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I remember we all slept through our alarms the morning we left Venice for Florence. But somehow, we managed to make it to the train station in 40 minutes (which doesn’t sound like much, especially considering Google Maps said it was a 10 minute walk, BUT it was our most efficient trek through the Venetian jungle since we’d been there, so we were pretty proud of ourselves).

None of us were too experienced with riding trains, so it was in Venice where we learned that departures were listed by their final stop, and that we were in the right train station after all. The ride was very smooth. We had assigned seats and sat in two pairs facing each other, with a table between us. T-minus about two hours until we arrive in Florence!

CIAO FIRENZE!

My goodness was Florence different from Venice. You know how when you leave New York, everywhere else just seems to be going at a much more relaxed pace and your anxiety levels are no longer off the charts? Right off the bat in Venice, we were greeted with what felt like so much space and open air. It also only took us 10 minutes to find our hotel, not ninety, if that says anything about how easy getting from Point A to Point B will feel compared to Venice.

It was in Florence where we got the real hostel experience, staying at a really neat place called Hostel Archi Rossi. There is both hot and cold water readily available in the lobby, as well as access to a fridge, microwave, laundry facilities, and computers. I should mention that the previous two places we stayed at in London and Venice did not offer any of these amenities. Best of all, our hostel has a cafeteria, and all three of us were immensely excited for the continental breakfast this place offered!!!

I really enjoyed staying here because even though we were only in Florence for a couple days, there’s a certain sense of community this hostel gave us. Almost all of our fellow guests were youngins, the walls were covered in really fun murals and bright colors, and it felt very much like dorm-lyfe in college, except that we were in Italy. And that we had a huge room to ourselves (we lucked out and the four of us ended up sharing a room meant for 8 people). This hostel also offered a free walking tour, which was the first thing we took advantage of after checking in.

FOOD

• Of course, one of the first things that was asked while we were on the walking tour was “where is the best gelato in town?” Easily the best gelato in Florence, and of the entire trip (I think), was at a place called “Gelateria Santa Trinita.” I think we had gelato there three times our first day in Florence. It was both a blessing and curse for this place to be within walking distance of our hostel. The girls and I ate more gelato than anything else in Florence (I mean, when in Italy…) This place is an absolute must if you have a sweet tooth!
• Now if you need something other than dessert to sustain you, we adored our dining experience at a little place called Cucciolo, a little off the Piazza del Duomo. It had the best price in town for the quality of food, and the size of the pizza I had was more than enough! The gentleman who I believed owned the restaurant, was also very sweet. As soon as he saw us walk in, he immediately cleared off the counter and waved us in to sit. We just felt so welcome there.  SIGHTS

• The Ponte Vecchio: the walking tour was great. It gave us a good sense of where things were in the city, and we learned a lot. My favorite tidbit was how the Ponte Vecchio, one of the most, if not the most iconic bridge of Florence was originally occupied by butchers. I never would have guessed that, considering there were mostly jewelry shops bustling with shoppers the first time we walked that bridge. I also never would have guessed there was a secret passage above all of these shops built by the Medici family, just so that they could efficiently get from their home, the Palazzo Pitti, to Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall.
• We saw the Santa Maria Novella!!! I wrote a final paper on the façade of this stunning structure and Leon Battista Alberti’s work on it for a class in college. I was literally shaking as we came upon the plaza. Being in Europe felt like one big dream, to be honest. I kept having to remind myself that I was really there. It’s one thing to learn about things in school and see them in textbooks… but to be able to see things in person… indescribable.

• Despite the fact that we waited an hour in line for the Uffitzi Gallery, it was worth it. You definitely want to try and get there early. But time flew swiftly as the courtyard next to the gallery entrance had tons of local artists selling their goods and skills. There was lots to look at. In the gallery, we spent three hours looking at pieces by all the major Renaissance and Baroque artists (Bernini, Caravaggio, Da Vinci, Cimabue) and three hours was not enough!
• A must see in Florence is the Duomo. You can climb to the top, which we didn’t get to do, and looking back, I wish we had. We strolled through the cathedral though, and while I didn’t love the interior as much as I was impressed by the exterior (aside from the marble details on the floors), I remember enjoying it a lot more than San Marco. The main difference in architecture between Venice and Florence is evident when comparing their churches. The green and white marble exteriors of the Duomo and SMN are very distinctive. 

  

  

• When in Florence, visit the Bronze Boar or “Little Pig” located at the “Little Pig Market,” where our tour-guide suggested we do most of our souvenir shopping. The myth of the Bronze Boar as told by our tour-guide was this: rub the nose of the boar, and you will return to Florence. Visitors upon visitors participate in the bronze boar tradition, so instead of dealing with the daily crowd, we took it upon ourselves to go on a little evening adventure to find the boar, which we did!
  • We returned during the day, though, to visit the Little Pig Market, and it was really neat. There were plenty of goods to look at, from coin purses, to bookmarks, to stationery. It was quite the bustling little area. I think all four of us left the market with a souvenir or two in hand.
• Before stopping by the “Little Pig Market,” I recommend that you walk along a sidestreet called Via Faenza, which was not too far from our hostel. Despite the fact that our tour-guide recommended the “Little Pig Market” to pick up souvenirs, we wandered down this street afterwards and found a shop that was selling souvenirs for a much better price (ex: 7 postcards for 1 Euro, the best deal I’d seen our entire trip). I didn’t write down the name of the shop, but a little old lady was running it, and she was a little bit sassy towards us (although we did arrive around closing time/her dinner time).
• Our last day, we took a trek to Piazzale Michelangelo. While it was a bit of a workout going up a hill, the view was more than worth it. There was a lovely garden called Giardino della rose about halfway up that featured a handful of bronze sculptures throughout. And then at the very, very top: a panoramic view of the city, which was breathtaking. Oh, and a copy of David was up there too, but when you’re surrounded by that view…

That hike marked our final outing in Florence. I definitely enjoyed our stay here moreso than Venice. Coming off the walking tour, I was surprised at how small Florence was. It makes a lot of sense at to why visitors take trains to nearby cities such as Sienna or Pisa while they are in the area. I would absolutely return to Florence, if only for some gelato. I mean, I rubbed the nose of the boar, so I know things will fall into place for me to visit again. ♥

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