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Hi everyone! I hope all of you are doing great! Today’s post is really cool! “Glorious,” some might say?
In continuation to my Italy Series, this next article is about Florence that we visited in 2019. Florence is the capital of Tuscany region. If you want to read my previous posts click on the titles to read them! Vatican City & the Colosseum. Florence is also the birthplace of Renaissance. “Renaissance” is a French word meaning “rebirth”. It is the period when people started taking an interest in the learning of ancient times, more specifically, the learning of Ancient Greece and Rome. Renaissance was an era of European cultural, economic, political, and artistic movement which took place between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries.

From our hotel in Rome we took a taxi to the train station. My dad bought us first class tickets at the Ticket Booth, and the lady was super helpful explaining how to get to Florence. The first class ticket included a meal which was great because we wouldn’t have to stop for lunch while we were exploring. The train was an hour and a half ride, and I was very comfortable. I really enjoyed the scenery which was mostly vineyards and small villages.

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We checked-in at our hotel, Hotel Ambasciatori, and dropped-off our luggage in the room so we could start to look around. The hotel was really nice and conveniently located very close to the train station. We asked for a map from the hotel and the friendly staff told us where to go and even recommended some places to visit. I didn’t really know what to expect in Florence, so my mom showed me some pictures, and it was beautiful so I was excited to see it for myself. And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! (hehehehe) I shall tell you exactly what Florence was like! I actually had to re-read some of the travel brochures I collected from the trip, and read the internet to write the information I put here! So here it goes…

The first stop was the Piazza of Santa Maria Novella. It is A very beautiful church constructed in 1276, and the façade of the church was designed by Leon Battista Alberti between 1456–1470. He used green marble of Prato, (also called ‘serpentino’) and white marble. It is the oldest standing facade that still exists in Florence today! All of the other main churches had their facades redone or actually finished in more recent times. The piazza was really nice and there was a lot of seating areas to relax. There was also a gelato store around the corner. So we tried it, and it was really, really good! By the way, gelato is the Italian word for ice cream.

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Do you know the difference between ice cream and gelato? According to www.kitchn.com, gelato starts out with the custard base like ice cream, but it has more milk and less cream and eggs than ice cream. Sometimes it might even have no eggs at all. Gelato is churned slower which makes it denser, plus it is served at a slightly warmer temperature so it’s silky and soft. Because it has a lower percentage of fat than ice cream, the flavour really shines! The ingredients of ice cream are first cooked together into a rich custard. After the custard base is cooled, it’s churned at a high speed to make it fluffy! (cheaper ice cream tends to have more air whipped into it 😕). Ice cream is a dessert best served cold, as most of you well know. The finished product is smooth, light-textured, and creamy. They are both delicious, but I prefer gelato better. 🤤 There’s a gelato store here in Osoyoos, Brisitish Columbia that opened a week ago, so I’m very happy!

BEWARE! There is one imposter among us… okay not really, BUT there is such a thing as fake gelato. If it is colourful and puffy rising WAY over the dish it is displayed in, it’s fake. Also, if it has too much toppings on it that means the business is trying to hide it’s ugly gelato. Real stuff should come up to the rim of the pan. If it’s puffy, colorful, and has toppings, its fake.

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Florence is so beautiful, and the places we visited are close to each other so we didn’t have to walk too far. But that’s still a lot of walking! 😝 There are many restaurants and shops in the area. The most popular landmark in Florence is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, better known as the Duomo di Firenze, the centerpiece of the city.

Recent studies by Italian economists say that the richest families in Florence today are the same as they were in 1427. That means that this incredible city hasn’t changed in hundreds of years. And the tour guide told me that Florence wanted to build an extravagant church to show the city’s wealth and power, and to stand out from the cathedrals of rival cities Siena and Pisa. When I saw it for the first time, it was jaw-dropping and all I could say was “Wow!” The church was majestic, and the Gothic style cathedral was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio. In September 9, 1296. When the first stone was laid and it was completed in 1436, it took a long time to be built, different architects and new additions had undergone, plus the Black Death happened in 1348. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris. The dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. It was the first eight-sided dome in history to be built without a temporary wooden supporting frame. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed, and It was one of the most impressive projects of the Renaissance. To honor Brunelleschi’s magnificent work, his tomb is in the basement of the church, and it’s the same area to buy yourself a nice $30 bookmark. 😁 You can buy a ticket to go to the top of the building as long as you don’t mind four hundred sixty three steps plus some narrow spaces. When you get up there, you will see the red roofs of the buildings around. It is also the highest point in central Florence. And if you have more energy, head to the adjacent Giotto’s Campanile (bell tower) for another spectacular view of the city and the Duomo itself.

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Down below is a pictures of Duomo’s interior. It is free to go inside, but plan to go early because the line up to get in was very long. Inside the cathedral wasn’t as extravagant as I expected and it feels empty. Paolo Uccello painted the clock face above the main doorway. The clock is interesting because of its 24-hour Roman numerals. It has only one large hand which marks the hours after sunset in an anticlockwise direction, and it still works! Isn’t that amazing? Brunelleschi took only sixteen years to complete the dome, and it was built entirely without scaffolding. It was constructed from over four million of bricks and weighs about thirty-seven thousand tons. A revolutionary achievement by any standards. The artwork in the cathedral’s dome, Last Judgement, was designed by Giorgio Vasari, between 1572 to 1579. But it was painted mostly by his student Federico Zuccari 1579 when Vasari passed away.

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Across from the Duomo you have Baptistery of Saint John. It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, built between 1059 and 1128 in the Florentine Romanesque style. It is located across the Duomo di Firenze, and it is constructed for ceremonial purposes designated by the Pope.

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Piazza della Repubblica (picture above) was a Roman forum in the medieval time and it is still the meeting place to this day. As you can see there’s a carousel in the middle of the piazza. It is really a large open area.

Next we walk to Piazza della Signoria where we found Palazzo Vecchio Museum & Tower, beside it is the Fountain of Neptune, Uffizi, and Loggia della Signoria. The Palazzo Vecchio Museum offers Roman ruins, a Medieval fortress and Renaissance chambers and paintings. If you want to immerse yourself in the history of Florence this is the place you would want to visit. There is some history about the Medici family, who used to govern Florence. The family used the palace as both their seat of government and private residence. The ruins of ancient theater of the Roman colony of Florentia can be viewed underground where the Palazzo Vecchio was constructed on top. And lastly, it houses the sculptures of Michelangelo and Donatello. At the museum’s entrance, Michelangelo’s famous sculptor of David (King of Israel) stood there after its completion in 1504 until 1873. But it was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia. And in 1910, a replica was placed. On the other side, is the statue of Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli, he worked on it between 1525–1534. My parents decided not to go to the Palazzo Vecchio Museum because it was late in the afternoon and there was a long line up to buy tickets. We decided to walk around the piazza to check out some shops and we went shopping instead! Of course I had to make my parents buy me something 😂 Because I like calligraphy, my parents bought me a quill with ink that was made in Italy as a souvenir!

The fountain at the piazza, Fountain of Neptune was designed by Baccio Bandinelli, but created by Bartolomeo Ammannati with other artists between 1560 and 1574. Most of the sculptures and architectural designs in Florence that still exist today was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici. He was the Duke of Florence from 1537-1569.

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In the front of Palazzo Vecchio Museum is the Loggia della Signora, also called as Loggia dei Lanzi. It is an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art built in 1376. Originally it was built to house public ceremonies. It now features the beautiful sculptures made by artist like Giambologna and Benvenuto Cellini. Notice the four sculptures above? They are the four cardinal virtues (Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance). They are virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. Some of the sculptures in the Loggia are from the Roman times and from the 15th century.

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After looking around the piazza, our last stop was Orsanmichele Church. A little bit history about this church is that it was originally built as a grain market in 1337. Between 1380 and 1404, it was converted into a church because there are some miraculous events that happened over the course of the year and people come to visit and pray to the image of the Blessed Mother (Madonna) that was held on one of the columns. My dad and I lit some candles as we usually do when we visit a Catholic Church. After that we headed back to our hotel to get a VERY FANCY dinner at McDonald’s. Gelato for dessert of course! That was it for our first day in Florence 😀.

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Day two in Florence. We woke up early and had breakfast on one of the cafes close to our hotel then we headed to the Duomo di Firenze. We lined up to get in to see the interior of the cathedral. The line was already long, but we were prepared to wait. While we were waiting, we just admired how beautiful the exterior design of the cathedral and the intricate design of the large door. There was also a lot of artists selling their artwork on the sidewalk. The time passed by quickly, and we got in around lunch time, and I already mentioned earlier what’s inside the Duomo. After that, we had a delicious lunch at a real fancy restaurant across the Baptistery. Some restaurants in Italy are nice because you sit outside in an open area. We watched people walking by and people taking photos of the Duomo. The place was very alive and happy.

The next place we visited after lunch was Ponte Vecchio, but on the way there we passed the Loggiato, an open courtyard of Uffizi Galllery. We would like to visit the world-famous gallery, but sadly it was closed when we were in Florence. So I just took pictures of some sculptures at the courtyard. The most popular artwork to see here is, The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, painted in the mid 1480s.

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After taking pictures, we continued on to Ponte Vecchio or the Old Bridge. This bridge was rebuilt in 1345 because it was swept away by a flood. The original occupants on the bridge were butchers, tanners, fishmongers, and farmers that caused a stinky smell. In 1593, Ferdinand I de Medici decreed that only goldsmiths and jewelers were allowed to have their shops on the bridge. Today, there are many different brands of fine jewelries on the bridge. My parents looked at some jewelries and watches, but they didn’t find anything they really liked. Then we had MOOORE gelato, and it was really good because it cools me off! Then we headed back to the train station close to our hotel to catch a bus.

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We bought a bus ticket to Piazzale Michelangelo not just to see a bronze cast of David, but to see the panoramic skyline of Florence. If you are up for a challenge, you can go by foot also. The bus ride only took thirteen minutes. The monument was designed by Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1869 to display other copies of Michelangleo’s masterpiece, but the plan never happened. Other than the monument there are some vendors selling souvenirs at the Piazzale. It’s a stunning view of Florence from the Piazzale. We took a lot of pictures to capture the majestic skyline of Florence then we headed back to our hotel.

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One more thing I had to mention is the Galleria dell’Accademia. It is where you will find the original marble statue of David and other masterpiece of Michelangelo and other artists like Da Vinci, Titian and Raphael. Unfortunately, it was also closed when we were there. When I get back to Florence, I will make sure to visit the museums and galleries! Aaaand that concludes my post about Florence! Let me know on the comments below if you would like to visit Florence someday! Bye everyone!

Have you tried a gelato? If yes, do you like it better than ice cream?