How to Have a Splendid Weekend in Firenze

So I’ve been in Italy for about three weeks now and this experience still seems so surreal to me. I have to constantly remind myself that I’m in Italy because sometimes I forget where I am; luckily all I have to do is look out the window and see the charming, Tuscan houses of Sansepolcro.

Our big trip this past week was to Firenze (Florence). Let’s just start with the fact that Florence is incredible. With its breathtaking architecture, remarkable artwork, and fascinating history, it truly is one of the greatest cities in the world. The group took a bus to Arezzo, then a train to Firenze; it took about two and a half hours to reach our final destination. We learned that even if a train stop says Florence this does not mean it’s the one we want. We wanted to get off at Florence’s central station, Santa Maria Novella. This train station had many other services including a locker check-in for bags, cafés, several stores and even a McDonald’s. It’s crazy how McDonald’s is everywhere! I was curious to see how much a meal at McDonald’s would cost in Italy, so I just peeked at the prices. It was 4 euro for a kid’s meal and 7 euro and higher for any other meal. Do the conversion, it’s pretty pricey! Needless to say, I didn’t have any McDonald’s; I would rather use my euros for something I can’t get in the United States.

After arriving, John Rose played tour guide around the city, showed us the market, and the group took a picture on the Ponte Vecchio. This was the same location where the Arno River flooded in 1966. John Rose told us the river flooded the city and caused tremendous damage to local shops and thousands of cars were just swept away by the water. After our little history lessons, we ventured to the hotel in the rain. Luckily, we all came prepared with umbrellas and rain boots.

The hotel, Convento della Calza, where we stayed used to be a monastery. After settling into our rooms, I then adventured around with my roommates before dinner. We found a great pastry café and I had a delightful chocolate snack. We had dinner back at the hotel: bread, pasta, grilled chicken, cauliflower and potatoes. It was very delicious. Chicken is my favorite and I’ve noticed that chicken isn’t usually served all that much in Italy. So I really enjoyed having chicken for dinner, especially with potatoes. Potatoes are to chicken as icing is to cake: the perfect combination!
Right after dinner, the group went to sleep. Traveling is exhausting and we wanted to be well rested for our big day in Florence. After a good night’s sleep, we all had breakfast together at the hotel. I was more than excited because the hotel had little packets of Nutella for the breakfast pastries (I may have put a few in my purse for later). In Italy, breakfast is a very simple meal. There is usually never anything that has been cooked (i.e. no eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, etc.). This is something I really miss from home, our Sunday morning breakfast after church; my family usually has a breakfast that includes all of the above foods. I’m looking forward to a Sunday morning breakfast when I get home, I’m especially looking forward to the homemade pancakes my mom makes from my Pappy’s recipe.

The first stop of the day was the Accademia museum. It was a little bit of a challenge locating the entrance; we walked in circles looking for how to enter, we kept mistaking the art student’s gallery entrance for the actual entrance. We got it all straightened out and made it inside. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed to be taken inside the museum so I made sure to buy bunches of postcards. The main attraction at the Accademia was, of course, Michelangelo’s David. This marble statue was carved by Michelangelo at the age of 26. He used a leftover piece of block that came from the Carrara Mountains and the sculpture depicts the biblical story of David and Goliath. David was certainly the main attraction as it was the largest and most detailed piece in the museum. My roommate, Shannon, got teary-eyed just seeing the David because she’s a very passionate art major who is seriously in love with this piece (she even bought a calendar of David and it now hangs in our room next to her bed). I wasn’t as emotional but I was certainly surprised of the sculpture’s scale. I’ve seen pictures but the detailing of the piece is immensely impressive in person. This museum also is the home to some of Michelangelo’s other unfinished marble sculptures and various other paintings.

For lunch, all the girls met back together for a delicious lunch at a restaurant called I Ghibellini. I ordered penne alla boccalona (penna pasta with hot peppers) with patate fritte (french fries). I was starving, the food was scrumptious and I ate everything. After lunch, most of the group climbed the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The duomo is a Gothic designed cathedral that was created in 1296, consecrated in 1436, holds 20,000 people and has 463 stairs to get to the top. The exterior of the building is green, pink and white marble with elaborately detailed doors. The inside is decorated with morals just as elaborative as the outside. There was so much detail inside and out, it’s a shame that kind of dedication and attention to detail isn’t as prominent in today’s architecture.

Eight euro and four hundred and sixty-three stairs later, the climb to the top of the duomo was definitely a workout (my legs are still feeling the burn, two days later). Although the climb was exhausting, the view was more than worth it. I felt like was on top of the world and for as far as I could see was Firenze. I took about seventy-five pictures of this spectacular view - the city, the mountains, and the green pastures. This is certainly an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.

After climbing the duomo, the group ventured to find a gelato treat. The flavors I chose were caramel and strawberry. Gelato cannot even begin to compare to American ice cream, I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is but gelato is molto buono! The gelato was the perfect treat before the market. The market had seemed to have a little bit of everything (leather goods, purses, hats, scarves, shirts, etc.) and it’s very common to bargain prices. The extra kick of sugar perhaps boosted our negotiation skills. I got a few presents for my family and scarves for myself, all for less than 30 euro; I felt very accomplished.

The next day’s big adventure was to the Uffizi museum. Galleria degli Uffizi has some of the world’s greatest pieces with artists including Michelangelo, Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, and Raphael. My guidebook had told me the Uffizi was one of Italy’s most crowded museums and to book tickets in advance to avoid lines, this was a suggestion we should have taken more seriously. The ticket line was about an hour wait. Just like the Duomo, the wait for the Uffizi was worth it. My favorite room was the Niobe room. This neoclassical design-inspired room, completed in 1779, had detailed golden walls worthy of the title “throne room.” The statues in this room depicted the myth of Niobe and there were four monumental paintings by Rubens, Suttermans and Grisoni. This room was breathtaking with its lavish sculptures, huge paintings, and incredibly detailed gold walls.

Firenze has so much to see and to do, that I didn’t have enough time for everything I wanted to see. I didn’t make it to the Church of San Lorenzo. It’s one of the oldest religious structures in Florence. Founded before the year 400, it contains art by Donatello and Bronzino. I also wish I would have made it to the paper shop some of the girls went to. Firenze is known for paper making and I didn’t get the chance to find the shop. All the more reason to go back, right?

So the recipe for a splendid time in Firenze is as follows: Mix one bus ride with a train station, combine with an ex-monastery hotel. Sprinkle in some fabulous food. Once fully rested, add in a walk up the duomo, an adventure in the market and two incredible museums. Enjoy! Warning: Be prepared to return and repeat.