Florence

18 September 2011

If you're going to Italy, you should definitely plan on visiting Tuscan's capital, Florence. A city full of amazing arts, famous people/artists like Galileo Galilei, Rossini, Donatello, Botticelli and Michelangelo, world renowned museums and monuments. The city street scene was playful, full of  young and old roaming the streets, street vendors everywhere, and overall a much cleaner and happier sight compared to Rome. Florence is not a city you want to rush.

The Gothic interior of Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is cavernous and is particularly known for its stained glass windows and marble pavement. It is one of Florence  busiest main square, huge but full of life. The other highlight of a visit to Piazza del Duomo  is the Baptistery and the Campanile. Compared to Rome, every roads eventually leads to the main square and each has its own church and statue. After taking a lot of photos, we headed to Piazza dell Signoria and was then amazed with the statues surrounding it.

 The ultimate masterpiece and the star attraction in the piazza is Michelangelo's David. But this is just a replica, the original statue of David can be seen in Accademia. While I do think  it is a worthwhile visit, I wouldn't recommend it if you only have one day in Florence.

 Few blocks from Piazza is the Arno River which runs through the city and is the second most important river in central Italy. The street to bridge along the river side is also packed with  street vendors selling different kinds of artifacts from Florence mementos, jewellery etc.

Make sure your camera is on the right setting before taking your photo here, otherwise, you'll need to queue again until you lose your temper because of the crowd.

While on our way to the main Piazza, I was surprised seeing few people using the street as their canvas. It’s worth to see a smile on so many people’s face as they walk past, or stop and watch. It's really amazing!  Other things that caught my attention are the graffiti and cars, as if it was cut into halves haha. Now I have another "first time" added to my long list.

 

A trip to Florence is not complete without a visit to the leather market.

Here you can wind away the hours looking at leather products like hand bags, belts, coats, accessories, clothes, souvenirs and other items according to the seasons. I spent two hours walking around the market bargaining for leather goods. Of course, I'll not leave the market without having bought one. Just a reminder by the way, If the police catch you buying a knock off version of something with brand from a street vendor, you can be fined up to ten thousand euros. You'll see plenty of people on the street selling imitation Gucci , Rolex watches or Prada for a very cheap price.

Got my sweet tooth satisfied, stracciatella is a must tried flavor.

A never ending street experience, we were also entertained by a group of marching bands around the city. 

 Overlooking the Arno, the city and the rolling hills of Tuscany, a walk to Piazzale Michelangelo is the best place to relax after long hours of strolling. 

 

If I could go back to Florence, I would again indulge in these things in a heartbeat. It has been a pleasure and a true blessing to have been given this opportunity.