"It rained the entire time....except at... " a Florence Travel Page by mapakettle

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Ponte Vecchio....could do damage to your wallet

Rain, rain, go away....

Upon arrival in Florence by train, first thing we did was find the taxi line, because we knew it could be a wait. Rain, it was coming down by the bucketfull, but forcast to improve by the evening.

Taxis were plentiful, clean, and the line was very orderly, so in no time we were off and running. We were staying at the Hotel Maxim, which is located only a stones throw from the Duomo front steps. The hotel was found through the Rick Steves Italy book, which has proven itself time and time again. If you are planning a trip to Italy, especially from North America, buy a copy there before you leave, because finding it here in English is difficult.

What we try to do first time visiting a city, is find sleeping accomodation as close to the centre as possible. This way, we can wander, get our bearings, explore, and still get back to the room and change, have a quick nap, and begin again. It works for us.

Our hotel is located on Vis Calz, and is literally only a minute away from the Duomo. Immediately outside the door, there are shops galore, restaurants, and we were only a short distance from open air markets.

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The Uffizi...well worth the visit

Uffizi Gallery....and it was indoors

The Uffizi Gallery, well worth the visit, was less than ten minutes at a slow stroll, as was Ponte Vecchio. May I suggest you leave your Platinum cards tucked away under the mattress in your room, because I'm sure they are safer there, than in your hip pocket once you browse the shops on this bridge overlooking the River Arno. Gold, Gold, and more gold.

Hey, it was just a suggestion.

We found food to be the biggest expense in Florence. Our budget was destroyed after the second night, so, plan accordingly. There are many take-away places that are cheaper, but, being the romantic that I am, we chose to sit and watch the rain. (and dry out)

During the day, we hoisted our rain shields, and learned how to walk on cobblestone streets among hundreds of other wet umbrella toting travellers, without getting the run-off from the passers-by down our necks. No easy feat, and we barely accomplished it.

Florence is where we learned that it is expected that you leave your wet umbrella in the container beside the door of every establishment you enter. This container, up until now, had been my depository for used tissues. I didn't know, and Rick Steves forgot to tell us.

Just a tip.....I don't want you to experience an angry finger flapping business owner following you out their door, saying foreign sounding things. I want to spare you that grief.

Florence is a beautiful city, wet or dry, and you need a good four days to explore it properly. Accademia alone, needs, and deserves, a half day, and that is without rental of the cassette player. With, add another few hours.

The statue of Michelangelo's David, is nothing what I had expected. I'd seen pictures, I'd read about it, but, to be frank, I expected a naked guy with curly hair, but not much more.
I am now a believer. I must have culture, because I loved it. From every angle, every line, muscle, position, absolutely perfect. I can not figure out how one man could plan something that big, that good, and how it would feel to chip it away, day after day. One slip !! And this done on a chunk of marble that other artists said was flawed.

Have your hotel book your reservation for admission. Do not miss it.