Ciao di Firenze! Citta bella della arte!
After arriving yesterday in Firenze (Florence), I am left in an awe that I haven’t experienced since I arrived in Europe on December 28th. Florence really is a gem here in Europe. I love this city and I am very fortunate to be here to see the awe and wonder that the city gives off.
Today, I woke up in my hotel, had breakfast, and set off to see the rest of the city and the adventure that the city has to offer. I started off walking to the Galleria d'Accademia to see the famous Michelangelo’s David. After walking into the museum, I was inspired by the many masterpieces of famous Italian artists and sculptors. I loved seeing the David and seeing the beauty of Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture. The David seemed so real and so beautiful. I was staring at it for at least 10 minutes just thinking how such a beautiful masterpiece was created with such great artistic precision and perfection.
After the Galleria d’Accademia, I headed to the Duomo and went inside the beautiful Cathedral. It was amazing and the church inside has beautiful art and architecture that can’t be found anywhere in the world. I also had the opportunity to climb the Dome. That was 463 steps, with no elevator, and very small spaces for climbing. Let’s just say it was a huge workout. Afterwards, I dared myself, and of course, I climbed Giotto’s Tower which was 417 steps. The climbing after all was so worth it because the views were spectacular. So spectacular that I saw all of Florence, and I saw the rolling hills and mountains of Tuscany. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
I decided after all that climbing that I should treat myself to a nice lunch. I went to Piazza Della Repubblica and went to a Café called Gilli. Gilli was founded in 1736. 1736! That’s older than the independence of the U.S. and many things that I have seen. It was really nice, and I had a really typical Italian lunch: Gnocchi, Bruschetta (bread, olive oil, tomatoes, and garlic.), a nice glass of Chianti 2004 wine, a nice Flan for dessert with a cappuccino con doppio café (two Italian espressos mixed as a cappuccino). All I can say it was really good.
After lunch, I go to the Ponte Vecchio, the most beautiful bridge and one of the most famous landmarks in Florence. I spent by far way too much money and bought a beautiful 18 karat gold cross pendant on the Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio and all of Florence are most well known for their gold and leather. Due to that I love jewelry, I bought the gold pendant. There’s one thing you need to learn about Florence….It is a beautiful city, but it can get expensive because sometimes one doesn’t realize how much money one spends.
After the Ponte Vecchio I went to dinner at this beautiful restaurant where I had typical Florentine meat with the best wine from the Montepulciano region. Let me just say, dinner was amazing. Probably the best I have ever eaten in a long time. The meat was almost rare. Florentine meat usually is almost rare, but it was amazing.
After dinner, I went back to my hotel to rest because my day was so action packed with so much stuff. I was really tired, and felt that the whole day was worth it. One of the best days of my life so far ;-)
Tomorrow, I go to Pisa and then return for my last night in Florence, the beautiful historical city of the Renaissance.