Florence city trip – sights and travel tips

Italian cities and I are not friends. I vividly remember one of my first city trips. I was almost 12 years old and visited Rome, the Eternal City, together with my father. Three things have stuck in my mind – the miserably long queue of people in front of the Sistine Chapel and the never-ending waiting time associated with it, the traffic chaos and the limited space for pedestrians and the many clotheslines in front of the windows. The memories of the impressive sights, on the other hand, have completely faded. After that, the rather negative memories dampened the desire to travel to Italy.

But this year I wanted to give Bella Italia a second chance. The start was promising and the Lago di Como was able to conquer my heart in no time. Second, I ventured on a classic Tuscany tour with stops in Florence, Siena, and the Chianti region. But after only five minutes of Florence I was fed up. On that Thursday, the city was filled to bursting with groups of tourists shagging behind flags, Vespas showing up unexpectedly and cars parked on the much too narrow pavements. And that’s supposed to be “Dolce Vita”?

Despite all the adversities and the fact that I would have loved to spend the whole afternoon on our phenomenal balcony with a view of Ponte Vecchio, I ventured into the fray. Luckily! The pictures don’t seem as catastrophic as I felt after this afternoon (once crisscrossing all over Florence, past flag guides and crowds of tourists).

Ponte Vecchio

Florence without Ponte Vecchio? Unthinkable. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the bridge has lost all its charm due to all the crowds of people that are chased over it in groups every day and the tasteless jewelry shops. My recommendation: visit the Krämerbrücke in Erfurt and save yourself the stress in Florence.

Giotto’s Cathedral and Bell Tower

It’s beautiful, no question about it. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is a masterpiece of the Renaissance and simply breathtakingly beautiful. We were lucky. We didn’t have to queue to visit the cathedral. The situation for an ascent to the dome was quite different. Instead, we decided to tackle the steps up to the Campanile di Giotto (ticket price 8 euros). A veritable replacement.

Boboli Gardens

To visit the Giardino di Boboli you have to pay 7 euros. A clever move, as the ticket is also valid for a moderately exciting museum. For me, on the other hand, it’s rather overpriced, because I don’t want to go to the museum at all and comparable gardens in other cities can be visited for free. Still, a nice spot to escape the tourist crowds, at least partially.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo is within walking distance of the Ponte Vecchio (about 15 minutes on foot) and is one of the classics of a visit to Florence. The beautiful view makes up for the fact that you are standing elbow to elbow to other tourists. A little below is the romantic Giardino delle Rose, where things are more relaxed and the locals enjoy the balmy spring evening between sweet-smelling rose bushes.

Strassenfundstücke

Despite the hustle and bustle in the alleys, you can discover some very nice details. My favorite are the many modified traffic signs with very funny subjects. Behind it is the artist Clet Abraham, who lives in Florence.

Piazza Santo Spirito

At the end of the day, two reasons led me to reconcile with Florence. On the one hand, the wonderful Tiana Kai showed us the nicest piazza in all of Florence. Piazza Santo Spirito is lined with small restaurants “each of which is great” – as Tiana assures us. In the evening, the locals meet here, eat prosciutto and pici (for example in the Tamero restaurant), drink Chianti, tell each other stories and laugh together. So Florence should be everywhere.

Retreat

The second reason that made me feel mild was our fantastic accommodation at the Hotel Lungarno, diagonally opposite the Ponte Vecchio. In addition to the unique balcony view and the fantastic breakfast buffet, the hotel has another trump card up its sleeve. A small terrace with a few tables and a direct view of the bridge. Here, away from the crowds, it happens. The postcard view has conquered my heart.

If you are looking for special accommodation in a central location in Florence, you have come to the right place. Room rates start at around 380 euros/night.

Note: My visit to Florence was supported by the Lungarno Collection. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm.