A view from the train...First Day in Firenze
We had lunch at a trattoria called Mario which, according to our guide book, served cheap and good food. It certainly lived up to the recommendation. It was very crowded when we arrived and we had to share a table with 4 other customers (it was the norm there). I ordered a salad while M ordered a potato ravioli. The ravioli was so good that we placed a second fusilli order which turned out equally delicious! We paid less than 20 euros for the meal. Good food at great price, what else could I ask for?
See the long queue outside Mario? I wasn't kidding...Local Market
Near Mario was a market in Firenze and we popped in to take a look. The market was amazingly clean and I was so tempted to buy the fresh fruit produce there. Of course, I resisted because it would be strange holding a packet of peaches while visiting museums. :(
See the fresh meat section? Spotlessly clean.. Impressive...
You can find grocery stores (above) in the market too.
Basillica di Santa Croce
Our first tourist attraction for the day was Basillica di Santa Croce, located at Piazza di Santa Croce. The plaza used to be the execution ground for heretics (gasps) but has now become a bustling shopping place lined with various gift shops. This church is famous because the floor is paved with tombstones of famous Florentines of the past 500 years. When we arrived, the church was partially under renovation so we were not able to enjoy the grand interior decor, much to my disappointment. But I felt a sense of respect as I walked along the tombstones of many great people, e.g Donatello and Michelangelo.
Exterior of Sante Croce
Tombstone of Michelangelo
Tombstone of Donatello
The stained glass window inside Sante Croce
Duomo
From Santa Croce, we headed to the famous Florence's Duomo. The cathedral's tiered pink, white and green marble facade was certainly eye-catching from far. The building of the cathedral began in 1296 and took close to 150 years to complete. Inside the Duomo, one can find beautiful frescoes and stained glass windows by famous artistes, such as Donatello and Paolo Uccello.
Florence's Duomo and Campanile
Beautiful stained glass windows...
The amazing ceiling fresco...
Feeling adventurous, we decided to climb up the Campanile (total of 414 steps) to take a look at the view from the top. When we reached the top (finally), my legs were aching slightly but the view was terrific! You could see the entire Firenze city from here and enjoy the cool breeze that perked one up easily.
Top of the world!
After climbing 414 steps... the breath taking view...
The evidence is here! Bapistry
Next to the Duomo was the bapistry, one of the oldest buildings in Florence, which was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The bapistry was famous for its gilded bronze doors, with the ten panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament.
The famous bronze doors
When we completed our Duomo visit, it was close to evening so we decided to head to another recommended trattoria for dinner. As we were there early, we got our seats fairly quickly. One thing which bothered me was the restaurants typically open at 7.30pm or 8pm which was far too late for me. I prefer an early dinner at around 6pm. Anyway, I tried the famous bread pudding and bean soup while M had his spaghetti alio. Both dishes turned out ok. We were so full after one dish that we couldn't order the main course (note: both the soup and spaghetti were considered starters), much to the dismay of the waitress. We ended our first day tour around Firenze with a slow walk back to the hotel, enjoying the sight along the way.
Second Day at Firenze
Our second day began very early. We woke up at 7am, had a quick breakfast before heading to the Uffizi Gallery. This gallery houses the world's single greatest collection of Italian and Florentine art pieces and is a "must-see" place for all who visit Firenze. To my dismay, there was already a long queue formed when we arrived and we had to wait for close to 2 hours before we finally got in.
While I was impressed by the various masterpieces displayed in the gallery, I must say the organisation of the museum was quite disappointing. The rooms were fairly cramped and I thought the paintings were "cluttered" together. But I was glad to be able to boast of seeing the real drawings of Da Vinci's Annunciazione, Michelangelo's Tondo Doni (depicting the Holy Family) and Raphael's Leo X. The pictures seemed so real that they literally "leaped" out to you as you stepped in. Even an art idiot like me could enjoy the pieces, despite a total lack of understanding, so you can imagine how good these artists were.
We completed our Uffizi tour in around 2 hours and by then, it was close to lunch-time. We decided to explore the trattorias in a different side of the town and started off a long walk again. It was a beautiful sunny day and I enjoyed the sights along the way, taking pictures at the same time.
Walking along the river...
Beautiful sights that you see...
We walked past the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, one of the places we wanted to visit. We did not go there eventually because strangely, the ticket office did not sells tickets for the Boboli Gardens. You MUST buy a combined ticket that includes an exihibition that we were both not interested in. So I ended up taking pictures of the exterior only. Sigh.. it was really a pity we couldn't get in. I really couldn't understand how things worked in Italy.
The Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens We had a quick lunch at the trattoria but it was quite unsatisfying for M. We ordered a pate which turned out to be bread served with chicken liver. I absolutely hated it and refused to eat another bite. My soup was so-so while M didn't enjoy his food either. So we decided to check out another trattoria located not far away.. and guess what we found? We actually stumbled upon a UNESCO Heritage Site in Firenze! The amazing thing was this was not mentioned in any of the five guide books that we read. Isn't this strange?
Surprise! We stumbled on a UNESCO site.. which is...
This!
I didn't eat much for the second meal but ordered a cappucino while M had another helping of fusilli. After our (second) lunch, we took a walk along Ponte Vecchio, another famous sight in Florence. The bridge, filled with shops selling gifts and food, was the only bridge not blown up by the Nazis in 1944.
The famous Ponte Vecchio from far
Can you read this?
A glimpse of the Uffizi Gallery
Capturing the Piazza della Signoria
We completed all the sights that we wanted to see (excluding the Boboli Gardens) by late afternoon on the second day. It was impossible to go to Sienna then as it was too late so we decided to while our time away at an Internet cafe. I had preferred a more "eventful" day but we faced constraints beyond our control, like queues and strange ticketing practices. But I guess it's good to enjoy a break after a few days of hectic rush.
we rested at our hotel for a (long) while before heading off for an early dinner. I asked Anna to recommend a nice eatery near our hotel and she suggested "Due G", 5 minutes' walk away. It turned out to be a very good recommendation! I had a good helping of potato ravioli while M had fried chicken. The waitress recommended a plate of vegetables which I readily agreed, only to find out later that it was a plate of mixed vegetable tempura! Though I disliked fried stuff, the vegetables turned out to be quite yummy (I was to regret it later because I fell sick subsequently). I also ordered the famous Firenze dessert i.e. biscotti with dessert wine. M found it normal but I thought the biscuits dipped in sweet wine were very special. This was a place that I would definitely recommend to other friends visiting Florence.
The trattoria recommended by Anna: Due GWe went back to our hotel for an early rest before our final destination to Rome the next morning.
After Thought
Florence was a decent place to visit but I found it less exciting compared to Venice. The Uffizi Gallery was the main highlight but I guess my lack of art appreciation made it "more ordinary" than it should have been. My main grouse would be the long queues that I encountered almost every where in Florence. While the food was cheaper and better compared to Venice, I still give Venice "thumbs UP" in terms of its tourist infrastructure and unique city appeal.
1 comment:
It's such a pleasure to read your posts on Italy. Makes me want to go there now!! You should be a travel writer! :)
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