Firenze

Top of the Duomo: View of Florence, Italy

Italiano: Firenze

English: Florence

Alas, a post where I am back in Italy! Last weekend Mac and I booked a spontaneous trip to Florence. We were graciously hosted by one of her UCSD friends Michelle, who is currently studying abroad there. Florence was an easy weekend trip. It takes less than an hour and a half to get there via train from Rome. 

Not only was it easy to get there, but Florence is by far the easiest Italian town I've been to in regards to navigating. I was shocked when we could cover the majority of the city in a mear twenty minutes. Mac and I were very productive on this trip, and saw the major sites such as visiting the Uffizi gallery, Accademia Museum, the Duomo, Piazzale Michelangelo, Piazza della Signorina, and Palazzo Pitti.

Piazza Della Repubblica Farmer's Market

Upon or immediate arrival, we ventured into the city to a small ticket stand and booked  time slots for both the Uffizi and Accademia. I was animately told by my best friend Sarah ,who did a summer abroad in Florence, that I hands down had to see Michelangelo's David, regardless of what else I did.

I was on a mission. Luckily, our mission was surprisingly easy. After our successful booking, we were enticed by the bustling farmer's market in Piazza Della Repubblica. I was beyond happy to have stumbled upon a farmer's market in Florence. As I have mentioned countless times in previous posts, it's a great way to see the local culture and cuisines. 

After scooping out all of the stalls, and taking (far too) many samples of formaggio and other Italian treats, we decided on a spread of foccaccia, soft creamy cheese and some of the best prosciutto I've ever eaten. For ten euro, the both of us were easily full and quite satisfied with our spread. 

Piazza Della Signoria

After stuffing ourselves, we ventured to Piazza Della Signoria, where there are many replicas of famous Italian sculptures, and conveniently right next to the Uffizi gallery (no photos are allowed in there). 

The Duomo

In between our museum stops, we decided to view (conquer) Florence's Duomo. This beautiful Gothic style church is covered in gorgeous shades of pink and green marble. Despite the slight dread before our hike up, Mac and I overcame the (around) 463 steps up to the top, where we engrossed ourselves in absolutely gorgeous views of Florence. En route up, we were able to have a panoramic view of the inside of the Duomo, which too, is unbelievably stunning. We both agreed that we were grateful for coming in mid-November, versus the summer when the narrow and spiral staircases would have been jam-packed with tourists baking to a crisp!

5 e Cinque

Our first night in Florence lead us to Piazza della Passera, where Mac and I attempted to go to a recommend restaurant by her boss. The restaurant we intended to go to was completely full, so we hoped over next door to 5 e Cinque, a small organic Italian restaurant. This restaurant definitely reminded Mac and I of California, it was small, clean and all made with completely local and organic ingredients. Although it was Italian, the food was definitely a fusion, with pumpkin risotto, fried chick pea fritters with salad and yogurt sauce, along with a couple other dishes that were absolutely divine. Although it wasn't local Florentine food that we both thought we would be having, the food was outstanding and obviously made with fantastic ingredients. 

Piazzale Michelangelo

On Sunday, we had a far more relaxing day. Our morning activity consisted of catching a bus up to Piazzale Michelangelo to take in even more beautiful views of Florence. Even though we were both breath-taken, we also agreed that the Duomo provided even more fulfilling views of the city. 

Il Magazzino 

For lunch on Sunday, we ventured to Il Magazzino, where we originally wanted to dine at the night before. Thanks to Mac's boss, we ate a delicious and satisfying lunch, filled with local red wine, eggplant parmesan  polpette, and delicious pork. We had almost the entire restaurant to ourselves, and enjoyed a long Italian meal during our last day in Florence. 

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is the most famous bridge in Florence. Decked with little houses, and tons of jewelry shops, it's a hit tourist spot. Mac and I frequently crossed the bridge to get on the other side of the city. I cannot reiterate enough how tiny Florence is in comparison to Rome. We were credited for getting "outside the city center," by walking across the bridge for a majority of our excursions. Mac and I have to laugh at this fact, because it simply takes 15-20 minutes walking to get outside the city center of Florence. 

Florence was a wonderful weekend trip. We were only there for one night, and two days, but we both felt that this was plenty of time to get a solid dose of this Italian town. We're both grateful for studying abroad in Rome, where there may be as many Americans, but at least the city is large enough so we can escape from tourists and other Americans. I highly recommend Florence for a quick weekend trip for anyone traveling through Italy, it's extremely accessible, and easy to do in just a few days. There is hands down some of the best pieces of artwork in Florence, Michelangelo's David being the most striking statue any person will ever see (you have to see it to understand). Florence was wonderful, but being back in Rome, I now see how much this eternal city has to offer, and how much more I have to explore during my last four weeks here!