Florence

This weekend I finally got to experience Italy the way I have always imagined it would be! I went to Florence (Firenze) on Sunday with one of my teammates, Elda, and I loved every minute of it. (And it was perfect weather all day!) With the help of tour guide Elda, we were able to walk around all day and visit most of the popular sites. We didn't go inside many churches or museums but that just gives me an excuse to go back again!

Here is a map of Florence and our itinerary of the day.

There is a train station in Forli, but Elda said that if we took a train from a city 20 minutes away called Faenza, then we wouldn't have to change trains and it would take us straight to Florence. It wasn't a high speed train but it was only 10 euros each way and took about 1 hour 45 minutes. Our train left Faenza at 10:20 am and got to the Firenze S. M. Novella train station around 12.

With Elda on the train to Florence

So, what was the very first thing I saw when I arrived in Florence? Was it the Duomo? The naked Michelangelo statue? No. It was inside of a McDonald's bathroom. But after we prepared to take on the day in Florence, we stopped at a Tourist Information Center, got a free map, and were on our way!

Basilica e Museo di S. Maria Novella

This is a church that shares its name with the train station that is close by. Novella means new and it is the first great basilica in Florence. It started being built around 1246 and was completed around 1360. I don't know much about art, but I do know that I love the colors and the stripes on this church. I think Project Runway should do a challenge to design clothing inspired by the outside of this church... I'd definitely be interested in those clothes!

Il Duomo: Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

The front of the Duomo

The side of the Duomo

Standing in front of the Duomo

The outside of this duomo is made of green, pink and white marble. It is so big that it holds 20,000 people! (That's almost the entire Ohio University undergrad student population!) Although we didn't buy a ticket to climb the 463 steps to the top, maybe I'll do that next time!

On one of the 8 sides of the Battistero

Bronze doors of the Battistero (east doors facing the Duomo)

The Battistero (The Baptistery) is from the 11th century and one of Florence's oldest buildings. It is octagon shaped and has bronze doors that have carved depictions of scenes from the Bible. Lorenzo Ghiberti is the artist of the north and east doors and it took him 27 years to complete the east doors! 

Campanile (Bell Tower)

The Campanile (Bell Tower) is in Piazza del Duomo. I thought that asking Elda to take a picture from the ground facing upward to get me and the bell tower in the picture would be a good idea... turns out that you still can't see the entire bell tower and it is a very unflattering angle for most people. It's unfortunately the only picture I took of the bell tower... although I could just easily find a better picture from the internet... oh well. Maybe the next time I come to Florence I will come for a workout and buy a ticket to climb the 463 steps of the Duomo, as well as climb the 414 stairs of this bell tower!

Palazzo Vecchio & Piazza della Signoria

Museo di Palazzo Vecchio

Cupid statue inside the Museo

A pillar inside the Museo

Neptune Fountain at the center of the piazza

Many statues in the Loggia della Signoria 

One of the Medici Lions

Michelangelo's David

Perseus with the Head of Medusa with Michelangelo's David in the background

We were able to spend a lot of time in this Piazza. There was so much to look at we were able to walk around all of the statues and see all the details. We relaxed on the steps in front of the outdoor sculpture gallery in the Loggia della Signoria and ate some chocolate. We also ate at an outdoor restaurant in the square and got a Margherita pizza and a cappuccino... I felt so Italian!

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio means old bridge. It was built in 1345 and it was the first bridge to cross the Arno River. It was very crowded with people and shops selling gold and silver. But it was still so pretty and fun to walk around.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Walking up to the top to Piazzale Michelangelo

Postcard view of Florence from above

Proof that I actually took the picture before this one and didn't steal it from the internet

This was well worth the walk up to the top! The panoramic view of Florence was so pretty and it really did look like a postcard. 

On our walk down, we tried to stop and see Forte Belvedere but lots of the places there were closed or you had to have a ticket to see the gardens.

Palazzo Pitti

Where we sat in front of Palazzo Pitti

Towards the end of our day, after walking up Piazzale Michelangelo, it was nice to sit on the ground and relax. I didn't get a good picture of the actual Palazzo Pitti but I thought that it was cool that so many people sat/layed on this slanted ground because it was such a nice day outside.

Basilica di S. Spirito

This is a fountain in front the church of Basilica di S. Spirito which translates to St. Mary of the Holy Spirit. This was a smaller plaza that was less crowded but still pretty to see.

After seeing all of these places, it was time to catch our 7:40 train back home. I had the most amazing time in Florence and I definitely want to go back again. Elda and I had time to see so many places and not feel rushed. We were able to sit down at a bench under a tree, on the ground in front of a church, or on the steps in front of sculptures, and look at our surroundings and people-watch. Elda also came prepared with printed information about some of the major places. For instance, once we got to the Baptistery across from the Duomo, we sat down and read more information about it. This definitely made me appreciate it more because when I first saw it I wasn't very impressed because I was so amazed by the Duomo. But once we read that it was octagon-shaped (my dad's math nerdy-ness kicked in a little) and that it took 27 years to complete the east doors, I was so much more excited about seeing it and noticing the details. For some of the places we didn't have printed information about, Elda would look up information on the internet from her phone so we could be sure not to miss anything important!

Now for those people who just scrolled through and "skimmed" by looking through all the pictures and reading the first and last paragraphs (shout out to my sister, Karen!)... here is the gist of this post:
I loved Florence and I want to go back again!

GELATO TRACKER

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