Day Trips in Italy are great, should do more in the US.
O how I love Florence so much! The best friend and I ran to Florence really quick. Since I was their mainly for work on a photo shoot back in March, I did not mind coming back to be a tourist. Even though we were only there for a day it was worth it. I feel very connected to this city and on this day it was connecting too much with me. It felt all of about 95 F degrees there and I had on pants. Lol
Fully equipped with my Rick Steve’s book (love his guide books) we took on Florence in a day or at least as much we can since that is quite impossible with all the entry lines. You must plan in advance your priority list for these kind of trips.
We took the earliest train out of Rome to Florence and ran straight to:
Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) – It is a neo - gothic style church built in 1870s noticeable everywhere because of its pink, green, and white Tuscan marble. We listened to our tour book and went straight to the Duomo museum (which is not in the church its behind it) and bought tickets for the tour, which included access straight to the top of the dome without waiting on the crazy line outside. My friend and I was in for a workout it was approximately equivalent to 463 plunges on a stairmaster. (#killme didn’t read this far in the book at the time.) The inside of the church was nice and the ceiling of the dome was breath taking but the view from the TOP of the DOME was pure perfection. See pics below.
Next we went to the Leather Market!! (my favorite spot) The same people I got a nice leather jacket from and beautiful engraved journals from were all still there and they remembered me. Lol I let my friend go crazy buying everything from cashmere/silk scarves to leather wallets.
Uffizi Gallery – holds the greatest collection of Italian artwork from Giotto, Leonardo, Raphael, Rubens, Michelangelo, and Botticellis.
Last but not lease, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) – This is bridge is a famous as it was important to Florence. It’s lined with gold and silver shops from beginning to end. In the center of the bridge is Benvenuto Cellini a master goldsmith from the Renaissance. The jewelry was amazing and very expensive. The bridge stores have house type structure at the top, which was a hide out for the royal Medici family to sneak across the river. This is known as the Vasari Corridor connecting Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi.
Pics below:
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