I do not think I am exaggerating with this title: Firenze really is a nice place to visit and a gem of Toscana. For this reason we decided to dedicate a full weekend to this place (with a little stop in Pisa).
It took quite a while to plan this trip, because there are tons of things to visit in Firenze and so little time. In the end we chose two primary targets for the two days: The Gallery of the Art Academy and The Uffizi Gallery. I have booked a reservation for both museums on this website.
Also we have chosen a hostel to stay at, which I would recommend to anyone who goes to Firenze: the Plus Florence hostel was a very nice experience.
Getting to Firenze from Genova could be done very easily using only Regionale trains (cheaper, but stops at every station). After the Pisa trip we have arrived to Firenze at around 14:30, which gave us plenty of time to explore the city before the booked visit at 16:30 to the Gallery of the Art Academy. Everything is really close in the city-center. We went to visit the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral first. Entrance into the cathedral itself is free, but if someone wants to enter the Dome (the eastern part of the building) to admire the frescoes, it costs €8, which together with the huge line was unacceptable for us. We took some photos around the church, went in for some refreshments into a nearby bar and went straight to find the Art Academy.
The Gallery of the Art Academy is a pretty simple building from the outside. The entry fee without booking is €6.5. Our additional €4 for the booking proved to be useless, because there was no line at all at that time. We went in to admire a beautiful collection of musical instruments, paintings and sculptures, among which the famous Statue of David (original) by Michelangelo. The whole visit took about an hour and I think we have spent quite some time examining most of the exhibits. One important thing: taking photos is strictly forbidden, and there is a tight security with metal detectors at the entrance, so try not to have too many metallic things with you 🙂 .
We have found our hostel really easily and checked in. We were happy to find out that there was a swimming pool, sauna and some fitness machines included into the price. The hostel itself was really tidy and nice, with a bunch of young tourist. The nightlife was also full, having it’s own party-room in the basement.
After checking in, we went out to find a nice restaurant where we can eat dinner. Around the San Lorenzo Church (Medici Chapel) there is a market, which is pretty crowded in the daytime. In the evening, however, the marketeers take off their tents, and a lot of restaurants get to be visible behind them. Most of them have a waiter standing in the door inviting visitors in. Almost all of them were pretty pushy which was getting to be pretty annoying as we tried to find a restaurant which suited us (price and offer). In the end we have chosen the restaurant whose waitress was the least pushy, she was actually more inviting and kind by doing so. Our meal was great and the pricing was acceptable. Unfortunately I can not remember the name of the restaurant, but I know it is somewhere in the northern corner of the market.
The next day we went out at around 11:00, after an “all you can eat” English-breakfast at the hostel buffet (for €5). We had some time until the scheduled visit into the Uffizi, so we decided to visit the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral again. This time there were no lines, so we said we will try to go up into the tower of the dome-complex, Giotto’s Bell Tower (Campanile di Giotto). The entry fee was €6, but again, as with all towers, it was worth it. On the last floor, one could admire a beautiful view of Firenze in every direction. The only bad thing was, that when we realized, that we are starting to be late for our next scheduled visit, and tried to rush down… the bells started to bang. And it was loud. We thought initially that the bells are out of order… well they were not… they were alive and loud 🙂 .
We arrived at the Uffizi Gallery just in time. In front of the museum there was a huge crowd, waiting to get inside. Lucky for us, we already booked in advance, so we just walked in front of everyone (to entrance No 1) and got in (the power of the internet 😀 ). The entry fee is also €6.5 plus the usual €4 for the booking. Again taking photos is forbidden, and the security with metal detectors at the entrance is present here also. All bags had to be left in a locker before entering the museum.
I thought we will be able to finish with the museum in about an hour and a half (maximum 2)… well I was wrong. The museum is HUGE and filled with LOTS of exhibits. It took us around three and a half hours to take the tour. It was well worth it, there are paintings from many famous artists (Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo etc. ) as well as lots of ancient statues on the corridor. Most of the pieces are original, but there are also a lot of copies.
After the visit we only had time to visit the Ponte Vecchio, which is an interesting bridge with jewelry shops on it and a famous landmark of Firenze. From the bridge we went to see the Palazzo Pitti, but we did not have time to enter. The Palazzo Pitti actually contains a number of museums, and entry prices vary according to which group the tourist wants to visit.
In the end we decided to go and have lunch at the same bar near the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral where we took the refreshments the day before. For €13.5 we could buy a pretty neat lunch with soda.
With this lunch our short visit to Firenze was concluded, it was already time to go to the train station and get back home. Anyway, now I know, that Firenze needs more than just a short weekend. I would recommend 4-5 days to have time to visit more stuff. It is a place I would recommend to anyone and a place I will definitely will return to for a longer visit.
I have uploaded some pictures on my Picasa account.
Very nice information. Thanks for this.
Very nice information. Thanks!