Tags
backpacking, bridge, cathedral, florence, friends, italy, michelangelo, pasta, ponte vicchio, travel
We couldn’t very well travel to Italy and not at least take a short stopover in Florence. Danyka’s brother insisted that we would love it, and was he ever right! Though I have to say… I wish we had been able to stay forever.
Florence is one of the most romantic cities I’ve ever been to. So it’s only fitting Danyka and I visited together (ferris wheel rides, candlelit dinners and all that other stuff we have a tendency to enjoy… it’s okay, we are worried about our future love lives too…)
Moving on… We decided to take an early morning train from Rome to Florence, spend the day in Florence and take the overnight train to Munich. So we got straight to work as soon as we got into the city and set off to explore.
Our first stop, Piazzale Michelangelo, was recommended by our awesome travel agent. The square was built in the mid-1800s in dedication to the famous sculptor, Michelangelo (duh). And I have to say that it showed off absolutely stunning views of the city. We were in awe and in true C & D fashion took a billion photos there. In all fairness, you probably would too.
Next up it was time for lunch. We wandered back down to the city centre to find a good lunch spot. After randomly selecting side streets we ran smack into Florence Cathedral, also known as Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The cathedral had some of the most interesting and beautiful detailing. It was unlike any other church we had seen (and trust me, we saw plenty!) This photo doesn’t even do it justice.
It was a bright and sunny day so we chose a little Italian restaurant close by and sat outside on the patio. When ordering our server convinced Danyka to stray from her favourite pasta dish to try this ‘delicious’ fancy pasta. It ended up looking like this:
No further explanation necessary…
After lunch we went into the cathedral to look around. The inside wasn’t incredibly exciting and was a little bare to be honest but I did get to light a candle for my pops, which is a tradition I have when I go in any new church. For those who have travelled with me they know I have a fascination with churches and so for the past few years every time I’ve gone in one I light a candle in memory of my dad.
Following our venture in the church we got gelato (obviously) and wandered the streets of downtown Florence before heading over to Ponte Vecchio. This famous bridge spans over the Arno river in the middle of Florence but is famous for having shops built all across it. It was actually pretty neat and of course, gorgeous (I’m going to have to find some more synonyms for beautiful…but it really was). I think it was especially enchanting at night with all the lights reflecting off the water.
Our last stop of the day was for dinner at a another little Italian restaurant. By that time I had just about had enough of carbs (never thought you’d hear me say that hey?) So I decided to order a caesar salad instead… Poor life choice. It was absolutely terrible and I just couldn’t eat it. Not wanting to be rude I did what any normal adult would do: I put my napkin on my lap and tried to subtly brush the salad onto the napkin and then disposed of it in the bathroom. Danyka was on patrol duty to make sure our server didn’t notice… True team work right there.
Though we didn’t have long in Florence we absolutely loved the city. I now understand why everyone that goes there gushes about it, there’s just something so special about it.
After an early morning and a long day we were quite excited to get on our overnight train to head to Munich, though the ride was not exactly what we were anticipating… But that’s a whole other story. So, until next time…
With Love,
CW