A Day in FLORENCE

I think my spring break in Italy can be summed up in a few words: pizza, pasta, and plenty of walking!

Time for me to type out the details of my amazing time in Italia! To set the mood, I think you should play the following song as you read through this blog post:

As I've mentioned before, I spent my five day break traveling to Florence, Rome, and Naples/Pompeii with my friend Lauren. The weather reports called for rain, so I packed extra shoes and wore my rain boots on the plane. We flew from Gatwick Airport to Peretola Airport in France on Tuesday night (February 15th), arriving in Italy around 11 PM (we lost an hour because of the time difference). A cab brought us straight to Academy Hostel, where we stayed in a very nice, five-bed room. Knowing we had a full day of exploring ahead of us, I went right to sleep, smiling at the fact that I was falling asleep in FLORENCE.

Wednesday morning we were ready to go! Big puddles and drizzly weather made me glad that I had worn my rain boots, but the temperature was quite mild.

Ready to start my Italy extravaganza; Standing right outside my hostel's entrance

Our hostel had a great location. We could see the Duomo, a center point in the city, as soon as we stepped outside our hostel. This little street is pretty representative of most of the roads in Florence: quaint little streets just big enough for tourists to dodge Italian men zooming by on their vespas.

Duomo, I see you!

The Duomo in Florence, which is just the Italian word for a cathedral, is actually called the Basilica de Santa Maria del Fiore. Construction on it begun with Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296. Filippo Brunelleschi then mastered the dome's octagonal design. The tower, called the Campanile, was designed by Giotto in 1334. For 6 euro, we were able to climb the 414 steps to the top of the Campanile. Talk about a heart-pounding way to start your morning!

Duomo

Campanile

Stairs inside the Campanile

I was completely out of breath by the time we made it to the top, but it was well worth the effort! We were greeted with an astounding panoramic view of Florence:

Red rooftops

Great view of the Duomo

Hello Firenze!

After carefully making our way down the stairs of the Campanile (the journey down was quite a bit easier than the ascent), we walked around the piazza a bit more, admiring the architecture. Below are photos of the Baptistery of Saint John, one of the oldest buildings in Florence:

Everywhere we looked in Florence, there were impressive buildings and beautiful sculptures. However, being an art lover, I made sure our next stop was one of the most famous art galleries in the world: The Uffizi Gallery.

Walking to the Uffizi on a typical Florentine street

So excited!

Although the weather was a bit overcast some of the days, I think Lauren and I actually picked a perfect time to visit Italy! By going during the off-season for tourism, we were able to avoid any lines. During the summer, tourists wait in line for hours to get into the Uffizi, while I was able to walk right in.

Smiling at the lack of line

Inside the Uffizi

The Uffizi Gallery houses some of the most important masterpieces in the world. No photos are allowed inside the exhibits, but I was able to see works by da Vinci, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Giotto, Caravaggio, Durer, and many others. I have studied and seen most of the paintings before, but seeing the actual brush strokes on the canvas helps me to really visualize the artist hard at work on their piece, making the experience so much more meaningful. When I came across Botticelli's Birth of Venus, I actually gave a little yelp. I can't believe I got to see this landmark painting in person! I must have spent ten minutes just soaking it in.

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus

Feeling cultured, there was no disagreement about our next stop in Florence: lunch! Per the recommendation of our hostel, we walked to Ostaria de Centopoveri. We arrived around 12:30, but the restaurant was entirely empty. Initially we took this to be a bad sign, but we soon learned that Italians eat their meals much later than Americans. At 2 PM, the restaurant was packed with mostly groups of Italian men. They spent forever sitting in the restaurant, which made me wonder how they had time in their day for a drawn-out meal. One of the things I really liked about Italy was this sense that there is no rush; everyone should take the time to just enjoy the day.

It took me about 10 seconds to decide on my meal. I was eager to try some real Italian pizza, and boy did my margherita pizza live up to its expectations! I loved every bite of it.

Love affair with my pizza

Lauren struggling with her classic plate of spaghetti

We really liked our waiter at the restaurant, a young man who laughed at our attempts to pronounce the Italian words on the menu. He recommended his favorite gelateria in Florence situated right across the river: La Carraia. For those of you who have never had the pleasure of trying a gelato, this famous Italian dessert is different from your typical ice cream due to a higher amount of creamy whole milk and a not-completely-frozen texture.

My pre-trip gelato studying paid off; I knew this store would be a good bet because the gelato was made on-site, the products were not piled into unnecessarily high mountains, the bins were metal and not plastic, and the banana flavor was a dull grey color (rather than an artificial neon yellow). Pistachio, stracciatella, caramel, and limoncello all caught my eye, but I ultimately chose a cup with two scoops of fragola and cioccolato (strawberry and chocolate).

So many flavors to try

Yum!

Our culinary adventure was followed by a quick stop at our hostel to re-energize ourselves for the second part of our day. Since we were there during the off-season for tourism, we had time to visit yet another famous gallery in Florence: The Academy Gallery.

Although this institution houses lots of artwork, people really only go to the Academy Gallery for one reason. His name? David.

That's right ladies and gents, my eyes have rested on one of the most impressive works of the Italian Renaissance: Michelangelo's David. Standing at an impressive 16 feet, this work was truly breathtaking. I was even able to snap some highly illegal photos of this artistic specimen, although the pictures don't do it justice. If you're ever in Florence, this landmark piece is a must-see.

Walking around Florence after visiting the museum, I was able to really take in the city's beauty. The Arno River provided a picturesque addition to the colorful buildings and quiet streets. We browsed the shops suspended on the Ponte Vecchio bridge, and wandered through a leather market. Although Italy is known for its leather goods, I came away from the market with a new tshirt that says "Ciao Bella" in the Coca-Cola style to match the one I used to have from Israel.

Arno River

Ponte Vecchio, a bridge with shops built along it

Leather market

We returned to our hostel for an appetizer session. The staff provided us with crackers, cheese, pasta, and wine, and we met other travelers: two pre-med students from Australia, a Dartmouth College student studying in Rome, a Brazilian world traveler, a Danish girl looking at design schools, and others. Meeting other travelers and learning their stories is definitely a highlight of staying in hostels.

Lauren and I joke that our dinner in Florence was a romantic date for two. We went to a restaurant at 8:15 which once again did not amass a crowd until about 10 PM. With the glow of lit candles reflecting off my glass of white wine, I ordered "Gargianelli con pomodoro pachino, zucchine e cipolla di Certaldo"....aka this:

For dessert, I enjoyed a creme brulee with a scoop of cafe gelato. 

Florence at night is just as pretty as Florence during the day. The lights reflected off the wet streets as wine-happy Italians closed up their shops and ended their workdays. My day in Florence was so pleasant, drizzle and all! 

I wish I could have stayed in Florence longer, even though we managed to see most of my top sights. However, there was no time to dilly dally. After a good night's sleep, we headed off to Rome the very next morning! Stay tuned...