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Florence

Here a Castle, There a Castle....

by adventuregirl

An October 2002 travel journal

Last Updated: May 2, 2004

Journal Usefulness Rating 2 out of 5
Journal Usefulness Rating
6
Reviews

Florence has it all! Touch the castles, walk through the beautiful basilicas, stand in awe beneath fantastic domes, climb great heights, visit beautiful gardens, look at beautiful kingdoms in the horizon, touch the 2000 yr old architecture, walk through the pages of a book, see with your own eyes the paintings and scultpures of the great classical artists, and learn a bit of WW II history. Here, you can eat the nation's greatest pizza, risk your life on a moped, and shop for Italian leather!

Palazzo Cupola, Duomo, Giardino di Boboli, St. Lorenzo Basilica, Palazzo Vecchio (Yes, a palace...one of many), Via San Niccolo and MORE MORE MORE...and yes, you CAN hit the highlights in two days....

Quick Tips:

No need to drive - you can get around on foot quite easily... Plan on taking some self-guided tours, and make sure to get as high into the duomos as possible for the views and close-up artwork! Eat at a different Gelato shop every day - they all look the same but they're all different.

Best Way To Get Around:

WALK WALK WALK... No need for taxis or buses here - and don't risk your life driving a car, motorcycle, or moped!

Hotel Giada

Hotel

For only $90 for the three of us, we had a marble floored room with an Italian armoire, a marble bathroom, and the care of the owners, Eva & Antonio, who even made us free decaf capuccino's at 11pm!!! These people are awesome, and their breakfasts are JUST what you need - I feasted often on croissants and Nutella (you WILL love this, I promise), with fresh fruits, juices, milks, etc. There's a lot MORE, but I was only interested in Nutella, it appears!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by adventuregirl on November 5, 2002

Hotel Giada
Canto de Nelli, 2-I-50123 Florence, Italy
(055) 215317217980

Hotel Giada

Hotel

OUTSTANDING!!!! The hotel owners are a 30-something couple who lives there as well. The gentlemen was at the train station (by Santa Maria Novella) at the same time that we were. We agreed on a price before we left the station and arrived at a room with a king-size bed and a single bed.

We were directly across from one of Firenze's main churches and just over the towns 'sales brigade'. We awoke each morning not to the buzz of an alarm clock, but to the town church bells. Ahhhh. . .

We arrived back at the hotel late one evening and the man who owns Hotel Giada brought decaf cappuccinos to our bedroom -- it was 11pm. WHAT SERVICE! This couple is amazing. Contact them directly at hgiada@dada.it.

  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by adventuregirl on May 2, 2004

Hotel Giada
Canto de Nelli, 2-I-50123 Florence, Italy
(055) 215317217980

In my opinion the BEST ITALIAN PIZZA, and BRUSCHETTA COUNTRYWIDE! And the prices are fantastic - often we each had our own pizza, a couple sodas (because, uh, NO FREE REFILLS IN EUROPE), and dessert for $4 each! Ready quick, always busy, and phenomenal...just left of the front door across from Hotel Giada, next to the Basilica di St. Lorenzo.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by adventuregirl on November 5, 2002

Lo Spuntino Pizza a Taglio Birreria
Via Del Canto de Nelli Florence, Italy
14-16R - 210920

Romance, splendor, historic, transfixing, beautiful! From here you can see All of Florence! You can see the Duomo...YOU MUST CLIMB THE STAIRS TO SEE THE DOME AND THE TOP OF THE BUILDING...SKIP THE BELLTOWER - THIS IS BETTER though not for the unhealthy. You can see the St. Lorenzo Basilica (church), you can see the Palazzo Vecchio (castle in town by a lot of yummy places to dine and an area with many replicas of famous sculptures), the piazza Sta Maria Novella (an entire church made of a green and white marble exterior), the Palazzo Cupola (palace - go here! ), as well as every place in between.

PS: check out the website hotelgiada.com, where I found a great little hotel owned by a young and accommodating couple named Eva and Antonio.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by adventuregirl on November 5, 2002

Florence Tour
Florence, Italy

Open 8:15am - 6:50pm Tuesday - Sunday, mid September through mid June (8:15 -6:50pm Tuesday - Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8:15am - 10pm mid June through mid September). Here you are drawn to the paintings by Florentine artists from the 13th thru the 16th centuries, but find Michelangeo's DAVID and see the VENUS OF LOVE. No pictures here, of course - I advise that you buy one of the books in the museum gift shop.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by adventuregirl on November 13, 2002

Galleria dell'Accademia
Via Ricasoli 60 Florence, Italy
055 238 8609

About the Writer

adventuregirl
adventuregirl
Fishers, Indiana

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