So when talking about my upcoming trip, whenever i mentioned Florence the person said it was their favourite city and i would love it. That set pretty high expectations when i arrived via train from Venice.
My hotel is just around corner from station, i checked in and was provided with a city map and some suggestions of where to go for both sightseeing and meals. The hotel is fairly old fashioned and basic, but the staff are very friendly, room is fine and the breakfast which is included is good buffet style.
They recommended Piazzale Michelangelo as a good place to start as it provides a great view of the city. Actually, i went up a little higher to a church - Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte which as well as being interesting in itself, also provided excellent views. After a brief walk around city, i ended in up San Lorenzo market which was one of the recommended areas for restaurants.
I then had two full days. The first consisted of a walking tour (you can see a common theme here) which was as good as the other tours on this trip. Informative as well as providing some interesting personal perspectives. More general sightseeing and getting lost in the afternoon, was followed by an operatic performance at a local church - a few short performances by soloist accompanied by pianist
Day two was to be split morning/afternoon - the Uffizi museum first and then Duomo in afternoon. Both are very popular attractions, with often long queues, but you can pre-book an entry time for just a few euros. Uffizi hosts art/sculptures which are generally earlier than i am interested in, but the quality is amazing and you find yourself easily spending a few hours there.
The Duomo is the cathedral that dominates the centre. You can book a ticket that allows you in cathedral, to walk to the top, to walk up the bell tower and also to get into the Bapistery (where baptisims historical took place). As there has not been many chances to exercise other than walking, i took the opportunity to walk up the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo and shortly afterwards the 414 steps of the Bell Tower. Both provided sensational views of the city and were well worth the trip.
Overall Florence is a great city - everyone was right saying what they did before i came. It has a good vibe, amazing history and architecture and good food. What more could you want. One certaintly add to the "i need to go back" list.
Photos - be warned they are not edited so may contain multiple/poor photos:
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