Day 8: Florence

I am absolutely in love with this city. In the past week, we've had wonderful experiences in Nice, Turin, Monaco, and especially Paris, but I've never wanted to just stay in a city as more than a tourist, until today. I completely fell in love with the vibrant culture and lifestyle in Florence, and all the history embedded in the streets. In Paris, although stunning in every way, I felt like it was a city designed around tourist sites. Florence, while also very touristic, has more personality.

We started off the day very early in Turin, as we had only just realized that we needed to buy a bus ticket at a corner store or parking meter, and not at the bus stop or on the bus. We set out to the streets at 7:15 and asked around, speaking half French, half English, until a very accommodating man directed us to a tobacco shop where we could buy tickets.

A short bus ride and train took us on our way to Florence. The ride made excellent time and was so smooth; I completely passed out during the 3 hours and could not recount a single view, although I'm sure there would've been interesting ones. We arrived in Florence just after 11, and had lunch on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella lawn, under a burning bright sun and blue skies. From there, we headed to our B&B, which was about a five minute walk away. Although we have been incredibly fortunate with B&Bs and locations so far, this one takes the cake. It is less than a minute walk away from the Piazza Della Repubblica and five minutes from the Duomo. We could hardly believe our luck.

At 2, we met in front of the Santa Maria Novella church for a free Medici Family Walking Tour of the city. The tour led us past the Basilica di San Lorenzo, where the principal members of the Medici Family are buried (also featuring decor by Donatello, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, and more). We also passed a few of their houses around the city, all marked with the Medici family symbol, as well as the Uffizi (their offices), which featured statues around the courtyard of many famous Florentines, such as Machiavelli, Da Vinci, and Galileo. Along the way, we learned about the secret passage above the city that led from the Medici house past the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti.

The Ponte Vecchio in itself was a wonder. I'd never imagined a bridge like that in my life. Filled with jewelers and shops, it was a street of its own.

It was also fascinating to be able to walk through a city with such an unbelievably rich history. We passed by hundred year old markets and thousand year old squares, even some remnants from the Roman Republic. The city centres were quite crowded around this time as there were many tourists taking advantage of the wonderful weather, as well as film sets, including Dan Brown's Inferno.

On the other side of the river, we stopped by the Palazzo Pitti, where the tour ended. There, we met up with my best friend from Toronto, Aidan, who had already been in Florence for a few days and could already navigate the city quite well. The three of us walked along the river to the rose gardens, stopping for our daily gelato -- which our tour guide had explained was invented for the Medici family. We ate in the rose gardens and sat there for a bit to enjoy the sun and view.

We proceeded up the hill from there, and ended up on top of the Piazzale Michelangiolo, which offered not only the best view of Florence, but also of Tuscany. 

The panoramic view was stunning and we sat on the steps up there for a while and listened to live music. We then headed around the iris gardens, which was right on the other side of the hill. It made for a lovely walk and we got to see a drawing class in progress in the garden.

Down the hill, we walked casually through the winding streets, ending up in the Piazza Spirito Santo. This side of the river was much more pleasant at this time since it wasn't nearly as crowded. We each had a glass of white wine on the curb and then headed across the Ponte Alla Carraia to have dinner at La Fettunta, a very nice restaurant where my taste for fresh Italian pasta was finally satisfied.

The restaurant itself was small but very nice and the service was excellent.

It had gotten dark by the time we stepped out after dinner, and we took a "passeggiata" -- an Italian evening stroll. We stopped for about ten minutes at a street corner nearby and listened to a boy busk. He was playing violin, but I can't recall ever hearing music like that from a busker in Toronto. It was beautiful and captivating and people stopped to listen. After listening to a couple songs, we approached him to talk and found out he was travelling from Moscow. We had a very pleasant chat with him -- Ivan -- for a few minutes and then moved along the street (once the main street of the ancient Roman city) to the Piazza Della Repubblica, the site of the ancient Roman forum, and the very old city centre. The Column of Abundance and the Archway, both hundreds of years old, mark the site. It was lit up by a glowing carousel in the square by evening.

We stopped for an evening drink at a cafe in the square, the Paszkowski, where I had the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted in my life. It was like something out of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Aidan and Julie each had a marocchino, and the server kindly made us some very nice latte art.

We paused to chat with him for a bit as well, and found out he was a theatre director from Napoli. We were siting outside sipping our drinks in the square, listening to live music, and taking in the wonderful calming atmosphere when he came out and brought us free water and three cookies. It was such a nice and unexpected gesture and was so appreciated. I've been very pleasantly surprised throughout this trip at the locals' friendliness and patience. We were always met with respect and hospitality -- with the exception of a few waiters -- whenever we approached anyone.

The night ended perfectly with a ride on the carousel. It took us less than a minute to head back to our apartment from there, ending the most wonderful day in a beautiful and historic city that I can't imagine getting enough of.