Trip 2… Florence Day 2
When visiting a new place, staying in a hotel alone can be worrying. If it’s too quiet, every little sound outside your room has your mind racing, for me anyway. So I invested in a secure lock that can be added to any hotel room door (see below), with this, I sleep like a log feeling safe and secure all bundled up in bed. Having a full itinerary planned for the next day, all sights circled on my map, I set my alarm for 8 am. Nobody likes to wake up to an alarm (especially on holiday) but I had the advantage of being close to the bell tower; changing the alarm sound to bells and letting the real bells take over. Perfect!
Now, don’t judge me but I love a hotel buffet so, having consumed a full English breakfast and (now I can just have ice cream for lunch), I headed out to a bookshop I had spotted on the way to the hotel yesterday. There they had copies of a book I was missing from a Manga series I was reading; of course, it was in Italian but surely this can only help me with learning the language? Otherwise, it will just be a cool addition to my bookshelf to show my other Manga-loving friends. Time will tell.
Using the Get Your Guide app, I was lucky enough to find a ‘Florence: Duomo Cathedral Guided Tour’ for about £12. Starting outside, the tour guide explained the history of the Duomo, the Giotto’s Campanile (the bell tower), and Battistero di San Giovanni; all three were mesmerising. Heading inside, I was left speechless; the paintings on the walls and ceilings, the beautiful floors with their marble designs, I couldn’t stop taking photos of everything (no hiding the fact that I am a tourist!). Near the end of the tour, we got to visit the interior of the dome itself! Be warned, you will come out of there with a stiff neck but it will be completely worth it just to spend time absorbing all the detailed and descriptive artwork. Being in the first building in Italy to ever have a domed roof was truly awe-inspiring.
After the tour, I headed north towards the Piazza della Liberta and Tepidarium Gacomo Roster. Along the way, I saw the ‘EATALY’store and knew I had to pop in; while I was in Rome with my mum a few years ago, we saw a woman carrying an Eataly bag with the catchphrase, “Italy is Eataly”. My mum loved it but we couldn’t find it anywhere, here was my chance to get her a souvenir far better than the usual fridge magnet!
Coming across the Piazza della Liberta, which seemed like a massive roundabout to me, I smiled to realise there was a cute park with a fountain and benches for relaxing on in the middle of all the mayhem. Sadly, the main building I had come to see, the Arco di Trionfo was covered up for repair and cleaning so I continued on my way. Just a little further up was a narrow lake beside the street; so calm and quiet, that you wouldn’t think the manic roundabout was just a five-minute walk away!
The Tepidarium Giacomo Roster, a beautiful glass and steel Art Nouveau-style greenhouse is situated in Florence’s Horticultural Park, and is the largest tepidarium in Italy. Walking through this little quiet garden was a serene experience during which I spotted lots of bronze statues, including Pinocchio, Bambi, and deer. My excitement at seeing the “Crystal Palace of Italy” faded as I reached the magnificent structure; it was closed for cleaning. Oh well; one to keep on my wish list for next time.
I decided to take a seat and rest for a while. The warmth of the sun embraced me on this bright January day as I sat absorbing all the sights had seen today. Time to head back to my hotel to freshen up before heading out for the evening.
Usually this time of day, people would relax for a little bit and then prepare for dinner later on in the evening. However, as I was traveling alone for the first time, I didn’t want to be wandering too far after dark so I wasted no time getting back out and to the Muse di Santa Maria Novella. The nightlife was slowly picking up and shops were starting to close as giorno turned to notte as I took a little detour to Basilica di San Lorenzo, & Medici Chapel. Sadly, at this time of night, the Basilica and the Chapel were closed but just seeing the marble pillars and lit up was stunning.
I headed to the last big point for the day; Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. A masterpiece to behold, set in a large piazza filled with green spaces, and a glorious sunset in the sky. While looking around the piazza the sky suddenly darkened with the largest murmuration I have ever seen, which was then joined by another one that was just as large. I took countless photos and videos of the graceful dancing in the sky as the sunset; witnessing the true beauty of nature, this was the best way to end the day.
When deciding on a restaurant to have dinner in, I decided to keep close to the hotel so that I wouldn’t have far to go as the evening wore on. I came across this cute café restaurant just around the corner; ‘Caffe Scudieri Firenze’. Inside, the high ceilings, luxury-looking style, and happy crowd were proof enough that I had made the right decision. I opted for their Carbonara, a personal favourite of mine, then took my time sipping my drink, enjoying the calm atmosphere and people watching those around me, and the people slowly coming in to have sandwiches and such. The Carbonara was certainly what I needed after a long day walking around, although it was a little heavy on the sauce and Parmesan, I would give it a 6/10. Then came the first hot chocolate of my trip. Florence sure does their hot chocolate differently to the back home; super thick and very bitter, it would take some getting used to! I would give this 7.5/10.
Heading back to the hotel room slowly, taking more and more photos, I came across a wedding photo shoot outside the Doumo - what a beautiful venue for the most romantic day of your life! The site was lit up to perfection, the dress, and the couple impeccable! Wandering away from the happy scene, I noticed there was no queue for the gelato shop on the corner and decided to finish the night off on a sweet note of Fragola & Stracciatella with a macaroon on top.
My first full day on my own in a city in another country was coming to an end; I think I can safely say, I passed! A relaxing day with no problems or worries; enjoying and experiencing the Italian culture and its history. I was hooked! Hooked on solo traveling, developing myself as a person, and discovering myself, my self-confidence was rocketing! I went to bed with a big grin on my face and very much looking forward to seeing what the next day would bring.
Ciao for now!
E x
