The adventure continues...Florence.
So continues the tale of my adventures…
If you missed Rome, you can go here.
Day 5- Monday. When I arrived in Florence a little after noon, it was sunny and warm. I walked the three blocks to my hotel (Hotel Nuova Italia) after taking the 1 ½ hour train from Rome. I checked in and dropped off my luggage, then it was time to start exploring!
I headed out to Piazza Republicca, moving on to Piazza di Signoria. Here, I followed my iPod audioguide downloaded from PocketVox. One side of the square, called Loggia Dei Lanzi, has a lovely section of statuary. Afterwards, I went to the famous Ponte Vecchio and drooled over the fantastic jewelry displayed. Florence is definitely the place to be if you want to shop, but alas, I could not afford such things this trip.
I found Florence difficult to navigate, since the streets are very short or winding, and continuously end in little 5-way squares. I ended up at a particular intersection a dozen times during my stay, while trying to find my way back to my hotel. It was very frustrating.
The food in Florence was fabulous. For lunch, I had a pomodoro (tomato) and mozzarella sandwich; it was on herb bread with oregano, yum! The bread in Rome was hard and bland; not the case in Florence! For dinner, I ate at Ristorante Pizzeria Lorenzo De’ Medici. I ordered Crespella Fiorentina (spinach and cheese crepes) that came in a lovely creamy tomato sauce, which surprised me since the sauces in Rome had been very light and minimal. It was also the first place I had seen Pepsi - there is only Coke in Rome. I had my favorite panna cotta for dessert.
Despite the large number of vendor carts and tents in the merchant areas, Florence felt less touristy to me. In fact, everyone here largely ignored me. No flirty men here like there was in Rome. (I don’t think I had been winked at as much in my entire life as I was in my few days there!) The shopkeepers seemed a little hostile here - they stood in their narrow doorways, seemingly blocking entrance to their shops, no greetings or smiles, etc. The exception was the hotel staff - they were great! Perhaps it was just that they are more protective of their merchandise - high quality leather goods, scarves, and 18k gold jewelry.
The air in Florence was more stale and smoke-filled. I had to use both doses of my asthma medication, which I had not done thus far. The city shuts down early - by 8pm, everything was closed except a few restaurants, and I headed back to my hotel.
Day 6 - Tuesday. I had requested reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia through my hotel prior to my trip for this day. I was glad I had done so, as it was a rainy and blustery day, and the lines were very long for non-ticket holders. I went to the Uffizi in the morning. It was magnificent and I highly recommend it. The floors were beautiful with their mosaic tile. The sundial room was particularly impressive. The Niose room had lovely statuary. But what I loved most was that in the long corridors, the walls have high ledges between the top of the doorframes and the ceiling, where hundreds of family portraits are displayed.
Rainy day + Holly + Florence = shopping, which is exactly what I did after my tour. I bought 2 long-sleeve t-shirts that I overpaid for but didn’t care, 2 cashmere scarves, and a photo album covered in handmade Florentine paper. And some postcards to mail to my friends back home, of course.
In the afternoon, I toured the Accademia. It should come as no surprise that I loved the statue gallery the best. It was mostly Pampaloni and Bartolini plaster casts of statues that are located elsewhere in the world. The instrument gallery was also particularly interesting to me. Yes, I saw the David statue in all of its glory, of course, as well as Michelangelo’s “Slaves” series.
For lunch I had another pomodoro and mozzarella sandwich. I could easily eat these things everyday, and they are only about €4-5. I also got a hot chocolate, since it was nippy outside. It was served with a spoon, which I thought odd, until I tried to drink it. It was as thick as chocolate syrup.
After stopping by my hotel to drop off my goodies, I ventured out to do yet more shopping. I was thwarted in my efforts though. I was sad that I was not able to purchase a pair of brightly-striped tights I had seen in one of the undergarment store window displays, but they were closed. A pendant that I had wanted turned out to be more than I was willing to pay. Dinner was not good, either. Defeated, I stopped by the train station to purchase my ticket to Venice for the following day. I was glad that I had come, but I was ready to go and doubt I will come back anytime soon.
What I disliked about Florence the most was the energy there. It was depressing and somewhat angry. It was a bit of a psychic shock after coming from Rome, which has lovely light-hearted and vibrant energy. Whether this came from the living or the dead, I could not say. All I knew is that it creeped me out and I wanted to leave.