Italy: Florence — Day 2
Like always, I woke up super early to see the sunrise in Florence. I have three full days here, and I wanted to make the most of it. I’ve be interested in art for a bit (not that I know much) so this city was what I was looking forward to the most!
I turned a rather dingy looking corner to be greeted by this majestic work of art, the Brunelleschi Dome and the Florence Cathedral. It honestly took my breath away, and I turned that corner multiple times to just get that shock again. It was also a shockingly beautiful day!
My first stop was Galleria dell’Accademia, where THE David by Michaelangelo is. The statue that defines the mannerism movement.. It was just as I imagined it! Gigantic and majestic.
The Galleria dell’Accademia used to be a school for aspiring artists, but recently has been converted to house the works of the students who had studied there — the most notable/famous being Michaelangelo. Although I got there very early (8 ish AM) there was already a very, very long line. Because of all the tourists, all the lines are long so make sure to plan that into your schedule if you want to visit!
My next stops were other Piazzas and Basilica of Santa Croce, and then I went to check out the Medici Chapel. The Medici family was a very, very rich and powerful family in Italy around the late 14th century until late 17th century. They sponsored the creation of a lot of significant works before, during, and after the renaissance. One of their crowning jewels is the Chapel of the Princes in the Medici Chapel. It is the tomb to six(?) of the male medicis with lots of influence and power during their times. I should have taken a better lens, so I couldn’t capture much of the grandeur but its beautifully and ornately decorated with the most previous materials and skill.
I decided to tackle the cluster of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Cathedral), Giotto’s Campile (Bell Tower), and Florence Baptistry. You can purchase one ticket that admits you entrance into all of the cluster buildings. Here, too, because it is a cathedral, you must cover your shoulders and legs. There are people selling scarves at the entrance for women who are wearing shorts, but I got away by wearing my shirt as a skirt.
And here’s a preview of just the first half of the line to show you how ridiculously long the lines were.
But the lines are totally worth the view that you get from inside the buildings..
AS WELL AS ON TOP! The walk up the dome is absolutely awful, to be honest. It is narrow, hot, not ventilated, and stuffed with way too many people than it should handle. But once you’re up breathing fresh air and seeing the amazing view, you’ll quickly forget your annoyance.
I met up with a friend of a friend who was also studying abroad, but in Florence, and after grabbing a bite to eat in the Mercato Centrale (food court) I was able to get a colorful closeup photo of the ponte vecchio, and got two servings of ice creams, because why not.
I am also not a huge fan of Italian food that is served in America, but the sandwiches and breakfasts foods were amazing.
Italy, though, sells pretty much only Italian food wherever you go. So be prepared to only eat Italian food for your whole time there. For dinner, I wanted to grab some legit Italian pizza, because I hear it’s different from and better than American pizza. So I asked around in my super professional Italian where the best pizza place in town was. A friend from the hostel and I ended up in one of the piazzas bustling with people and live music south into Oltrarno. In short, I didn’t like it at all. I miss my chicago style deep dish pizza full of unhealthy oils and grease.
