"Florence My first Italian City" Florence by ChartIt

Florence was my first stop in Italy, granted that was because I was meeting my travel companion and cousin and she was studying there. I dont think I could have found a better city to start my first trip through Italy. I definatly want to go back, there is still soooo much I didnt get to see! Anyway Florence was HOT in July, and a bit overwhelming at times. Florence was the home of great writers, philosophers, scientists, artists, and some of them are buried there! If you go to Santa Croce you will find the graves of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Gentile and Rossini. Check out Pitti Palace and dont forget to look up at the ceilings! I remember being in Pitti Palace and thinking, I thought the Queen of England had money and property and then going She may have more diamonds but Windsor Castle has nothing on this. The Medici also had a huge influence on the town, and their coat of arms and comissioned architecture are everywhere. I am told there is a love hate thing going on with the Medici family in Florence. But for me, they are part of Florence.

The Ponte Vecchio and the River Arno

You might think oh I can do Florence in a day or two, but you would be missing so much. I spent 5 days in Florence, and want to go back! I still didnt see it all. But i also took the philosophy of not having to do everything in one trip, but enjoying and letting Florence sink into me. This trip I climbed the Duomo's tower, enjoyed its interior. Visited and was completely awed by the mosaics at the Baptistry, the art! You cannot say Florence with out thinking Art! Pitti Palace, and of course David!

Statue Whose name I dont remember....

Florence = Art, and ok Florentine Trays. That is for the shopping tips though! The amount of art you can see, the sculptures and paintings are in fact mind numbing. Between the Accademia, and the Uffizi Gallery you have hit some of the biggest art museums. Dont over look the small sculpture museum,Museo Bardini. It houses the real Donatello's David. Different from THE DAVID. Which is by the way massive, and so popular that you want to go either really early in the morning as soon as the Accademia opens or before it closes. I went first thing in the morning, and enjoyed David in a quiet virtually empty gallery. That was the best! 45 minutes later, you could not move through David's gallery without feeling like a sardine packed in a can. Florence was lovely, and worth the stop. I am ready to go back and I just left!

• Pros:The art, the Rennisance, famous dead guys
• Cons:crowds, lines, and a need for reservations
• In a nutshell:Florence the world of otherworldly art