*check out my last trip to Bologna (food galore) here first!*
With days off far and few between, I was definitely going to take full advantage of being given two in a row. In fact, we was going to use them so productively, we'd planned a whirlwind tour of Tuscany in just four days. 'You can't do that! You'll never experience Tuscany that way!' a friend cautioned me. Watch us.
The Tuscany tour began in the city most people would associate with the region - Florence / Firenze. We hopped off the train at Santa Maria Novella Station and mosied over to the nearby Basilica - my first taste of Florence architecture, with its highly intricate designed facade.
This set the stage for what was to come, as we headed into the centre of town. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore was so beautiful, it's hard to convince myself that it's not greenscreened when I look back over the photos! Absolutely beautiful. Nearby, you'll find Piazza della Signoria, where a replica of Michelangelo's David can be found (I plan on returning to see David in his full glory in the Galleria dell'Accademia someday soon), along with plenty more statues.
Italians sure love their rivers, so we stopped for photos at Ponte Vecchio, before crossing in search of food. We had two items on our bucket list - bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine steak) and ribollita, a traditional soup/stew made with beans, bread, and vegetables. Both were easily found at Trattoria de' Guicciardini - I opted for the ribollita, and if you're looking for something hearty, you won't find anything more so than this. It was thick and flavoursome, and definitely enough to fill you up for the day.
Of course there's lots to do in Florence, and we'd been told that one of the best ways to see as much of it as possible was from the Giardino di Boboli. Indeed, located behind Palazzo Pitti, this was a great place to walk around for a few hours, admiring the plants, fountains, and most importantly, the views. Make sure you go right to the top, where there's a garden looking away from Florence - this was probably my favourite, gazing over the rolling hills of Tuscany with their cypress trees and little churches.
The sky was clear as we walked back down, admiring the dome of the Cathedral from way up high. It was a short trip to Florence, but a good indicator of what to expect there. I'll be back, but for now, onto the next place!
I hope you enjoyed today's
travel blog! Still three more Tuscan cities to visit in this series, so keep up to date with all my travel adventures on Twitter
@CiarasCountry, and let me know where you're off to next! Thanks so much
for reading :)
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