Firenze
It is arguable who invented cafe culture the French or the Florentines. And since it’s arguable, someone in Florence would be happy to discuss it with you.
Florence is in many ways the antithesis of Rome: relaxed, laid back, and sure of itself in that quintessentially Italian way that makes “domani, o dopo domani” an acceptable answer to almost any question.
Florence gets just as many tourists as Rome does but seems to deal with them better. The difference is thus: take things easy and eventually you’ll get what you want and where you are going.
The city is, in some ways, a fly in amber, and even though there are more, and older, landmarks farther south, Florence seems to have a more comfortable sense of its connection to its history.
The Sites
Like the Basilica of St. Peter, Il Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore), has a dress code. It’s also a monumental space with its double-shell dome by Brunelleschi. Yes, you can climb the 514 stairs to the cupola where you get an amazing view of the mosaics on the nave floor and a much closer view of the realms of earth, heaven, and hell painted on the inside of the inner dome. No, I didn’t. Still…the painting was impressive even from that far down.
The Museo degli Uffizi (hint uffizi means offices which is perfect considering that this building was originally the admistrative offices of the Medici dukedom in Florence) is a must see even if the only things you spend any time gazing at are The Birth of Venus and Spring by Bottacelli (though there are other absolutely stunning works on display; I recommend skipping the tour and making reservations, that way you spend your time seeing what you want to see not what the tour company thinks you want to see). Oddly, while moving these two pieces aren’t quite as brilliant as I’d expected them to be. Still, masterpieces in person make all other representations pale in comparison.
The Galleria del’Accademia was purpose built to house Michaelanglo’s David, so much so that the rest of the museum is basically an afterthought. Still, the statue literally takes your breath away as you round a corner to find it at the end of a corridor, under both the defuse light from Florence’s usually bright sky and some strategically placed spotlights. The museum currently features a companion exhibit on Robert Mapplethorpe illustrating how Mapplethorpe reproduced a lot of the same studies of form and figure in his photographs that influenced the master sculptor. Take some time to look at some of Michaelangelo’s half finished works displayed along the walk up to the main attraction. In many ways they are more fascinating than the finished product.
The Accommodations
Dear Rome,
They have this great thing in Florence and Pisa called a toilet seat. They also grasp the concept that if you are going to feed and wine people as well as you will easily be able to feed and wine in both cities you need to give them a place relieve themselves. Consider the concept.
The Traffic
Abandon the idea that you won’t be walking in the street. Here even more than Rome pedestrians dominate. If in Rome the traffic is everywhere and from every direction, in Florence they’ve stayed sane because of small, one way streets that allow cars and pedestrian traffic to thrive side by side.
Embrace the “safety in numbers” theory when crossing to make it less scary and be aware that traffic regulations are more of a guideline for both Vespas and bicycles (especially the bicycles in Pisa with its population of 50,000 university students).
The Food
Don’t come to Florence expecting to stay on your diet. It’s unbelieably easy to eat well. My advice: stay away from any place that has pictures on its menu and you should be fine. Oh, and try the gelateria on the oltrarno side of the St. Trinita bridge. The ciccolato fondente is a bit of heaven.
And if you can, check to see when the annual notte bianca festival happens. It’s a night of music and street vendors and organic wine for 3 Euro for a cup. Most of Florence roams the streets from 9pm to 4am socializing, eating, and enjoying life.
Pisa
While the tower gets most of the attention, the entire Piazza dei Miracoli stuns with its alabaster church, bapistry, and “campo santo” (essentially a series of tombs for the revered). The museum’s staff demonstrates the amazing sonic properties of the bapistry twice per hour.
Get the 10 Euro ticket and see five of the 6 museums available (excluding the tower; that’s 15 Euro and you have to climb all 344 steps). The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo is worth it for both the amazing tapestries and the serene inner courtyard of what was a Capauchin convent.
Trains from Firenze to Pisa run approximately twice per hour, take about 1 hour and 25 minutes, and are something of a zoo. Try to get a newer car but be sure to use the loo first; the entire train is second class.
Viaggerò a domani a Siena where, apparently, they’re having the annual horse race spectacular. It’s a competition among the various ring neighborhoods of the city that dates back at least 500 years.
Yay! 🙂