"Ahhhhhh Firenze!" a Florence Travel Page by Callavetta

When I first happend on Irving Stone's wonderful The Agony and the Ecstasy I became obsessed with the idea of visiting Italy. And more specifically, with the thought of prowling through Firenze. And now, after three visits, it's a City that still does not disappoint.

I think one could spend a lifetime in Florence and never run out of things to see. It seems to me to be a very livable city. Not nearly as large and intimidating as it's big brothers, Roma or Milano, there are more museums than the average tourist could hope to see in one visit. The Uffici (Italian for offices which this building used to contain) and the Accademia, housing the fabulous David, are the most famous. The Museo Opera Duomo is my personal favorite, housing the original bronze facades of the doors of the Bapistry, called the Doors to Heaven by Michaelangelo.

And then there is the FOOD. And the WINE. And the SHOPPING. And the PEOPLE. And the Views.......

Ahhhhhh Firenze! I must go look at airfares right now.

Florence is just stuffed with world class museums. The casual visitor is seriously in danger of museum overload very quickly here. For this reason (and about a hundred more) it's essential to return to Florence often.

If I had to pick the two most famous works that are represented everywhere in Florence, it would be David and The Birth of Venus. You will find them all over the place; postcards, calendars, posters, t-shirts, ties, coffee mugs....

I almost hate to add this, but last summer I head someone say "Italy is full". My experience in Florence this past week confirmed that. This photo of the piazza in front of the Duomo shows just how packed it really is. I'm not sure how the recession can be impacting tourism, and maybe there are fewer Italians, but every piazza, every sidewalk, every alley was crawling with people in giant tour groups following "the umbrella". Lines to get into churches and (most) museums were long long long. And it was caldissima.

But if you venture outside of the wren of old, historic Florence and get over into the garden and villa area, or take the bus to Fiesole, you can escape the crowds and breathe. Some of the smaller, special museums are mostly empty and house some amazing art (Museo Duomo for example). And there are trattorias and restaurants everywhere.