La Dolce Vita: Florence Art, Shopping, Food, and Everything I Loved (Part 3)
Italia! What a beautiful country it is.
3. Florence, Italy
This is another country that is being strongly affected by the heat wave. You have to be careful when exploring the city. There are water fountains everywhere and gelato!! Here, I’m walking slower, drinking more water, taking more breaks. I want to see everything there is to see but I also want to enjoy the experience and not die of a heat stroke.
Anyways, the first day I got there around 2pm and went to explore the city. First stop I found was the Piazza della Repubblica. There is a lot of shopping to be done. It’s definitely different than here in the US. We are known for our athletic wear, our relaxed style and jeans. In Florence, I saw more polished linen wear. There were a lot of sandals and neutral tones. One of the biggest cultural shocks was the amount of leather that was being sold. There are these outside markets where people try to sell you leather bags, shoes, accessories. Europe has a distinct smell: cigarette smoke. Florence has that plus the leather smell. Literally every corner, in every street has a leather store. I actually bought two leather bags from this guy at a flea market, he sold them to me for $10 each. What a steal! I did wish I could get the real thing from a local artist but leather is expensive! I even thought about getting a bigger luggage but no, money was tight.
As I kept walking, I found the Piazza del Duomo. It’s a square full of history and beautiful architecture. There is the famous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Florence Duomo. It was started in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio. It remained unfinished for quite some time because of how difficult it was to build back then. Filippo Brunelleschi came in 1420 and solved that engineering issue. He engineered the world's largest masonry dome using a self-supporting herringbone brick layout without heavy wooden scaffolding. Right next to that is Giotto's Bell Tower. It began by Giotto di Bondone in 1334, then Andrea Pisano, and Francesco Talenti finished it in 1359. It is decorated with marble. It also houses 12 bells total and if you want to visit you’ll have to climb 414 steps up the tower. If you look across from these monuments you’ll see the Baptistery of St. John. This basilica was blessed by Pope Nicholas II in 1059, which makes it the oldest structure still standing in Florence. On one side it has these fantastic golden doors, Michelangelo called them the "Gates of Paradise".
Next day - I crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio. It is a medieval stone bridge that has shops built along it. This bridge was spared during World War 2. Stunning! Across the lake is Palazzo Pitti. This palace was built in 1458 by banker Luca Pitti. Then, it was bought by the Medici family in 1550. Later it was the House of Habsburg-Lorraine in 1737, and finally the House of Savoy in 1865. Today you can visit the 5 museums of the palace:
Treasury of the Grand Dukes
Museum of the Russian Icons
Palatine Gallery
Imperial and Royal Apartments
Gallery of Modern Art and Museum of Costume and Fashion
Right behind the palace is an enormous garden, the Boboli Gardens. It has the most stunning views of the whole city. Such a peaceful place to explore and take a break. There weren't a lot of people around, which I loved. It’ll take you at least half a day to get through the palace and the garden. Be prepared.
When you are in Florence, you should NOT skip shopping. I walked up and down Via Calimala and surrounding streets. Then, I stopped next to these local painters.They were selling their artwork. I decided to pick from the man that was sitting down, painting in watercolor. I asked how much? He said “sit, sit” Oh no! He’s a talker. I sat down and he told me he lived across the street and he sold paintings for a living. He told me he studied to be an architect but his true passion was to watercolor. We talked for maybe 30 minutes about ourselves. He even taught me some Italian. When I finally told him I had to go, he wrapped my painting and told me to come back in the evening. We could drink some wine outside and he would teach me how to paint. I was hesitant, since it was at night and he was an older gentleman. He said, "you're on vacation, what do you have to lose? And you will get to learn something cool”. We exchanged contacts and I continued shopping.
After lunch, I went to Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze. This is where they have Michelangelo’s David. David is 17 feet tall and weighs 6 tons. It is a very detailed sculpture with the hand veins and ribs. Incredible! There were a lot of people though. Obviously, David is one of the most famous art pieces in Italy, but it would be nice not to be surrounded by so many people when it's hot. Right after, I went to Cappelle Medicee. This is where the Medici family is buried. The most interesting part was this secret room. Beneath the Medici Chapels lies Michelangelo’s secret room. That's where he hid when he was hiding from the Medici family after supporting the Florentine Republic. It is super tiny, just 10 by 3 meters. He had a little bed and would draw in charcoal on the walls. I’m imagining myself in that tiny room under the floor. Ugh, horrible.
Around 9pm I had dinner at this little restaurant near my hostel. I forgot the name of the place but they had the best desert! It was Italian panna cotta, a molded chilled dessert made from sweetened cooked cream. It had red berry coulis and whole berries on top. Yummy! That was a fabulous way to end the night!
Last day, I was so sad. I love Italy, because of its food, people, architecture, and history. I walked to the center again and had breakfast. Then walked over to a photo booth they have on the street. Unfortunately, it only accepts 1 or 2 euro coins which is stupid. I never got my photos. But it’s a cute idea. There's this bookstore called Giunti Odeon - Cinema. They have a theater in the top section and as you're shopping for books you can see the movie too! Ratatouille was on and I sat down, reading my book. I wish we had a similar place here. Finally, to end my trip in Florence, I found this market - il Mercato Centrale Firenze. Ummm… nope! I was going to die in there! It should be illegal to have this place open in the summer. Way too hot and the huge fans in the corners are NOT helping much. Any other time of the year, it would be great! There are so many food options, they have a bar and deserts. You can taste Italy all in one place.
Although Florence was beautiful, I was ready to cool down in Prague…
Tips and tricks:
Below I’m sharing things I learned that might help you on your travels
Carry a little pill box, so you are prepared for any situation.
Take breaks throughout the day!
Make a few bank withdrawals throughout your trip so you will pay fewer fees.