The train itself was very fast and smooth. I got Wi-Fi for one cent, and with that and my iPod was able to keep myself entertained for the hour and a half long trip. We arrived in Florence and were easily able to locate Ciao Hostel, where we were going to stay for two nights. We couldn't check in until 2 pm (it was only a little after 9 am), but they did offer a luggage storage room where we dropped our bags off.
A few cafes near our hostel had the little stickers outside indicating that they accept meal tickets, so we tried one out. The lady working there wouldn't take my ticket, but I think it was because our tickets are good for 3€, and I only needed to pay 2, and they can't really give change, but whatever. It was sort of annoying. Got a good croissant, though, and it was just what I needed before heading off to the city center.
First stop in Florence's historical center: the Duomo cathedral, aka Santa Maria del Fiore. We began by entering the huge, beautiful cathedral to admire the paintings, architecture, and altar. The line to get in looked pretty daunting, but in reality only lasted about ten minutes. The weather was gorgeous all day long, so we had no problem with standing outside.
Candle lit in memory of Lisa Sicola
In the basement of the cathedral, we purchased tickets for all of the extra things to do and see at the Piazza del Duomo, which began with ruins from the old church in the basement of the current church. There were many cool old tombstones, and even some unidentified skulls!
Next, we tackled the bell tower, which I think was around 440 steps. It had at least four platforms to stop at in between steps, but it was still a pretty intense climb. It also didn't help that there weren't separate up and down staircases. Many times were we pressed against the walls to let other people pass by on the steps that were clearly designed for just one small person to use at a time. However, the views were remarkable. 100% worth it!
Before climbing to the top of the Duomo, we took a little rest and went inside the baptistery. From what I remember from last summer, many churches in Tuscany also have baptisteries because back in the day, children who weren't yet baptized were not seen as fit to enter the church (or something). What we're left with are these large, gorgeously-decorated structures that are just amazing to be inside of. The beautiful ceilings of this baptistery were a delightful break from climbing up and down stairs.
Of course, though, we then went to climb the Duomo. This line actually did take a while, probably about 30 minutes. And actually, the climb itself took a long time because there were so many people, and so many people trying to stop and take pictures along the way. There were some tight, scary moments just like in the bell tower, but MAN was it worth it. Florence is even more beautiful from above.
At this point, I was VERY ready for lunch. We headed to one restaurant that was listed on the meal tickets website, but they said they didn't take the tickets there and told us to try the place next door. Well, guess what? They didn't take them either! So, we gave up and went back to the first place for some yummy pizza. A couple sitting next to us started talking to us because the woman could tell I was from the South (turns out she was from Alabama). They were very sweet and pleasant to talk to. I love chatting with random other Americans over here!
We had to head over to the hostel after lunch to check in, which was pretty painless. We had two other roommates: one who we talked to briefly, and one we never got the chance to talk to at all. I believe there were about 16 people staying on our floor, and only two individual bathrooms. I was nervous about this at first, but it proved to be not much of an issue. It was actually kind of nice to use an individual bathroom after several weeks of hall bathrooms.
After some resting and phone charging, we went to the Accademia Gallery to see the David. I have to tell you, Michelangelo really was the greatest artist of all time. I thought the vault of the Sistine Chapel blew me away last summer, but the David was just something else entirely. I think I'm just much more impressed by sculpture than painting for whatever reason (but that's not to say I'm not impressed by painting). Really, though, I'm so glad I saw it.
The rest of the museum featured a lot of really cool, really old religious art, and even a small little exhibit on musical instruments! It was probably one of my favorite museums to date.
Prof. Locatelli had told us that her favorite gelato place in the world is Gelateria dei Neri in Florence, so obviously that was the next place we visited. It was some pretty prime gelato, and definitely hit the spot after a long day of walking and climbing and looking at art.
The last thing I absolutely wanted to do was to have dinner at a special restaurant I had eaten at with my EF tour friends last summer. So the story goes that one of the guys on my trip last summer, Francisco (who is quite possibly the sweetest person on Earth) had been to Florence before and found a restaurant that he loved so much, he ate at it every night. He even befriended the owner, Dario, who I believe is an Australian of Italian descent who moved to Florence some time ago. When leading some of us from the trip there for dinner one night, he didn't 100% know the location of the restaurant, but knew the general area and name: Papero Rosso (translation--red duck). Sure enough, we stumbled upon it and had one of the best dining experiences you can find in Italy. Obviously, this is why I wanted to return. And the same thing happened for me and Katie! I didn't know the exact location, but headed to that area and found it really quickly! Dario wasn't our waiter, but he was around and it was fun to see him in action. He's got a great personality. The eggplant parmesan was SUPERB and just what I wanted! Also, they gave us pseudo-complimentary glasses of prosecco and limoncello, which was an excellent touch. I'm really so happy I went back to Papero Rosso. Gotta write a trip advisor review for them now!
Creeper picture of Dario!
With some of my tour group last summer
We managed to get back to the hostel easily, take refreshing showers, and then get in bed by 10:30. It kind of felt like I was in a hospital bed, but I honestly just passed out and did not wake up even once in the middle of the night. Florence is great, but being a tourist can be very tiring!
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