Five Days in Florence

Our Florence days came on the heels of a four-day whirlwind Venice trip. In Florence we had a chance to put our feet up occasionally and enjoy the moment. We chased the cats in the Boboli Gardens, reserved hours for the Uffizi, and added last-minute sights to our itinerary. We had wonderful meals, took a day trip to Siena, and slowed the pace a bit. What we found was a city that is very much a city, but remains romantic and peaceful amid the crowd of tourists. From sculptures to frescoes to flowers, we saw it all here.

Quick Tips:

While in some cities it's necessary to plan your days according to geographic location, we found that this wasn't as much of a necessity in Florence. The city is pretty compact, especially compared to Venice. There are also taxis everywhere, and they aren't expensive. The best idea is to get a hotel that is located between the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo. This was the *ideal* location for us - right in the middle of everything.

Watch out for the gold on the Ponte Vecchio! It's beautiful, but the prices are sky high.

Make reservations for the museums! You can do this online now (check my planning entry for more details). And it's better to try the museums first thing in the morning if you must wait in line.

Definitely plan an itinerary. Opening times vary, and it takes some work to fit everything that you want to see into a few days.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are fast and charge reasonable rates. But with a little planning and a good map, most everything can be reached by foot. If you'll be coming or going to the Florence airport, make sure to take a taxi. The distance from downtown would be too long to walk with luggage. If you'd like to catch a panoramic view of the city, take Bus 13 to Michaelangelo Square. If you plan on walking a lot, try to schedule the Boboli Gardens at the very beginning or end of your trip. Your legs either need to be fresh or used to the walking for this adventure.

The taxi ride from the train station to this hotel is only about five minutes. The lobby has high ceilings, marble floors, and a beautiful painting of a woman standing. It opens into a large lounge that has a fountain, greenery, tall portraits on the walls, and a huge gold mirror. At the rear of the lounge area are two elevators and a small bar with no drink list. The bartender doesn’t know American drinks either, so good luck!

Our room here was a bit larger and less romantic than the one in Venice. This worked out great, because when you’re staying for six nights, you’ll trade the romance for some extra space in which to walk/unpack etc. The rooms were kept VERY toasty for March, and we had to leave the windows open all the time. The only problem with this was that mosquitoes got in, and there were lots of them! Our nightly ritual involved Jason with a shoe in one hand standing on the bed. Like I said, not exactly romance!

The bathroom was a decent size, but the shower head was not mounted. One has to hold it to shower, so it gets cold when you have to put the shower head down. The minibar had a small selection and was rather expensive. It was good to have at night though, because all of the markets/shops/snack bars close early at night. The continental breakfast was typical and included cereal, croissants, and coffee. Room service was available at an extra charge. The hotel also owns the restaurant next door, which is very convenient when you’re tired and don’t feel like a long walk for dinner. They have amazing cheesecake at the restaurant; they’re very friendly, and they speak some English.

Our one problem was the location of our room on the 6th floor. All of the maids’ utility/cooking/laundry closets were on our floor, and the doors were always opening and slamming shut while the staff yapped loudly to one another. Other than that, this is a very nice hotel for several nights. The location is perfect, between the Uffizi/Ponte Vecchio area and the Duomo area.

Visit their website!

Average Rating: 7

This modern and crowded cafeteria has some delicious and inexpensive food. If your tummy is a bit tired of variety, you can fill up safely on sphagetti, tiramisu, and capaccino for about $10. There is a less crowded seating area upstairs, where we stopped to read journals and rest our feet. The atmosphere is bright and busy. It’s a welcome change from more expensive and fancy trattorias and restaurants. And it’s perfect for the budget-conscious.

Ratings (Scale of 1-10, ten is "divine", one is "despicable")
Average: Food 9, Atmosphere 5.5, Service 6.5
Mary: Food 10, Atmosphere 7, Service 7
Mom: Food 8, Atmosphere 4, Service 6

Average Rating: 8.1

The back room is tucked away from the street and adjacent to the kitchen. Here you are surrounded by wine along the bright yellow walls, and you will probably find yourself among natives. The service is very friendly, and excellent English is spoken. We found a delicious Tuscan rose wine here that I especially enjoyed. As for the food, remembering the chicken in lemon-butter sauce makes me want to go back. It was lightly floured and cooked to tender perfection (no, this is not a paid advertisement!). The vegetable lasagna was good and very cheesy, and the spaghetti as a first course was average but filling. Overall, a delightful meal that was very conveniently located.

Ratings (Scale of 1-10, ten is "divine", one is "despicable")
Average: Food 8, Atmosphere 8, Service 8.3
Jason: Food: 7, Atmosphere: 7, Service: 8
Mary: Food 8, Atmosphere 9, Service 8
Mom: Food 9, Atmosphere 8, Service 9

This restaurant is classy with high ceilings and columns and a relatively small dining room. The servers are friendly and speak some English. Even though the restaurant is owned by the hotel next door, many Italians dine here. The food is filling, and the desserts are delicious. Try the cheesecake – it’s a blend of New York and Italian tastes. Jason’s seafood spaghetti was "moderately good." Overall, it’s the perfect place to stop in when you’re tired and don’t want to walk anymore. You’ll get a filling, good Italian meal for a moderate price. And the desserts are perfect!

Rating: 9.4

Our highest rated restaurant in Florence, I can’t see how anyone could go wrong in dining here. This restaurant is slightly off the beaten path but still within easy walking distance. It’s in a secluded square, and we may not have stopped in if we hadn’t read such good things about it. The trattoria was small and dim, with high ceilings, stone walls, and a huge arrangement of fresh spring tulips at the entrance. Everyone here speaks Italian and very little English. But they were eager to do whatever possible to describe the menu to us. I will never forget my waiter’s response when I asked him how a particular dish was cooked. He motioned to me to wait a moment, and he went to the kitchen. He returned a full minute later with a large pot, obviously for boiling. I had never received service like that before! He was also apologetic at the end of the meal for not knowing more English. My mom’s response was, "Hey, it’s your country, not ours! We should apologize."

In addition to the service here, the food was out of this world. I wished I had ordered my mom’s dish, which was pasta in a creamy cheese sauce, peas and asparagus. The kicker there was that the pasta was filled with pear! It sounds odd, and it tastes odd at first, but the pear and the melted futa cheese are AMAZING together. If it hadn’t been our last day, we would have returned so that I could have that dish (I’m not joking either). The first course of spaghetti that Jason and I shared was spicy and hand-rolled. If you’ve never had hand-rolled pasta before, you have to try it. It is sooo good. The meat dishes that Jason and I had were tender and perfectly spiced (very authentic tasting, obviously fresh herbs and spices). The bread here was the best we had in Italy. For meat dishes, try the grilled chicken. Grilled chicken is usuall a bit dry and crisp. Well, theirs is crisp with that great grilled taste, but it’s not dry at all, and the spices are infused into the meat somehow. Jason had the boiled chicken with peperoni (which turned out to be actual peppers). He said that he couldn’t imagine how they manged to boil it and keep all of that delicious flavor inside the meat.

For dessert, Jason and I had the cheesecake. It was Italian cheesecake, made with ricotta cheese, and was very very rich. It wasn’t sweet at all, and I ended up pouring some sugar on top. But the consistency was perfect, and the cheesecake would be perfect overall if there was a little sugar, chocolate or fruit syrup on top. Mom had the tiramisu, and it was so rich she couldn’t finish it.

Visit their website!

Ratings (Scale of 1-10, ten is "divine", one is "despicable")
Average: Food 9.3, Atmosphere 9, Service 10

Average Rating 9.8, Time to allot: 1 hour, Cost: Free

There is a reason that twenty large tour groups, speaking a host of languages, can be found here even in the off-season. I normally like to go against the flow and give the highest ratings to sights that don’t get too much attention. But this church really is splendid. The marble, the alter (where the crucifix appears to be suspended in mid-air), the tombs, and the paintings are all wonderful. The church is worth stumbling around tour groups and seeking a quiet corner for yourself. Stare at the ceilings, the chapels, the altar, and you’ll find yourself amazed. Also, go outside and enjoy the sunshine in this beautiful square.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 9.5, Mary 10, Mom 10

Average Rating: 9.7, Time to Allot: 2.5 hours

There is so much to see here, how do I begin? Needless to say, it’s one of the top sights of Florence, and visitors just must come here! MAKE RESERVATIONS! We were here first thing in the morning in March, and the line was horendous. I can only imagine what it would be like in the summer. You can make reservations online at http://www.waf.it/up00.htm.

The architecture and the view of the river are as beautiful as the paintings and sculpture that you will find here. This is the museum of museums, second only to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice. An average college grad could spend two hours here, so art majors could probably set up tents. After you’ve been overwhelmed by all of the talent and history here, head to the balcony café and have a cappucino. Or you can choose a hot chocolate that tastes like melted chocolate bar. Scrumptious. And the prices here, considering the lovely view, are very reasonable. If you sit down, make sure to wait for the waitress. Ala carte is only to go.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 9, Mary 9, Mom 10

Seeing the façade and walking the area: Average Rating 9.3, Time to Allot: 20 minutes

Believe it or not, some tours come to Florence and never actually see this church, its dome, or the baptistry except for the distant view from Michaelangelo’s Square. What a shame! Walking around the church is free, and it’s just a fabulous walk. You can peer through the Baptistry’s gold doors and see most of the ceiling without waiting in line and paying to do so. Staring up at the majestic white/green/mauve marble with it’s beautiful designs is just a real treat.

A visit inside Santa Maria del Fiore: Average Rating 4.7, Time: 15 minutes
As for going inside Santa Maria del Fiore, it isn’t really necessary. Many of the best pieces of art and sculpture have been moved to the nearby Duomo Museum. What is left is a rather hollow, empty feeling church that is very dark. The dome is beautiful, and it’s known for its size. But the smaller domes in nearby churches boast more detail and color. There is no admission fee here, but the hours are a bit odd. The day we were there, they closed at 2:30. So if you don’t have a chance to see the inside, don’t worry about it. Head to Santa Croce or San Lorenzo instead.

What is rather amazing about this church is that it was built to hold around 30,000 people! You can see the one-person wide balcony that runs all around the inside of the church. I cannot imagine standing up there. There were no convenient exits and no seats. So once you made it up there in a crowd of people, you would be cozily tucked between other people with no way of escape. If you feel brave, you can pay to climb the dome. It stays open later than the rest of the church.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Walking the Duomo Area - Jason: 9, Mary 9, Mom 10
Going Inside The Church - Jase: 7, Mom: 5, Mary: 2

Average Rating: 9, Time to Allot: 20 minutes

This was one of the two sites that we fit into our itinerary after reading something about it while we were there. We were delighted to find that the church itself was one of the best we’d seen. When you visit here, you are paying only to see the chapel, but the chapel is located in one part of this church. You cannot enter the rest of the church, but you can see most of it. The altar is gorgeous. The frescos in the chapel are simply beautiful, and you can sit on the benches in front of them and stare. The best time to go is on a sunny day, when the frescos are bright in the sunshine. This small chapel is an essential sight to see in Florence.

Average Rating: 8, Time to allot: 40 min, Cost: Free

Santo Spirito is the perfect addition to a day’s itinerary that includes the Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens, because it is one of the few well-known attractions close by. The church’s unfinished façade is very plain, although it has a pretty shape. The interior is a beautiful example of Renaissance architecture. There are beautiful color paintings by Lippi, Botticini, and others. The huge colums and majestic arches really give this place a nice feel. This sight is definitely worth seeing, because Jason and I went without my mom, who was feeling a bit sick. We sent her there later in the day to make sure that she saw it.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 8, Mary 8, Mom 7

Average Rating: 9, Time to allot: 1.5 hours

The old wallpapers, tapestries, furniture, and paintings, combined with the slightly smaller rooms than are found in other palaces, give this palace a grand yet comfortable feel. You can actually imagine what it would have been like to live in one of the bedrooms or sit with important people in a meeting room. I especially remember the doorways, which were often arches topped by paintings or curtains. These rooms are some of the most colorful we saw – rich greens, corals, and golds and blues are everywhere.

The Medici aquired and enlarged this building, and it’s much more stunning than the Medici Palace. Although the Pitti Palace doesn’t quite compare to the Doge’s Palace in Venice, we all agreed that it was a top sight in Florence. From here, you can enter the Biboli Gardens and enjoy views of the city and countryside.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 8, Mary 9, Mom 10

Average Rating: 7.7, Time to Allot: 45 min, Cost: Free, Open 9-5!

This is one of the few churches that is actually open all day from 9-5, even though the books might say differently. Most of the churches are open from 9-Noon and 3-5, roughly. This is why it’s so important to plan your itinerary. But if this church keeps its all day hours, it is one of the few sights that you can see at 1:30. It’s a nice church to sit on the base of a column inside and do some journaling, because it isn’t excessively crowded.

This is another church with a deceiving exterior. The outside may be plain, but the huge columns and unique look and feel inside are worth seeing. It was one of the best churches we saw (behind Santa Croce) because of the number of paintings and the height of the ceiling. The dome looked like a smaller version of the Duomo in Santa Maria del Fiore.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 7, Mary 8, Mom 8

Average Rating: 7.5, Time to Allot: 40 min, Cost: $6

I’ll admit it; I wasn’t expecting to be impressed with the David. I thought that $6 was a bit much to pay to see one scupture/statue. I was impressed though, as I expect everyone is, at the size and beauty of David. He is huge, yet so lifelike. There are a few rooms of paintings here, along with a courtyard, but don’t be fooled. You’re paying for the David, and it’s worth it.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 7, Mary 8

Average Rating: 7, Time to Allot: 30 minutes This church was frequented by the Medici. It made its way into our itinerary while we were there when we saw a picture in a Florence book. Below you see pictures of the courtyard in front of the church. The courtyard is large with a street running alongside it. The fountains and the steps of the buildings here give tourists and natives a chance to sit in the sunshine. You can also watch the crazy drivers and wonder that there aren’t more accidents here. Once inside, you may notice the church keeper watching over the visitors, protecting precious property and silence. If you linger for a while, you may hear the organist playing, which doesn’t happen on a typical basilica visit in Italy. It was nice to sit and listen and look at the incredibly ornate guilded ceilings.

This church is called the Annunziata for a reason. It is virtually a shrine to Mary. Inscriptions on the walls, paintings, and a silver candle-lit altar praise Mary. It’s strange for non-Catholics to experience this level of worship to the Virgin-Mother. It is believed that a miracle was performed here because of prayers to Mary, thus the shrine effect still lives here. There’s no doubt, the church is beautiful. It’s not the highest on our list, but is worth a visit if you have some time.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 8, Mary 6

Average Rating: 6.5, Time to allot: 1.5 hours, Cost $4

We arrived at the Bargello at 1:00, and we only had an hour until the 2:00 closing time. We decided to go in, because we wouldn’t have to a chance to return (they are open 9:00 – 2:00 only). There were some beautiful sculptures here, and I could have spent an hour and a half here easily. It is not a large museum, but a quiet and quality one. I never thought much of sculptures and statues until we saw these. There are beautiful works from so many artists, and the small courtyard is even pretty. But museum workers starting reminding us about closing time at 1:30! I went to go upstairs and was told that they were closing in ten minutes (1:40). I tried to ignore it, but they started closing doors in rooms, so I had to leave by 1:45. Jason was unable to rate this museum, because he had to leave and go find the camera. Warning! Make sure that the most unforgetful person in your group keeps the camera. J

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Mary 7, Mom 6

Average Rating: 5, Time to Allot: 1.5 hours minimum, Cost: $2

The gardens are a wonderful spot to stop and enjoy the sun on a warm spring day. There are some nice statues, fountains, and trees here. There are also cute cats to chase (we think that they keep them here in order to ward off the pigeons).

That being said, there are a few things to consider before spending time here. First, consider the temperature and your comfort level. I could imagine that this could be the sight from hell on a scorching hot summer’s day. There are too many stairs to count. You cannot simply stroll in the gardens, you must walk uphill or up stairs. By the time we reached the gardens, our legs were sore and not yet used to walking miles each day. So the stairs were just not fun. Also, don’t think that you’re going to see flowers! We only saw a few wildflowers here. These gardens are composed mostly of sculpted trees – trees that are sculpted straight up, that is. There are no complicated shapes, and no human mazes either.

The view here is lovely. It is the best view that one can get of the city while remaining in the city. The other choice for a view would be to take Bus 13 up to Michaelangelo’s Squre, where the view is the best around. That trip would require much less effort and would be cooler too (there is a nice breeze up there).

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 8, Mary 2

Average Rating: 4, Time to Allot 30 min (waiting not included), Cost: $3

The Medici Palace was a definite disappointment. It had a small garden, small courtyard, and small chapel. There was one beautiful room with gold and paintings everywhere, and there was a painting of the Madonna and Child (Lippi) that was not lit and was under glass. It was difficult to understand why there was even an admission fee here. The chapel is what you will read about, and it’s why people come here. The wall scenes in the chapel were painted by Gozzoli and are nice. But the chapel is VERY small. Only 15 people are allowed inside, and there just isn’t much to see if you compare it to other palaces in Italy.

Ratings 1-10 (10 is "see this no matter what!" and 0 is "avoid it!")
Jason: 5, Mary 4, Mom 3

My mother is a jewelry freak. We decided to window shop while walking on the bridge after visiting the Palazzo Pitti. The next thing I knew, she decided that she wanted to buy me a necklace. We found one that we liked, but then wanted to compare some other shops’ prices. We went to one lady and asked her for a price on the necklace I liked. She refused to give us a price until we told her which shop we had seen the necklace at before, and how much their price was. After we told her, she still wouldn’t give us a price. She looked at us and said, "we own seven other shops on this bridge, let me go get you the best quote here." We tried to tell her we didn’t want her to do that, and the next thing we knew, she left us standing there. I looked at mom after about two minutes and said, "I don’t know how the Italians shop, but I’m not standing here like an idiot." So we headed back to the original shop and bought the necklace.

I love my necklace – it has unpolished rubies, emeralds, and saphires in it. But we would both tell you that it was overpriced. After you buy an item that costs over $250 (I think), they will refund your taxes at a little building at the bottom of the bridge. It’s convenient, but be prepared to wait in line. And you cannot get a refund in lire, it must be in dollars or yen (or whatever currency is available that day).

USEFUL INTERNET SITES

• Weekend A Firenze - On this sight you can make reservations and purchase tickets for many of the Florence galleries. That way, you don't have to worry about calling when you're there, making sure you get a spot, etc. If you can schedule certain days, then this is perfect. And the tickets are, on average, about $4 more than if you purchased and reserved them in Italy. It was worth it for me, the less worries there the better. These reservations MUST be made for the Ufizzi especially. Even on a rainy March day at 9AM, there was a LONG line. We literally walked up to a lady, handed her our reservations, and walked right in. I can imagine that the lines would be long at every gallery in Florence in May.
• Fodors - A great website with restaurant recommendations AND customer reviews. I've found this nowhere else, and it's an excellent planning tool. What I did was make a list of the highest recommended restaurants in each city for my itinerary. Oh, and you can sort the restaurants by neighborhood, which is PERFECT! In general, I found that it was worth it to walk a few more blocks to one of Fodors.com restaurants instead of just "trying" one that looks good.

  Fodors also has short descriptions of most of the sites in Italian cities. I cut these descriptions and pasted them into our itinerary. We will be able to glance at what the sight is about, and then refer to our Blue Guide for in depth info. Putting the Blue Guide page number beside the sights has been handy.

• Learn languages online! - Fun.
• http://www.italyflash.com/italyflash/longt/rail/njsrail.shtml
  A difficult site to use, but it has train schedules in Italy.
• http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/db.s98/detect.exe/bin/db.s98/query.exe/e?
  Believe it or not, this is a German company that has a website in English and sells train tickets AND seat reservations for Italian trips. Excellent service, even though the tickets arrive in German. We were wondering if the Italians will understand our German tickets, but they did. :) The service costs as much as it does in Italy, so it's just nice to have the tickets and seats in advance. I highly recommend this service. We had reserved seats, and the train was easy to find. The train was suprisingly packed, so those seats were really nice.
• Rail Europe - they have everything from railpasses to point-to-point tickets. They also have more navigable train schedules.
• Get This! Order your foreign currency online. The rates are great (much cheaper than change stations and competitive with banks). You get your currency via registered mail in about two days, even without express service. I really liked being able to do this. I was able to charge my currency!
• Council Travel - A site to save money if you're under 26 or have a student with you. They have great rates on airline tickets.
• Don't look too long on this site, because you will find SO MANY handy traveling doojiggeees.
• E-Bags - Find the perfect bag, pack, or luggage. No hassle returns if you don't like it (they pick it up for you!).