We stayed in Florence for two days at the nicest hotel of our trip, the Hilton Gardens in Florence. A brand new hotel with very modern amenities and free Internet. Even though the hotel was on the edge of the city, the #22 bus would shuttle us from the city center to the hotel in a matter of minutes.
Our first day in Florence we visited the Academia, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Duomo. The Academia's main attraction is Michelangelo's David. The statue is positioned at the end of a long hallway, that is lined with unfinished works by Michelangelo, and sits under a glass dome. The statue is truly breathtaking and desires all the recognition it receives.
By the way, if you are taking a trip to Europe, we strongly recommend downloading Rick Steves' travel podcasts. They are very well done and are much less expensive than the audio tours (they are free).
After the Academia, we visited the most recognizable building in Florence, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or Duomo. The Dome, designed by Brunelleschi, was finished in 1436 and dominates the Florence skyline. The interior of the dome is completely covered in amazing Frescoes depicting final judgement while the rest of the Basilica is huge but unimpressive. A highlight is climbing the dome to get a panoramic view of Florence. The climb is grueling and scary (for Valerie), but the views and the experience is well worth it. Just outside of the Basilica is the Baptistery with the famous Golden Doors or Gates of Paradise. It is said these doors ushered in the Renaissance. Also near the Basilica is the famous Giotto Bell Tower. It was pointed out on many occasions that during his day, Giotto was the most unattractive man walking around Florence. How would you like to carry that moniker for eternity!?!?!
Our next stop was the Uffizi Gallery, which is well worth the visit. The highlight was getting to see Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring. It is hard to imagine this was the private collection of the Medici Family!! On the way to the Uffizi, you pass through the Piazza della Signoria. This famous Piazza is lined with a number of very recognizable statues and was the original location of Michelangelo's David. A replica now stands in it's place.
One more tip if your planning a trip to Florence, MAKE RESERVATIONS!! The lines for the Uffizi and Academia become quite long and could consume your entire day. By making reservations, we were able to stroll right on in.
On our last day in Florence we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce. This Basilica reminded us of the Westminster Abby in London in that some of Italy's most recognized names are buried here. Such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, Marconi, and Fermi. It is a must see.
We left Florence about midday and headed up to Lucca and Pisa.
To see more pictures from our time in Florence, visit my Flickr site:
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