Weekend in Firenze

For our second weekend, Sarah and I decided to travel to Florence, Italy. I'd heard that Florence is usually everyone's favorite Italian city and I also have a strong addiction to pizza and gelato, so I made it a priority. I've been to Naples and Rome before, so I wasn't totally new to Italy but Florence definitely had its own flare. Our Airbnb was very convenient to everything we were trying to get to, so it was nice being able to walk around not having to figure out confusing bus and railways for once. However, we found it was cheaper to fly to Pisa and take a train to Florence, so it was an added bonus getting to see the Leaning Tower and celebrate landing in Italy with our first gelato on the lawn right next to it. By the time we got into Florence it was dinner time so, true to form, I insisted we go get pizza for our first meal. I can only describe it as a religious experience.

On Saturday morning we realized that it was a holiday in Italy as well, so there were people all over the place. We started off by getting a croissant and espresso at a small cafe just down the road from us and I felt so official ordering everything in broken Italian that I halfway remembered from visiting Italy previously. Following breakfast we decided to brave the crowds and go into the touristy areas where the Duomo and museums are. We ended up climbing the bell tower (412 steps) and at the top we got an amazing 360 degree view of the city. That was the moment I decided that at some point in my life I have to find a way to move there. Following that, we got lunch at a panini place that further solidified my decision to move. Next stop was the Uffizi museum. There were plenty of busts of famous men and I must've counted at least twenty "Mary with Child" paintings, but the best part was getting to see a couple of real Leonardo Da Vinci paintings. It's crazy that I get to experience these kinds of things in person, and it's something I don't think I'll ever forget. Following the museum we met up with Jessica and went to a very nice Italian restaurant right on the river for dinner. Sarah got the best gnocchi I've ever tasted in my life, and there was live jazz playing the whole time, so I was on cloud nine. I ordered pizza (big surprise). But the night wasn't over and we somehow found room in our stomach for gelato, so we splurged, got the biggest cone we could find and enjoyed it on the Ponte Vecchio bridge. That night we decided to go out and had an amazing time at a club called Flo's Lounge. Expensive drinks but the whole place was outside up near Piazzale Michelangelo and it overlooked the entire city.

Sunday we chose to go to mass at the big cathedral right next to the bell tower and the echos from the orchestra all over the church were completely captivating. Of course it was in Italian, so I had no clue what was going on most of the time, but the cathedral itself was incredibly ornate and I counted at least two or three separate altars. For the next couple hours we shopped around and looked through all the leather and trinkets in the markets. I was amazed at how willing the vendors are to bargain on everything. We stopped one last time at a pizza place called Gusta Pizza that was recommended by one of my friends and then went up to Piazzale Michelangelo one last time to take in the view in the day time. This trip was short but very relaxing and enjoyable. Florence is a city I know I'll be returning to (when I move there, obviously), but until then I'll just be dreaming of gooey pizza and creamy gelato.