Florence, while still quite touristy by most standards, was a calm island of tranquility compared to the other cities I have been to in Italy, namely Rome, Venice, and Milan. It was also the cheapest by a long shot. Of course the time of year, and the fact that we visited during Culture Week (meaning most museums were free), will also greatly affect the crowds and prices you can expect.
Florence is divided in half by the River Arno, and staying on the north side of the river is recommended, as that is where the large majority of the sights are. As in most European cities, the museums and churches and interesting places are grouped together quite close–we never spent more than 10-15 minutes walking to any one sight.
We started at the Galleria museum, where Michelangelo’s David is kept, standing tall and proud in the center of the gallery exhibit, but unless you’re really into sculpture, there’s not much else to see there. The other must-visit museum if the Uffizi Gallery, which has The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, and as long as you plan accordingly, it is totally doable to visit both of these museums in the same day. We only spent 1.5 days in Florence and were quite content with that amount of time.
Next on the list was the Cappelle Medici, which is a small chapel holding the Medici family tombs. It is important to plan your visit, because the chapel is only open from 8:30-1:15 daily, and closed every first and third Sunday…yes, we were defeated by this schedule, ha! It also is connected to the oldest church in Florence, San Lorenzo. Continuing on past our small defeat, we went to the Basilica de Santa Croce, where, among others, both Galileo and Florence Nightingale are buried. The grounds are pretty and it is interesting to walk around and see who else is laid to rest there.
Another must do is the Palazzo Vecchio, located smack in the main square, Piazza della Signoria, which once housed various members of the Medici family and tells their story well. We climbed the bell tower (of course, and also the first of many) to get a picturesque view of the city, and especially of the infamous Duomo.
We finished off the day with a walk along the river to Pontevecchio: walking along the bridge is like walking down any narrow city street; you don’t even realize you’re on a bridge as you walk past the numerous jewelry shops that have inhabited the bridge since the 1500s.
If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned our trip to the Duomo yet, it’s because we saved it for the next day. Be sure to book your tickets in advance, especially if you want to go up in the Duomo, because when we went they were all sold out for the day, although tickets for the church bell tower were still available so that is what we did. Indeed, the view is more or less the same; it just depends on what you prefer to have in your pictures.
One final place where I urge everyone to visit is the Piazzale Michelangelo, named for the large imitation statue of David in the square. It is a long, uphill walk or a short bus ride from the center, and has breathtaking views of Florence from the other side of the river. A definite must see.
Where to eat: Those who know me, know that what I crave the most living in my small Spanish city is international food, so don’t be surprised that the first restaurant I am going to recommend is La Areperia, serving traditional Venezuelan arepas in addition to tasty yucca fries. Delicious! Have no fear, we also ate (twice!) at a more traditional Italian restaurant, called Pizzeria Ristorante Tarocchi, which was far enough away from the center that the prices were cheap but still close enough to be a comfortable walk.
Lastly, if you are spending more than two days in Florence, there are (of course) some museums we didn’t get to, including the Bargello Museum, Casa Buonarroti (focusing on Michelangelo), and Santa Maria del Carmine, which has Capella Brancacci frescoes.
Overall, I highly recommend visiting Italy in March, as the weather fluctuates between being warm during the day and cool at night, and of course its low season so the crowds are kept at bay for the most part. I really enjoyed Florence as well, not just the city itself, but also the variety of day trips that you can take from Florence as your base, which I will be talking about next time. And if anyone can shed some light on the fact that we call Florence ‘Florence’ in English and ‘Florencia’ in Spanish, but ‘Firenze’ in Italian, please do so!!