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Firenze is one of the most popular cities in Italy to visit outside Rome, but in fact it's one of the most historic and beautiful cities in all of Europe - it truly is a masterpiece!
Long considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, the well-known and powerful Medici family ruled this center of European trade and finance on and off for over two centuries, with Firenze often being at the center of political mystery and intrigue. Although today its better known as the onetime home of Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo to name but a few.
During his long and tenured history the city has changed hands many times, (as an example, during Napoleon’s reign the city was under French jurisdiction, and during WWII the Nazis occupied the city for two years) fortunately for us, it remaining relatively unscathed in the process.
Not surprisingly, in 1982 Firenze was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fortunately for us, it's one of the few European cities that’s kept it charm and history intact and is literally awash in historic sites with everything from the world renown Duomo to the medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Galleria dell’ Accademia (statue of David which is not to be missed) and the thousand or so other sites that make up the city.
This visit was Aimee’s first visit to Italy and so Tuscany was always going to be high on the list of places to visit, so why not start in the heart of Tuscany in Firenze. Given that I’ve been many times, I was still excited to show her the sites and enjoy the medieval charm of the old city.
After arriving on the first day, she was eager to start exploring and given that our hotel was only three blocks from the Duomo we headed out soon after dropping our bags. As we walked, I talked about the sheer beauty of the Duomo and the adjacent Piazza San Giovanni, but nothing could have prepared her for the image that reared into view as we turned the corner. I heard her gasp in awe as she caught sight of the Duomo for the very first time; such is the beauty of this magnificent building.
We slowly began circling the building taking in every nuance and detail; we noticed the extremely long lines for all the entrance points (to visit the dome the line was at least a 300 meter long line). Goodness knows how long it would have taken to get to the front of the cue that afternoon. I could see that she was a little disappointed in that we couldn’t go inside, but we devised an early morning strategy whereby we would be first in line when the Duomo opened the next day at 8:30 am.
The next morning dawned another perfect, cloudless day and we exited the hotel precisely at 8:15 am for the short walk to the Duomo. As we planned we were indeed first in line and were amongst the first to get to the top of the bell tower, and again as planned our tickets also provided us access to the top of the Dome which we followed up with after we’d exhausted ourselves taking literally hundreds of photos in the bell tower. Absolutely stunning photos – check them out at the end of the blog.
Indelible Tip #1: Always, and I mean always buy your tickets for major sites (especially the Uffizi and Galleria dell'Accademia) in advance unless you love to stand in long lines. Even with advance purchase there are lines, but they generally move faster. If you’re out to see as many sites as possible you may want to consider buying the Firenze Card which helps you skip the lines for many of the sights. I would also recommend paying the extra booking fee for a timed entry time slot then you have no lines to worry about.
Of course exploring always makes us hungry and we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a little hole in the wall sandwich shop called Il Cernacchino (located on Villa della Condotta, 38R). I would highly recommend this spot - fantastic crostini!
Time absolutely flies when you’re exploring a city, and we soon found ourselves some distance from the Ponte Vecchio bridge but along the Arno river to the North. Feeling the familiar mid afternoon hunger pangs coming on we noticed a gelato shop across the road from where we stood. We only had to look at each other and smile before we found ourselves walking steadfastly toward the line up which was out the door. Wow, did we ever luck out!
Indelible Tip #2: If you like gelato look no further than the number one place to get it in Firenze – Gelateria La Carraia (Piazza Nazario Sauro, 25-red is the store we went to, but they now have multiple locations). Not only are the flavors all-natural but they have such an eclectic range that you will have difficulty choosing! Trust me on this one… ☺
On our final day in Firenze, Aimee had sourced out another gem of a restaurant and we asked the concierge to call and book us a table for later than evening. After arriving at the restaurant we found it jam packed with loud, boisterous and happy patrons, all seated communally in long tables.
It took us no time flat to exhaust the 20 words of our Italian vocabulary, and so two of the three brothers who run the restaurant looked to the third to help understand what we were looking for. Smiling he directed us to a long empty table and within moments we had two other couples all seated next to us. It soon became clear that this was the “English” table and that the younger brother "with English" (he had 30 words ☺) was to be our waiter for the evening. He explained the menu to all three couples at once, so we had to crane our necks to hear some of the menu items given the noise levels.
The most memorable moment of all came after he took our orders (try the Coniglio – rabbit and Nonna’s meatballs...beyond delicious!), he plonked down a large 1.5 liter of house red wine in front of each couple and said “drink all you want for 4Euros per person”. Not surprisingly, given that we were in Tuscany the wine was absolutely awesome! And such a great deal - the equivalent of two bottles of wine for 8Euros.
Needless to say we got chatting to the couple closest to us (Jackie and Paul) who were from York in the UK. After we had finished our sumptuous meal our waiter came over and said that we all had to leave, and directed us outside to the front of the restaurant where there were more tables and chairs so we could finish our wine…which we did quite happily, swapping travel stories with our new found friends late into the night. We had a fabulous time – great food, great wine and best of all great company!
Indelible Tip #3: For the most amazing meal of our entire trip to Italy we ate at a little neighborhood place about a 20-minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio bridge called Alla Vecchia Bettola (and located at Viale Vasco Pratolini 3/5/7). Just sit back and soak up the fascinating decor, the eclectic clientele and the wonderfully warm and generous hosts, not to mention the wonderful fare. Enjoy!
Firenze is one of the cities that you just have to put on your bucket list, not only is it stunningly beautiful and full of charm but it’s the gateway to Tuscany and if you’ve read my story “Chianti’s Best Kept Secret” you’ll want to extend your stay. Just sayin...
Have fun! ☺
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Firenze is one of the most popular cities in Italy to visit outside Rome, but in fact it's one of the most historic and beautiful cities in all of Europe - it truly is a masterpiece!
Long considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, the well-known and powerful Medici family ruled this center of European trade and finance on and off for over two centuries, with Firenze often being at the center of political mystery and intrigue. Although today its better known as the onetime home of Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo to name but a few.
During his long and tenured history the city has changed hands many times, (as an example, during Napoleon’s reign the city was under French jurisdiction, and during WWII the Nazis occupied the city for two years) fortunately for us, it remaining relatively unscathed in the process.
Not surprisingly, in 1982 Firenze was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fortunately for us, it's one of the few European cities that’s kept it charm and history intact and is literally awash in historic sites with everything from the world renown Duomo to the medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge, the Galleria dell’ Accademia (statue of David which is not to be missed) and the thousand or so other sites that make up the city.
This visit was Aimee’s first visit to Italy and so Tuscany was always going to be high on the list of places to visit, so why not start in the heart of Tuscany in Firenze. Given that I’ve been many times, I was still excited to show her the sites and enjoy the medieval charm of the old city.
After arriving on the first day, she was eager to start exploring and given that our hotel was only three blocks from the Duomo we headed out soon after dropping our bags. As we walked, I talked about the sheer beauty of the Duomo and the adjacent Piazza San Giovanni, but nothing could have prepared her for the image that reared into view as we turned the corner. I heard her gasp in awe as she caught sight of the Duomo for the very first time; such is the beauty of this magnificent building.
We slowly began circling the building taking in every nuance and detail; we noticed the extremely long lines for all the entrance points (to visit the dome the line was at least a 300 meter long line). Goodness knows how long it would have taken to get to the front of the cue that afternoon. I could see that she was a little disappointed in that we couldn’t go inside, but we devised an early morning strategy whereby we would be first in line when the Duomo opened the next day at 8:30 am.
The next morning dawned another perfect, cloudless day and we exited the hotel precisely at 8:15 am for the short walk to the Duomo. As we planned we were indeed first in line and were amongst the first to get to the top of the bell tower, and again as planned our tickets also provided us access to the top of the Dome which we followed up with after we’d exhausted ourselves taking literally hundreds of photos in the bell tower. Absolutely stunning photos – check them out at the end of the blog.
Indelible Tip #1: Always, and I mean always buy your tickets for major sites (especially the Uffizi and Galleria dell'Accademia) in advance unless you love to stand in long lines. Even with advance purchase there are lines, but they generally move faster. If you’re out to see as many sites as possible you may want to consider buying the Firenze Card which helps you skip the lines for many of the sights. I would also recommend paying the extra booking fee for a timed entry time slot then you have no lines to worry about.
Of course exploring always makes us hungry and we were fortunate enough to stumble upon a little hole in the wall sandwich shop called Il Cernacchino (located on Villa della Condotta, 38R). I would highly recommend this spot - fantastic crostini!
Time absolutely flies when you’re exploring a city, and we soon found ourselves some distance from the Ponte Vecchio bridge but along the Arno river to the North. Feeling the familiar mid afternoon hunger pangs coming on we noticed a gelato shop across the road from where we stood. We only had to look at each other and smile before we found ourselves walking steadfastly toward the line up which was out the door. Wow, did we ever luck out!
Indelible Tip #2: If you like gelato look no further than the number one place to get it in Firenze – Gelateria La Carraia (Piazza Nazario Sauro, 25-red is the store we went to, but they now have multiple locations). Not only are the flavors all-natural but they have such an eclectic range that you will have difficulty choosing! Trust me on this one… ☺
On our final day in Firenze, Aimee had sourced out another gem of a restaurant and we asked the concierge to call and book us a table for later than evening. After arriving at the restaurant we found it jam packed with loud, boisterous and happy patrons, all seated communally in long tables.
It took us no time flat to exhaust the 20 words of our Italian vocabulary, and so two of the three brothers who run the restaurant looked to the third to help understand what we were looking for. Smiling he directed us to a long empty table and within moments we had two other couples all seated next to us. It soon became clear that this was the “English” table and that the younger brother "with English" (he had 30 words ☺) was to be our waiter for the evening. He explained the menu to all three couples at once, so we had to crane our necks to hear some of the menu items given the noise levels.
The most memorable moment of all came after he took our orders (try the Coniglio – rabbit and Nonna’s meatballs...beyond delicious!), he plonked down a large 1.5 liter of house red wine in front of each couple and said “drink all you want for 4Euros per person”. Not surprisingly, given that we were in Tuscany the wine was absolutely awesome! And such a great deal - the equivalent of two bottles of wine for 8Euros.
Needless to say we got chatting to the couple closest to us (Jackie and Paul) who were from York in the UK. After we had finished our sumptuous meal our waiter came over and said that we all had to leave, and directed us outside to the front of the restaurant where there were more tables and chairs so we could finish our wine…which we did quite happily, swapping travel stories with our new found friends late into the night. We had a fabulous time – great food, great wine and best of all great company!
Indelible Tip #3: For the most amazing meal of our entire trip to Italy we ate at a little neighborhood place about a 20-minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio bridge called Alla Vecchia Bettola (and located at Viale Vasco Pratolini 3/5/7). Just sit back and soak up the fascinating decor, the eclectic clientele and the wonderfully warm and generous hosts, not to mention the wonderful fare. Enjoy!
Firenze is one of the cities that you just have to put on your bucket list, not only is it stunningly beautiful and full of charm but it’s the gateway to Tuscany and if you’ve read my story “Chianti’s Best Kept Secret” you’ll want to extend your stay. Just sayin...
Have fun! ☺
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“Hanoi Posting”
A series of micro-stories by Terence Wallis
Episode 12: The Number
The slip of paper was literally burning a hole in Bill's pocket, since following Phuong’s lead at the Star Coffee shop he’d tried to remain calm and speak as if nothing had changed. I guess it was the look in Phuong’s eyes that told him to be careful and to keep whatever was on the slip of paper concealed.
Excusing himself to go to the toilet, he nonchalantly walked in and quickly checked the stalls to make sure he was by himself, although this wasn’t enough as it was common practice for the government to have hidden camera’s and listening devices set up in toilets especially where westerns congregated.
As he unbuckled his pants and squatted he withdrew the slip from his trouser pocket and holding it in his hand kept the angle low, but noted there was a telephone number scrawled in Phuong’s neat handwriting.
As he exited he notice that Phuong wasn’t in his seat, but rather standing out front. Joining him Phuong motioned for him to follow as they made their way along Hàng Bè Street toward Hoan Kiếm Lake, which they sometimes like to walk around after coffee at the Star.
Walking in silence until they were well away from the coffee shop and immersed in the chaos that is Hanoi at this hour of the day. Bill drew even with Phuong and asked whose number was on the paper. “It is the one you seek” said Phuong.
Bill was still a little confused with the entire cloak and dagger charade, but Phuong was stony faced as he stopped and turned to Bill. “Do not trifle with Hanoi Rose, she is dangerous”.
Who’s Hanoi Rose Bill asked inquiringly?
Next week: Episode 13: Clear warning
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Firenze was an absolute photography feast. J Enjoy!
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| The Ponte Vecchio bridge from the 2nd floor of the Uffizi gallery |
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| Top of the Duomo |
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| The all marble tower adjacent to the Duomo - great viewing from up top! |
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| Such a magnificent colored sky - such a contrast to the green, white and orange marble of the tower |
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| Sunset over the Arno river in Firenze |
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| The surrounding hills of Firenze |
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| The vaulted ceiling inside the Uffizi Gallery - massive and so ornate! |
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| Santa Croce from the top of the Duomo |
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| Rolling nearby hills of Tuscany |
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| Looking toward the top of the Duomo - hand carved in marble... |
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| The Duomo under the requisite artsy sunburst |
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| The ancient Roman road that dissects Firenze (East - West) and its also the road that crosses the Ponte Vecchio bridge |
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| Notice the line up along the edge of the building, well that line continues around the back of the Duomo for another 100 or so meters... |
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| The view from the bell tower over the Duomo dome and the rest of Firenze |
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| Another sunkissed day...poor us! |
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| Lets not forget the architectural nuances and flourishes that accompany many of the buildings |
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| The statue of David at the Galleria della'Accademia - absolutely massive sculpture, but perfectly proportioned... |
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| The hand painted dome inside the Duomo...wow! |
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| How ironic?! Inside the walkway to the top of the dome at the Duomo |
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| On top of the Duomo |
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| Yep, even graffiti on top of the viewing platform on the Duomo |
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| Experimenting with the blur of a moving Merry-go-round in the Piazza della Repubblica |
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| Worms eye view of the Merry-go-round |
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| Modern door bell panel at an apartment building in Firenze |
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| An old door bell panel at an adjacent apartment building in Firenze |
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| Postcards and calendars for sale at the Piazza della Repubblica |
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| Love my Vespa's! |
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| Buildings reflected in the Arno river |
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| The underbridge reflection of the Arno river |
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| Ponte Vecchio in the afternoon sunshine |
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| Taken from the other side of the Ponte Vecchio - the last medieval bridge standing in Firenze after WWII....somehow this one was saved - thank goodness! |
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| Speeding through the crowd in the busy Piazza |
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| A little monochrome at the Piazza near Santa Croce |
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| The afternoon commute - how classy he looks! |
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| Listening to classical guitar at the Piazza degli Strozzi |
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