One of the best trips I've ever taken was less than a year ago, when my partner and I spent a week in Florence, Italy.
Our vacation had an inauspicious start, when Air France lost our luggage. By the next morning, however, we let this irritant go, and went to see Michelangelo's David at the Accademia. We bought our tickets beforehand, so we didn't have to wait on line for 2 hours - that would have been aggravating. Fans of art, architecture, and Medieval/Renaissance history are in Heaven in Florence. This city has the most, and best, Renaissance art and architecture in the world. Dante's house, da Vinci's melding of art and science, Galileo's first telescopes, Botticelli's Birth of Venus...the list goes on and on. Even someone who travels to Florence for the luxury hotels and great Tuscan restaurants, can't help but be swept up in the sense of history here.
Getting around Florence Italy is a snap; the narrow streets (remnants from Medieval days) mean you walk almost everywhere. We met up with four of our stateside friends while in Italy, and the six of us had the times of our lives touring Florence's Duomo, some smaller museums, and partaking in long evenings of Tuscan wine and Italian food. Real, fresh, dark Italian coffee and espresso simply can't be beat, and even the big international coffee chains know it. There's not a single Starbucks in all of Florence - or any other town we visited during our 2 weeks in Italy. I admit I got quite spoiled, in terms of the quality of my morning espresso.
I have the wanderlust of a true travel lover, and world travel is often expensive and difficult to arrange, work-wise. Because of this, I try to always visit somewhere new when I take a vacation. Florence, however, is a city I want to visit, again and again. Molto grazie!
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Comments: 12
The hotels are grand but if you want to stay some place very special and authentically Italian, you'll need to do your homework (or ask me - I might be persuaded to give away a few secrets!).
Thanks for the tip about buying tickets in advance to some of the museums. We'll have to look into that.
Jef, I LOVe the Cinque Terre!! I have some photos I took of it on my other computer - I should go upload a couple for you and your wife-to-be to drool over. It is really romantic there. You guys are going ot have an awesome honeymoon.
Diana, I totally I agre about tourism practically being the oil that runs Florence - but it's the same with Venice and Milan, don't you think? I have to say, Florence is my favorite of the three...and my favorite place to stay in Florence actually isn't one of the big 5-star hotels, but a little family-run B&B on Via Bufalina. :)
The Ponte Vecchio is, indeed, a good place to shop. And, yes, the Uffizi has some of most beautiful artwork anywhere in the world.
Jeff, I do recommend the David (especially on honeymoon). You are not supposed to take photos of him - but I didn't learn that until after I'd taken a couple.