After seeing the ruins of ancient Roman civilization in Rome and the stunning architecture of the Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, Florence will beckon you with its Renaissance architecture and its many art galleries!
You should plan to spend at least 2 days in Florence, to take in the sights and do some shopping, if you wish.
After spending a better part of the day in Pisa, we walked back to Pisa Centrale to catch a train to Florence. There is a train every hour and it takes anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours to reach Florence.
Florence is a city bursting with stunning architecture. We reached Florence in the evening from Pisa, so decided to just walk around to soak in the vibrance of the city, in every square and every corner.
Day One
Piazza del Duomo
We started our day with a visit to the famous Piazza del Duomo.
It is one of the most visited sites in Europe and the most frequented place in Florence. Entrance to the area around the Piazza is free. If you buy tickets for the Duomo Complex, then it will grant you admission to all monuments in the Piazza Duomo.
The Piazza has four very distinct monuments
1. Florence Cathedral or the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore
The cathedral is the fourth largest church in the world. The exterior facade of the church is stunningly beautiful. The white, pink and green marble give it a truly mesmerizing touch.
You can spend an entire morning looking at it from different angles. We had seen pictures of the cathedral but standing in front of it, the beauty of this building looks surreal.
Entry to the cathedral is free. You have to buy tickets for visiting the dome, the Bell Tower and the Baptistery, though.
Please check their website for more details on the type of ticket you wish to buy and the validity of the ticket.
Guided tours of the cathedral are also available. I am not a fan of guided tours, there is too much of history to swallow in a short time. But if you're interested, you will have to make advance bookings with tour operators.
The interior of the cathedral is also nice though not as stunning as the outer facade. You can easily spend an hour or so taking in the intricacies of its artwork.
My Tip -
Walk up the steps (around 400) to the top of Brunelleschi's dome. The climb is quite strenuous but worth the effort. However, if you have trouble climbing steps, then don't attempt this one. You will be able to see the fresco of the Last Judgement closely and also get beautiful views of the city of Florence from the top.
2. Giotto's Bell Tower
Adjacent to the Florence Cathedral lies the Bell Tower. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Italian Gothic architecture.
The tower is stunning and has the option of climbing to the top.
My Tip -
If you have climbed the Cathedral Dome, then don't do this on the same day. It's going to be extremely tiring since there are again about 400 steps to the top. We skipped it, we had done our climbing for the day.
3. Baptistery of St. John
Right in front of the Florence Cathedral lies the Baptistery of St. John.
You cannot miss its octagonal structure and the beautifully intricate coloured marblework on its outer walls.
My Tip -
The structure is as beautiful on the outside with its famous doors as is the inside of the Baptistery.
But it is small, it won't take more than 20 to 30 minutes to see the inside too. We spent about 15 minutes inside. There is no dearth of beautiful statues in Florence, add this to the list!
4. Museum - Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Just about 3 to 4 minutes away from the Baptistery is the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
The museum is massive, there are almost 20 rooms filled with beautiful sculptures and artefacts from the Medieval and Renaissance era.
My Tip -
The amount of time you wish to spend will depend on your interest but still, you should keep aside at least 2 hours to walk through the museum.
Like us, by the time most tourists reach this museum, they would have seen the museums in the Vatican. So, either their interest in history is piqued or they are done with museums. In our case, I think it was the latter.
Now, we wanted to explore the outside of the city and its many delights.
Piazzale Michelangelo
Piazzale Michelangelo is a vantage point about 2.4 km away from the city and offers beautiful views of the city of Florence. You can see the top of churches, houses, and buildings in the city.
From the Fratelli Rosella Bus stop, take a bus that will take you to the top of the hill. It takes 27 minutes. You can also walk up the mildly inclined hillside but we were tired from all the walking during the day, so settled for the bus.
There is also a replica of Michelangelo's David right in the centre of the square.
My Tip -
The best time to visit this square is around sunset when you get panoramic views of the city of Florence in the backdrop of the sunset.
Day Two
After an enriching and not to forget, exhausting, Day One, we set out to see two other important landmarks of Florence.
Vecchio Bridge
Pento Vecchio, the medieval stone bridge was built over the Arno River.
There is an unmistakable air of romance in the area around the bridge. It was customary in Italy to have shops atop bridges. So, this old bridge is also lined with goldsmith shops and luxury watch brands. It makes for a good walk and window shopping.
My Tip -
Be prepared to find massive crowds on the bridge. You get the best views of the bridge if you walk a bit further down. While on the bridge, just enjoy the crowds and the sights, and avoid shopping because the prices are exorbitant as is the case with most touristy places.
Uffizi Gallery
Just 2-minute of walk away from Pento Vecchio, is Uffizi Gallery.
5 things you should know about the gallery
1. Uffizi is one of the most famous museums in Italy, so obviously, it's really crowded. So, reach early so that you can see all the exhibits peacefully.
2. Uffizi is huge. The total area covered for the exhibition is 13,000 sq.m. You can imagine the walking involved to see the entire gallery.
3. And, if you're serious about seeing the gallery, then book your tickets in advance. We did not do so, since we were not sure whether we'd have enough time to see this gallery on our 2-day trip. So, we had to wait for quite some time at the ticket counter. The only saving grace was that it was a weekday, so the crowds were slightly thin.
4. Please don't forget to carry an ID. You will need to show it to enter the gallery.
5. The gallery has artworks of very renowned artists. If you're a keen history buff, then you must opt for a guided tour. The architecture of the gallery is also very unique. There are many rooms, all connected to each other by ornate corridors, full of frescos and paintings.
My Tip -
Going to Uffizi is an enriching experience. But the prices of guided tours are steep, so decide carefully.
In my very personal opinion, as a tourist, one should just enjoy the sights and the experience. At the very best, you can read about the artwork beforehand for a more meaningful visit.
We spent close to 4 hours at the Uffizi.
Piazza della Signoria
This was our last evening in Florence. We decided to spend it at the Piazza della Signoria, considered to be the most beautiful square in Florence.
The Fountain of Neptune
Piazza della Signoria is like an open-air museum filled with statues and museums, including the Uffizi Gallery. Entry to the Piazza is free, you need to buy tickets for the Old Palace and the Uffizi Gallery.
The most prominent buildings in the Piazza are -
Palazzo Vecchio - This is the Old Palace and is still used for offices of the Town Hall. There is a lot of history about the Medici Family of Florence here.
At the entrance to the Old Palace, is a massive replica statue of David by Michelangelo.
Loggia della Signoria - This is an open-arched gallery that was made to host public ceremonies. There are many beautiful sculptures here, the one to look out for is the marble statue of 'Rape of the Sabine Women'. The gallery is free and is open 24/7.
Uffizi Gallery - Already discussed above.
Fountain of Neptune - This stunning fountain made out of white marble shows a huge statue of Neptune, the Sea God and his chariot driven by four horses.
My Tip -
If you have limited time, then you can skip going inside the Old Palace. There is a beautiful courtyard in the front, you can hang around there for free.
As I always state in all my blogs, as tourists, one must always pick and choose the museums and monuments you wish to see.
With this, we came to the close of our 2-day trip to Florence. To sum up, I would say that if possible, you should keep at least 3, if not 4 days for Florence. The entire city oozes historical charm that needs ample time to be savoured.
To learn more about other Italian destinations, please click on the links below -
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