Firenze (October 2022)
I arrived in Firenze (also known as Florence) on the Friday, 14th October 2022.
I’ve heard many people tell me Florence is beautiful.
It’s easy to describe a place as beautiful, gorgeous, stunning or lovely.
It’s much harder to explain what it is exactly that you love so much.
My favourite part of Firenze is along the river Arno. It’s quieter here. The water rests, calmly reflecting the archways of the bridges overhead.
Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.
Yogi Berra
Firenze is full of tourists. Every street, every shop, every piazza. Smiling at cameras, licking gelato, walking.
Since my trip to Morocco I’ve grown used to busy streets, it doesn’t bother me much. Earbuds in, music on, ignore the crowds, watch out for the taxis.
Accomodation: __ YellowSquare Hostel 3 nights Avg price of $75 NZD a night for a bed in a 6 person dorm
A modern hostel. Conveniently located 15 minutes from the main train station (Firenze Santa Maria Novelle).
Reception is open 24 hours, check-in from 3pm. Best to book direct through their website. They also have hostels in Roma and Milano.
My friend did try to call them for a last minute booking, but no one picked up. Not sure why, there are plenty of staff working here.
Each dorm bed is already made with a fitted sheet and a pillow. You get a top sheet and a light duvet. There are no curtains on the bunks, most people use the top sheet as a curtain for privacy. I use my towel.
The room is fitted with your standard vertical locker for bag storage. There is also a little vault for valuables which is a nice touch.
There is also a bathroom attached to the room, with a toilet and shower. It would have been nice if the bathroom had a lock. The shower is hot and refreshing, but there is nowhere to leave your gear while washing.
Tip
Ask for your water bottle to be refilled at the bar. If you ask nice they will give also add some ice, helps keep you cool while your out and about!
There is a decent bar/cafe. The acoustics in the lobby aren’t great though. The chatter of young excited voices fill the air, layered on top of spotify tracks pumped out just a bit too loud.
There are only a few seats available with access to a power outlet. There is seating outside, but the noise from the traffic can be a bit much.
Good if you want to hang out with your friends and meet other travellers. Pretty average if you need to get some work done.
Sights __
What brought me to Firenze? I’m here because my friend Rowan was travelling here for a day trip.
On Saturday morning, I met up with Rowan and his partner Jae. We wandered around the city.
Ponte Vecchio: The oldest bridge on the river. Thick with jewlery shops. Fascinating to think what is keeping the buildings from falling off.
Piazza della Signoria: The heart of Firenze. A square looking up at the goose necked tower of the Palazza Vecchio. The towering figure of David looms above the crowd. He gazes indifferently over to the massive arches of the Loggia dei Lanzi, where a collection of smaller statues are on display.
My favourite is the black marble statue of Perseus, sword by his side, holding the severed head of Medusa while her body lies limp on the ground, blood gushing from the neck.
Fun Facts 😍
Did you know that David has little hearts in his eyes?
Uffizi Gallery: Massive art gallery. Amazing to learn about the progression of art in the 14th century, watching as artists switch from flat 2d art to rich vibrant deeply realistic 3d scenes.
My favourite pieces are by Caravaggio, a master of light.
His Medusa, painted on a shield is amazing to see. The snakes of hair seem to wriggle as the Gorgon screams soundlessly, her eyes wide in surprise.
I also loved the painted ceilings in the hallway, a kaleidoscope of imagery.
Food: No shortage of over-priced gelato, pasta and pizza. I’d recommend any place with decent reviews on Google Maps.
Places I visited:
- Lunch at Trattoria Roberto.
- Interior takes you back several decades, with it’s yellowed walls, wooden trim, arched ceiling and dim lighting.
- I enjoyed the tagliatelle with tomato and pesto sauce. The bread basket was disappointingly stale, but the tomato and mozzarella antipasti made up for it.
- Zoe ordered the vegetable soup. It didn’t like any soup I’d ever seen before, more like a vegetable mash, not at all soupy. Zoe says it was delicious though.
- Perche No! for ice cream
- Mangia Pizza for pizza
- Artiginale Ditta for coffee. I tried one of their signature coffees with chestnut cream, but wasn’t a dan of the flavour.
- Antica Porchetteria Granieri 1916 for a roast pork sandwich, great for a quick dinner before catching an evening train. It’s just one guy running the show, pumping out sandwich after sandwich. I don’t eat pork very often, but found the Nicino sandwich with pecorino cheese very tasty.
Running: Like in Roma, it’s best to go running in the morning before the streets get too crowded. I enjoyed running along the cobbled streets following the river. I saw a surprising number of other runners out, I wonder if there was an event on.