A city recommended by the wonderful friends who hosted me in Rome and the place of many new happy memories and steps. As part of by February break, I found Florence.
So far on my adventures, I have been staying in AirBnBs with groups of new friends from the exchange program. This is definitely a great option for groups of people travelling together, because it helps keep the costs down and you get to bond over cheese and wine. Florence, I was on my own, something I was nervously excited about. Doing some solo travel was one of my goals for my exchange experience, but talking about it and actually doing it are two different things. Florence marks my first true solo travel trip, train, hostel, and all.
I stayed in the Santa Monaca, which is in the historic centre of Florence, but far enough away from the high tourist areas that it was still cheap. The hostel itself was actually converted from an old convent, which was neat. It was clean, felt secure, and had a great atmosphere. I found that being alone made it easier to reach out to the other people staying in the hostel, and met some new people from all over the world! Some of those people, we all soon realized, were actually studying at the same university in Lyon, in the other of the two exchange programs offered by the school. So, Europe Lesson (or I guess anywhere?): Say hi to your hostel neighbours 🙂
There is so much to see in Florence that just walking around the city is activity unto itself. This is especially good if your sense of direction is like mine and you end up wandering around a lot more than initially anticipated.
The outside of the buildings like the Duomo and the Bell Tower are intricate and colourful, and, much like Rome, there seems to be some sort of church and/or statue and/or fountain in almost every piazza you come across- which is a lot!
You can also find yourself in one of the oldest pharmacies in the world, Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, which is a pharmacy like you have never experienced and absolutely worth the visit. And, of course, Ponte Vecchio is a must see, especially for someone who likes shiny things. I wasn’t sure what Ponte Vecchio was, just that it was supposed to be something interesting. As I walked across it at dusk, the shops lining the bridge quite literally gleamed as all the jewelry reflected the shop lighting into the darkening sky. I don’t think I have ever seen that many high end jewelry stores in one place!
Finally, as I mentioned in my Art in Italy post, the bubbly, layered clouds and dappled lighting changing throughout the day made quite a sight as well!
I also found that while many of the historical buildings had high admission prices (discounts only for EU citizens, not students!) they often had big entryways or foyers that displayed lovely art and architecture. So, I lived by the better to ask forgiveness rule and wandered in and out of open doors until I hit a ticket desk or a security guard (I didn’t accidentally break in anywhere, I promise!).
The places I did actually pay to go into were the Ufizi Gallery, the five monuments in Piazza del Duomo (these are all on one ticket, for anyone planning to go in the future), and the Galileo Museum. I would highly recommend the first two of these tickets as excellent value, if you have to pick and choose to fit your budget, like I did. Again, you can read about my incredible experience in the Ufizi Gallery in my Art in Italy post- it is probably one of my favourite museums to date. The Galileo Museum is really interesting if you have an interest in history and science- I found it fascinating how easily art and science mixed during Galileo’s era. It is not, however, for the squeamish, as ‘relics’ of Galileo’s fingers appear centrally with little warning.
The five monuments in Piazza del Duomo are Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, the Duomo itself- the dome of the cathedral, the Baptistry of San Giovanni, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Crypt of Santa Reparata- the remains of the Santa Reparata Basilica found under the cathedral.
You also get admission to the Museum of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore. All of the monuments are beautiful, but my favorites were the Duomo and the Bell Tower- though, if you plan on doing it all in one day, like I did, be warned- you will be climbing approximately 877 steps. The steps are through narrow, stone passages and lead to some spectacular views though, so I would say absolutely worth it 🙂
Another must see spot in Florence, on what is apparently becoming Shannon’s Adventures to High Places in Europe, is the Piazza Michelangelo, which offers a wonderful panoramic view of Florence, and a pretty walk on tree-lines roads and paths. The first signs of Spring were starting to show here, including a wall covered in pretty little yellow flowers.
Beyond the sights in Florence, one of the overwhelming aspects of the shopping is the leather. Firenze is known for leather production, and you absolutely know it, for there are many, many leather filled shops lining the streets and even more stalls filling them in the outdoor markets. As luck would have it, the strap on my purse snapped early on my first day in Florence. I was a bit frustrated until I remembered I was in what could be called the City of Purses.
It was not easy to figure out the leather industry in Florence- it required a fair bit of research, scoping out, and comparison. I ended up getting a lovely leather purse from a shopkeeper whose factory is about thirty minutes outside of Florence. This was after wandering through countless stalls in the Mercato Centrale and the Mercato Nuovo (and being called after by sellers, and even haggling a bit- Florence leather markets are not for the shy or faint) and talking to lots of different shop keepers around the city.
I even made it to the leather school in Florence, where all the products are made on site- though exponentially out of any student budget! I found that the markets were certainly more tourist oriented, and while the prices were low and up for discussion, the products weren’t necessarily the greatest quality if true Italian leather is your goal. So leather in Florence: do your research and be prepared to not only be a bit overwhelmed with the widest variety of selection you could dream of!
Have any of you who have have made it to the end of another rambling post been to Florence? I would love to hear about your experiences and what you loved!
Thanks for reading!
XO,
Shannon
Two Red Boots 
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