Get ready for a long post. I spend five days in Florence and had an amazing time. A coworker told me several years ago to spend less time in Venice and more time in Florence, and boy was she right! Florence is like the Disneyland of Italy. It is gorgeous and full of things to do. It is also very crowded and requires a lot of advanced planning and reservations. Again, just like Disneyland! High speed rail tunnels through the mountains between Bologna and Florence taking only about 30 minutes to connect a 2 hour drive. I arrived at the very 1930's central station and began my adventure.
On this trip, I did several dinner walking tours. I thought this would be a fun way to experience the food and culture of each city with a group. Unfortunately, the experience was a bit of a letdown. The group was mainly older Americans which was nice but not a way to meet real Italians. We got a little history and lots of good, but not great food. It is probably better to do a real walking tour and find a nice restaurant instead. But I got the famous wine window experience shown above.
Not only did I see David, the iconic Italian masterpiece, but I was the first person in the gallery in the morning. I actually had the place to myself for a few moments. This was an amazing experience to be alone with this statue and take amazing pictures. The gallery quickly filled with people, but this was a real moment on my trip. The rest of the Accademia museum is full of other great art and worth a few hours even without the most famous statue in the world. Highly recommended and a great reminder to hit the gym more!
It's hard not to notice the Duomo in Florence. It is so big and beautiful that it dominates everything. I walked by the massive cathedral, but did not go inside. The lines were too long and my guide suggested the interior was not that impressive and worth skipping. The outside is truly an icon with marble and tile making it a global landmark. I was able to quickly enter the Baptistry which is under renovation but still an impressive sight. They speculate it may be an ancient temple repurposed by the Catholic Church. I then stood in line for another iconic Florence landmark, their sandwiches. My sandwich was amazing and worth the wait. All my food is further detailed in my dedicated post.
That's the one. The woman in the clam shell. My afternoon was spent wandering the halls of the famous Uffizi Gallery packed with lots of ancient statues, old church art, and a great collection of classic Italian renaissance art. The museum itself has amazing views of the city and great architecture worthy of a visit. Most of the destinations are in the small central city, but there are few taxis or buses requiring a lot of walking on old uneven cobblestones. Make sure to wear good ventilated shoes to prevent blisters and pain which can really make Florence slightly less amazing. Also, plan ahead and make lots of reservations so you can make the most of your time. Like Disneyland, spending your time standing in line is not fun.
After a day of museums, I went shopping for food and spent the night doing laundry. I also discovered the joy of the Italian Wheel of Fortune called La Ruota Della Fortuna. Imagine Pat Sajak as a large older Italian man with Vanna White being a young rather voluptuous woman dancing randomly. They have a band that also just plays songs and a more elaborate show. I had no clue what was going on but was hooked. Our tour guide in Rome later clued me into the peculiar setup of calling out letters with city names. It's how they phonetically spell in Italian - like Alpha, Beta, Charlie, Echo, etc. in English. Fun stuff. Not fun was a national train strike that changed my plans. Fortunately I was staying next to the Santa Croce church which has a lot of famous Italians buried within - Galileo, Michelangelo, Marconi, Fermi, and others.
A friend recommended the Museo Galileo which is devoted to not only Galileo's scientific pursuits but also a history of many similar discoveries. It was interesting to see a lot of developments in time, motion, electricity, and medical sciences were toys for the rich that developed into real progress for society. After lunch, I headed across the river for gelato and the Boboli Gardens. The gardens are connected to the Pitti Palace which is an opulent palace literally packed with classic art. It is really too much to see in one visit. The gardens were very well done, but tucked into the steep hills surrounding the city. Makes sense. Turn the unusable land into a play area for the rich. But after a lot of walking it was literally a step too far. Back to the apartment for rest.
Welcome to Amador County. I mean Tuscan Wine Country. Our tour group left Florence on Saturday morning and drove into the middle of Tuscany to visit two wineries and a restaurant for lunch. The drive really reminded me of the foothills surrounding Sacramento, and the wineries and wine did as well. It makes sense as both regions share similar weather and terrain, and many California wineries mimic the classic wines of Italy. The wineries were nice, and the lunch was nice although very beef centric. It was really a great day with a fun group of people sharing food, wine, and travel advice. Good way to relax after a long week of travel.
Yes, a lot of my photos are certified spectacular by a respected photographer! Sunday was a makeup day due to the train strike requiring me to face a more crowded Mediterranean day in the Cinque Terre. These five small villages are perched on the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean and were cut off from the rest of Italy for so long they are very untouched. The place is similar in feel to the Pacific Coast Highway with tiny remote towns, although a modern railway now cuts through the hills making access very easy. The weather and views were both real and spectacular with crystal clear blue water and classic Italian villages overrun with tourists. I managed to find the best table for lunch overlooking the beach with fresh seafood. This was really worth the effort and was hard to leave. I did go into the water, but not much as time was limited.
Yes, it really does lean. Yes, the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa is a must on any Italy trip. Travel Hack: the tower is really close to the alternate train station in Pisa which is on the main line. You can easily get off the train, walk to the tower, take your pictures, and get back on the next train in about an hour. I even had time for an espresso and tiramisu. Totally worth about an hour. Not much more though. From the train I was able to see the famous Carrera marble quarry in the distance which was a nice little treat.
This one took some planning, but turned out to be a real treat. I learned of the Lantern Festival in Florence which is in early September. The timing worked with the Venice Film Festival and Italian soccer games. The festival dates back a while when farmers would head into town for a religious festival and would arrive at night carrying lanterns. The kids would get involved and it evolved into a real thing. It was very cool to see a very Italian festival with the procession of lanterns against the Duomo. They had a live band and even a lunar eclipse. It was a real treat for my last night in Florence.
Back to the train station to board a train to the Rome Airport to fly to Croatia. Even with strikes, the trains are amazing in Italy and the best way to travel. Please enjoy the rest of my non-AI photos from Florence below.
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