Our final day in Rome was sad but we were excited yet again to move onto the next city. This day we travelled from Rome to Florence on the train which took about an hour. When we arrived in Florence, we spent the next day exploring, climbing churches and towers, and wandering around in old crypts.
Time to leave Rome
We woke up a little later than normal as we got to the hotel late from the Opera the previous day. After having breakfast, packing bags, and checking out, we had a last walk around Rome before setting off to Florence by train. There was a cat in the window of a hardware store (we named it Hardware Cat). It reminded us of Cino and it was dying for a pat. Alas, the store was closed and we couldn’t pet Hardware Cat.
Piazzale Michelangelo
We got to Florence at around 1.30pm and once we got the keys to the apartment, we left our luggage and set off to explore. This was 1 May and was Labour Day for Italy. Many places were closed and the suburb we were staying in was almost completely desolate.
Eventually we found a bus service which took us to the Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s a hill which has great views of Florence and has a statue of David (there are many). The original David is at the Galleria dell’Accademia, which we have not put in our itinerary as we figured we have lined up quite enough.
The view from Piazzale Michelangelo is as grand as described on all travel blogs. But please, let the photos speak for us.
Ponte Vecchio and Over-Priced Cookie-Cutter Jewellery
We walked down the hill from the Piazzale Michelangelo and through a rose garden filled with fountains. It was a lovely, warm day and plenty of people were out with their wine.
Eventually, we made it to the Ponte Vecchio but also checked out a really eccentric jewellery and oddities shop on the way there. When the Mediccis administrated the city, they made the built-in bridge of Ponte Vecchio exclusive to jewellery stores. It is now a famous walk where you can window-shop all the shiny gold you can cast your eyes on.
Unfortunately, Chantal was really disappointed in the jewellery in the shops at the Ponte Vecchio. The designs and pieces all seem to be from the same jeweller or designer and just placed in differently named stores. There was an exception to this, which was a jewellery and homewares store which had cameos (and some of them were of cats!). They were extremely overpriced, however, so Chantal had to give up her dream on purchasing a souvenir from the Ponte Vecchio – but she didn’t give up on finding an item of jewellery in Florence.
Santa Maria Di Fiore – AKA Goodbye Legs
The next day (2 May) we climbed both the Duomo and the bell tower of the Santa Maria Di Fiore which is the main cathedral of Florence. The cathedral is a beautiful gothic structure built in the 1400s, with amazing attention to detail in every aspect on the exterior.
The interior is very different with minimal detail, except for a few frescos and the main chapel. The exception is the dome which showcases the most amazing fresco of Heaven, Devine justice and living by the book, and Hell.
In total we climbed almost 1,000 stairs to see the rooftops of Florence from both the Duomo (dome) and the bell tower. It was an awesome experience but left our legs feeling like jelly for quite a while afterwards.
Florentine Food
On our first night, Chris had a Ravioli in ham sauce while Chantal had a garlic prawn Tagliatelle. It was also the first time Chris tried an Aperol Spritz and he is now hooked.
Between the Duomo and the bell tower, we had a coffee break with some sweets at a patisserie which was across from the Santa Maria Di Fiore. For lunch, we opted for a “standing” meal of a insalata (sandwich) and Parmigiana.
For dinner, Chris had a Gnocchetti in Gorgonzola cream with rocket (yum!) and Chantal a Pappardelle della Ragu with “Wild Boar” sauce. This was by far the best pasta we have had yet.
Chris and Chantal 