5 places to visit in Florence. The city has been on my list for a couple years now and somehow I’ve never made it. Luckily, this term’s architecture studio included a trip to Florence. You can imagine how excited I was!
The four days were quite intense with visiting many beautiful Renaissance villas by Ruccellai, Vasari, Michelangelo and much more (an architecture guide is coming up). Of course, we had to do some tourist sights as well.
Here are 5 places to visit in Florence.
1. Enjoy the view from the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore
Undoubtedly, Santa Maria del Fiore is the attraction in Florence. When we flew into the city we’ve already could see the enormous cupola reaching out of the city. I am still impressed of the size of the duomo. You may queue for a long time for entering the Duomo or the Cupola but it is definitely worth it. I highly recommend to climb up the Cupola towards the end of the day like we did. We were the last group going up and enjoyed a beautiful view over the city plus the evening light is always the best … if the weather is good!
2. A walk through Giardino Bardini
Another favourite was our morning walk through Giardino Bardini on our first day. I discovered it through Pinterest and it was said to be a real secret spot. In fact, there weren’t a lot of people visiting. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch the right season and missed the blooms in spring. Also, go there early when the light is soft!
3. The sunset from San Miniato al Monte & Piazzale Michelangelo
for a delicious foccaccia (apparently one of the best in town) and then climb up the hill to enjoy the evening sun from Piazzale Michelangelo. Sounds good!
4. A stroll through Giardini di Boboli & Palazzo Pitti
One more pretty parc are the Giardini di Boboli, where you can spent hours. My favorite part was the small rosery at the porcelain museum. Not only can you enjoy nature’s beauty but also have a lovely view on Tuscany’s hilly landscape. You’ll have one more great view over the whole city from the Belvedere Castle.
5. A visit of Santa Croce & drinks in the evening
Santa Croce is located in the centre and is one more beautiful church you have to visit. Italian churches are just incredible and we couldn’t stop thinking how people did it? Think of Michelange, who spent 70 years of his live painting churches, creating art and being architect as well, is unthinkable these days.
Towards the end of the day we let the evening fade away with some cool beers and pizza to go on the square in front of Santa Croce. Apparently, it is one of the places where you meet for some drinks in the evening. I quite miss this Italian way of living in Munich. One more great spot for drinks at night is San Spirito.
May 2015
