Ah, Florence.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuvQ2CEkEB
Beautiful, beautiful Florence. What more can I say? This city is gorgeous. There is something so alluring about its terracotta roofs and narrow back streets.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFEAmt44lD
This city was - and is - the true cradle of the Renaissance.
Whilst the rest of Italy was ruled by monarchs or dukes or part of the Papal kingdoms, Florence of the fifteenth century was a republic. Ruled by the wealthy banking family the Medici, artists flourished. The Medici were notorious patrons and everyone from Da Vinci to Michelangelo to Botticelli were taken under the Medici wing. Vasari called this the 'golden age' and I dare to say I agree with him.
Florence reflects her artistic past. No where better can you visualise the great masters of the arts strolling through streets in their youth, quarrelling in the city's many squares and piazzas.
Now, if you ever find yourself in Florence, bear the following things in mind.
The Uffizi
I was absolutely chomping at the bit to get into here. I could not physically wait. When booking the tickets (always pre-book!) and looking at the gallery map, I caught sight of the 'Da Vinci Room'. This had me ecstatic.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡre22UXBJ7A
A whole room dedicated to the greatest man of all time?!
I will save you the hassle.
No.
When we got into the 'Da Vinci Room' there was a grand total of one Da Vinci painting. Granted, The Adoration of the Magi was away for restoration work, but still. Two Da Vinci paintings does not constitute a room, Uffizi! The others in the room were by artists Da Vinci was influenced by. The Verrochio painting with Da Vinci's obvious contribution hangs there too, so perhaps there are two and a half Da Vinci works if you visit when the Adoration is on display.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9h4tVYfYwy
Luckily, The Annunciation is my favourite Da Vinci painting and so this softened the blow a little. But still... one painting?383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QYP4ePNPd
And to make matters worse, cutting right through the centre of the room was a huge queue waiting to see the Tribuna on the other side. (Admittedly the Tribuna is gorgeous, but the queue meant that nobody could explore the room properly).
Overall, the Uffizi is overpriced for what you see if you do not wholeheartedly care about either the art or the artists. For me, it was a slight letdown but I put up with it because of my love for Da Vinci and desire to see Botticelli's Venus in person. My friends, however, do not share this same passion and the Uffizi let them down.
However, the Cafe at the end of the gallery has a balcony that offers great views of the Duomo!
The Duomo
It is to my great regret that we were unable to go inside the Duomo. I would have loved to have seen Raphael's Last Judgement in person but alas, it was not to be.
We arrived in Florence on Saturday afternoon and left Monday morning. We wanted to leave the Duomo until the Sunday, intending to hit it on our way back from the Uffizi. We had not thought to check whether or not it would be open! Thus it had restricted access as there were services going on inside. This meant that we had missed our chance to go inside, and the queue to get inside Giotto's Campanile was horrendously huge what with the dome of the Duomo being closed off to tourists as well as the church.
However, the building is beautiful from the outside and there are so many restaurants and cafes surrounding it. We ate dinner and tea both nights looking up at the Duomo, all lit up at night. It looks astounding and it was one of the moments I am thankful for. Sitting in a beautiful city, looking up at a stunning piece of Brunelleschi's architecture, surrounded by some of my good friends, eating amazing Italian food with a nice glass of something cold and alcoholic. It really doesn't get any better.
The Da Vinci Museum
Okay so this is a must! Da Vinci lover or not, visit the museum!383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuwHcYJOOr
It is a tiny exhibition literally two minutes away from the Duomo, and it is filled to the brim with wooden recreations of Da Vinci's designs. Plus, it's ridiculously cheap to gain entry.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDeZV1EDwMq
The friends I had gone with thought of Da Vinci as only a painter, and upon our exit, looked at me in something akin to shock and said: 'But I had no idea he did all that stuff!'383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqAcmHP8ft
It is an interactive, informative and fun thing to do. It doesn't take longer than an hour and it's an ideal attraction for kids and adults alike.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwT0olwIbWj
It is a fabulous little homage to the most famous man of the Renaissance.
(View of the Duomo, taken outside the Da Vinci museum.)
Piazza Della Signoria
Directly outside the Uffizi gallery, this piazza is simply a beautiful place to be.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yCdOSLxBq
The Loggia dei Lanzi is a statuary in the corner of the Piazza; some statues are recreations of ones inside Florence's galleries, others are originals from the seventeenth century and eighteenth century. It is a great place to sit and find shade from the summer sun, and a great place to soak up the atmosphere of the square.
The Piazza also has, on select summer nights, a jazz band that play in the square. They play a mix of classic jazz songs and new pop songs that have been converted into jazz. The band play fairly late into the night, and perhaps my favourite memory from all of Florence was walking through the Uffizi archways at night, heading to the Arno river, looking at the statues of the great artists and philosophers and writers that line the walkway with the sounds of the band playing in the background.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWbJMg1gvG
I had never heard anyone mention this on Tripadvisor or any other travel website before we went, so it seems to be quite the hidden gem.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnRUsIXIlp
It is truly an incredible thing to witness if you get the chance. There are people dancing, singing, clapping, you name it... the atmosphere is indescribable.
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Florence is, all in all, a stunning city filled to bursting with culture and art.
Pros: Beautiful architecture, ice cream that is to die for (better than anywhere else in Italy, in my humble opinion), food that is to die for (I had the best pizza of my entire life in Florence... and the restaurant that served it also gave us a free glass of wine upon arrival and a free round of shots after paying the bill... Florence wins!!) and an incredible atmosphere that cannot be beaten.
Cons: The Uffizi is overpriced and crowded. The Accademia, where Michelangelo's David lives, had a queue so terrifyingly long that we did not go and see David. (We didn't book tickets as we were unsure of whether or not we would have enough time. We certainly wouldn't if we would have waited in that god-awful queue!) My advice would be to book everything. Booking tickets in advance means you can skip the queue. It won't be any less busy when you get inside, but it will save you precious time.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtuG8PuOnC
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Next time... Something closer to home: the beautiful ancient city of York.
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