After a ferry ride and a train ride from Venice, the four of us found ourselves in the bustling city of Florence. Slightly different from the small city, laid back feel of Venice, Florence felt alive and booming. We side-stepped a few reckless drivers and looked like the definition of tourists as we stopped on sidewalks and pulled out our map to navigate from the train station to our hotel. Thanks to my sister's smart planning, our little hotel was only about an 8-minute walk from the train station. We were greeted warmly by the small hotel staff and offered a tiny, quite scary-looking elevator up to our room. We put our luggage in the elevator and took the stairs instead! When I think of a "hotel" in the States, a large building with a pool, an exercise room and a giant staff comes to mind, something like a Holiday Inn or a Mariott. In Italy, the hotels we stayed in were all privately owned and only three or four floors. The buildings were tall instead of wide and the staff was small. It felt comfy and warm even though I was thousands of miles from home.
After freshening up, we found a restaurant for lunch. I ordered foccacia bread with tomatoes, basil and buffalo mozzarella on top. It was delicious! It ended up being one of my favorite meals in Italy. It was simple but fresh and tasty. After lunch we set out to explore and shop! Walking through the streets of Florence, we passed flower shops, gelato shops, pizzzerias and bakeries galore. It was a beautiful day, about 65 degrees, and everyone was out enjoying the weather and good company. We stopped to take pictures in a large plaza (called a Piazza in Italy, they were everywhere), with a museum that held The David sculpture by Michelangelo. We spent the day shopping, sightseeing and enjoying the sun.
While walking down one particular street in the afternoon, I saw a huge building up ahead, the Duomo. The sun was shining down perfectly on the church, and the amazing architecture and sculpted designs were literally sparkling in the sunlight. I fell instantly in love. As I hurried to get closer, the building kept getting bigger and bigger until I finally stood in a clearing looking up at it. I snapped as many pictures as I could but I knew that my camera could not capture what I was seeing. We ended up climbing the 463 narrow stairs to the top, and the view was incredible. All of Florence was below me, around me. After about 20 minutes at the top we were told that the Duomo was closing for the day and we needed to begin the steep trip back down the stairs. I wanted to stay at the top forever.
While planning our trip, Rome was at the top of my list, but Florence and the Duomo stole my heart. I fell in love with the city, it's architecture and it's energy. At the end of the day we were exhausted from all of the shopping, walking and climbing that we did, but it was beyond worth it. If I ever have the chance to return to Italy, Florence will be my first stop.
After freshening up, we found a restaurant for lunch. I ordered foccacia bread with tomatoes, basil and buffalo mozzarella on top. It was delicious! It ended up being one of my favorite meals in Italy. It was simple but fresh and tasty. After lunch we set out to explore and shop! Walking through the streets of Florence, we passed flower shops, gelato shops, pizzzerias and bakeries galore. It was a beautiful day, about 65 degrees, and everyone was out enjoying the weather and good company. We stopped to take pictures in a large plaza (called a Piazza in Italy, they were everywhere), with a museum that held The David sculpture by Michelangelo. We spent the day shopping, sightseeing and enjoying the sun.
While walking down one particular street in the afternoon, I saw a huge building up ahead, the Duomo. The sun was shining down perfectly on the church, and the amazing architecture and sculpted designs were literally sparkling in the sunlight. I fell instantly in love. As I hurried to get closer, the building kept getting bigger and bigger until I finally stood in a clearing looking up at it. I snapped as many pictures as I could but I knew that my camera could not capture what I was seeing. We ended up climbing the 463 narrow stairs to the top, and the view was incredible. All of Florence was below me, around me. After about 20 minutes at the top we were told that the Duomo was closing for the day and we needed to begin the steep trip back down the stairs. I wanted to stay at the top forever.
While planning our trip, Rome was at the top of my list, but Florence and the Duomo stole my heart. I fell in love with the city, it's architecture and it's energy. At the end of the day we were exhausted from all of the shopping, walking and climbing that we did, but it was beyond worth it. If I ever have the chance to return to Italy, Florence will be my first stop.