross.  The pizza S had was good though.  

Next morning we had a reservation for the Uffizi Gallery.  The Rick Steves podcast was our own personal tour guide.  Sadly even trying to book several weeks in advance, the Accademia (museum to see THE David sculpture) was fully booked during the time we were in Florence. While we did not get to see the original piece, we did see several replicas throughout the city.  Again, key is to book ahead if you are traveling in peak season.

Our next stop was at Palazzo Vecchio.  I really enjoyed this museum and the view from the tower gave us a great perspective of the Duomo.

It started raining again so we took refuge nearby for a fancy lunch at Ristorante Frescobaldi Firenze as we waited out the rain.

We also enjoyed the Bargello National Museum with another Rick Steves podcast.  We finished the Florence walk at the Basilica of Santa Croce (amazing old graves inside).

For our last evening in Florence, we had a pizza dinner then attended a Barber of Seville opera at the Saint Mark's English Church.  The power on the block went out partway through and the audience used cellphones to illuminate the lead female as she finished her solo.  Power came back on after about 15 mins.

The next morning we grabbed a taxi to the train station.  We made it just in time to hop on a train to Bologna to start the journey to the Kara & Nate Vespa tour!

Europe notes.  I am always amazed at how many people smoke in Europe.  Definitely a way to ruin a lovely meal at a cafe.  I would love to be able to get tap water, not small bottles you pay 3 Euros to drink in two gulps.  Even if you carry a water bottle with you sightseeing, I always am super thirsty when we sit down for a meal.  Remember that meals in Europe are meant to be enjoyed and the waiter will not be hovering over you to bring you your check.  I am so not used to paying to use the restroom.  Try to time your pit-stops for when you are patronizing a business.