This morning we left peaceful, picturesque Assisi and headed into the region of Tuscany.
When we arrived in Florence we stopped at the Pizzale Michelangelo and had a full-scale photo shoot with an incredible view in the background. Special shoutout to Emily Bennett’s portrait mode for making me look waaaayyyy better in photos than I should.
Our first stop, once we arrived in the main portion of Florence, was a lovely market where we got sandwiches and amazing bread for lunch. I also enjoyed a strawberry popsicle.
Our afternoon consisted of shopping around and finding an amazing ceramic shop where I found the most amazing souvenirs and I do not regret a single euro spent. Then, of course, we got gelato (we’ve had gelato every day and we plan to keep this streak going.)
After our early afternoon of free time, we headed to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see the famous Statue of David. At 14 feet tall it was much larger than I expected and incredibly magnificent. It was wonderful to see it in person, pictures truly do not capture it.
We then departed for a three-hour walking tour throughout the city. We explored the outside of the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, the Piazza Della Signoria, and Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower. Florence is a nice mix of major city and beautiful architecture. Although I think Assisi will remain my favorite place we’ve been, I definitely enjoyed Florence more than Rome.
For dinner, we had a tasty Margherita pizza and tiramisu at Leon d’Oro. I never thought I’d say this but I miss eating vegetables. I really do.
Then the real fun began. We checked into our hostel. As a privilege
d American, I’d just like to say that this place reminds me of a prison. The shower is a just a shower head attached to the bathroom wall, the sheets are cardboard, and the outlets are sparse. At least the wifi is good. For two nights, this will be fine, but I’ve never experienced anything quite like this before.
After checking in Emily and Carrie were in desperate need of coffee so the three of us headed across the street to the Florence Irish Bar (simply due to the fact it was open late and so close.) That place was wild. We split a cheeseburger while Linkin Park and Green Day blasted through the speakers. They didn’t even have Spotify Premium. I had a Moscow Mule, talk about a mix of cultures. It was a memory for sure.
Tomorrow is our free day to do whatever our little hearts desire. Our dreams of going to the beach at Cinque Terre were dashed so stay tuned to figure out what tomorrow holds for these tired travelers.