Day 5.5: Arrival in Florence, Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio
Okay picking up from where we left off, I took the train from Rome to Florence. Booking trains in Italy is pretty easy. I booked all of mine on Trenitalia. I also downloaded their app so I could have the tickets on my phone. Once I was on the train, I showed the conductor the e-ticket on my phone and was good to go. I hears that you need to validate your paper tickets before boarding but I didn’t have to worry about that. I also booked my spot for this leg of the trip ahead of time, but it wasn’t really necessary. My train wasn’t full and ther was no on next to me. There are racks above the seats for smaller bags and suitcases. There are also spaces between the seats for larger luggage so don’t be like me not noticing this and trying to hoist your huge suitcase into the overhead compartment.
The train ride was so beautiful through the rolling hills of Tuscany. It took around 90 minutes to get to Florence. When I got there, I was able to walk to my hotel in about 5 minutes. It was basically across the street from the station. I had just enough time to check into my hotel, Hotel Boccaccio, get connected to the wifi, and get freshened up before I was on the move again. I booked a ticket online to the Uffizi Gallery back when I was in Rome. I walked from my hotel to the gallery in about 15 minutes and walked right into the gallery.
I don’t know anything about art so I’m not even going to pretend I knew much about what I was looking at. But there was a painting of Salome that I found pretty interesting. If you enjoy art museums, this is a must-see. Just make sure you bring your walking shoes. There are A LOT of steps to walk up to get into the galleries.
After leaving the gallery, I walked around Florence a bit. The museum was right by the Ponte Vecchio which is beautiful. There are also a bunch of jewelry stores on that bridge selling unique and expensive trinkets. Whether you want to buy or just window shop, this area is worth a look. I did a little more window shopping after that and then had dinner at a restaurant in the Piazza Reppublica. I can’t say that I would recommend the restaurant. It wasn’t bad but it’s definitely overpriced because it’s in one of those tourist areas.
Day 6: Tower of Pisa, Piazzale Michelangelo
Before going to bed early on day 5, I bought a train ticket to Pisa on Trenitalia as well as a ticket to enter the Tower of Pisa. The train ride was a little over an hour going to Pisa and was super full. Seating was first come, first serve. There were also a lot of local stops on that train which made the ride a lot longer than it probably needed to be.
Once I got to Pisa, I decided to walk to the Tower from the train station. I was running low on Euros by then and didn’t want to spend my cash on the bus. It was super hot that day though, so I probably should have been a little less frugal. Oh well, too late now. So the walk was about 20 minutes and pretty straightforward. I felt safe walking it by myself. There were also signs leading towards the tower and the town of Pisa is actually kinda cute so I’m glad I got to see a bit of it.
Arriving at the Tower, I was surprised at how new it looked. It might be leaning but they definitely take good care of it. One thing I’ve realized about traveling alone, it is so hard to get a good picture! Of course I needed a picture of me in front of the tower, so I covertly looked around until I saw someone else by themselves. I asked her if she would take my picture if I took hers and it worked out. I have noticed that people are either nice to people traveling alone or wary of them. I also offered to take a picture of a seemingly nice older couple who was struggling and they walked away like I was trying to rob them. Hey, I tried.
Before you can climb the steps to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you have to put your belongings in a little locker on the premises. It’s free to use the locker, thank goodness. Then you get in line and they’ll let you into the tower at the time on your ticket. The climb is a little treacherous because the steps are slippery and narrow as they wind up the tower. There’s also people coming down as you’re climbing up. Once I got to the top, I was surprised to see it was a bell tower. There’s also a nice view of the town.
My ticket to climb the tower also included access to one of the churches on the grounds. After heading down the tower, I visited that church to have a look around and then had a quick lunch in the town of Pisa. After lunch, I made my way back to the train station. The train ride back was godawful as there were delays and the AC wasn’t working but I survived.
After arriving back in Florence, I happened upon a really cool indoor market near my hotel called Mercato Centrale. You could buy all kinds of hot dishes and snacks as well as packaged foods. There was also seating so you could enjoy your food there. It was almost like an Eataly inside of Italy. I had the most amazing and fresh tasting strawberry popsicle I ever had. I only wish I had had more time to eat at that market.
Next, I decided to go to the Piazza Michelangelo which offers a fantastic view of Florence. It’s quite an uphill hike but it’s worth it. The popular time to go is right before it starts getting dark so that you can watch the sunset. I was exhausted by then so I didn’t stay that long but I’m glad I made the trek either way. There are some food stands selling water (thank god!) at the top. There’s also a nice looking restaurant. But I was ready to relax so I took a city bus back down the hill. That night I had a pizza and some prosecco for dinner in my hotel room. After a couple glasses of prosecco, I decided to venture out to see what Florentine nightlife had to offer. The neighborhood near my hotel was pretty dead though so I quickly came back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 7: The Mall Firenze Premium Outlets and Florentine Steak
I spent most of the next day at the bougie designer outlets at the The Mall Firenze. For more details on that, you can check out my YouTube video on shopping in Italy. However, I will say the outlets are in a beautiful part of the region. It’s tucked between some rolling hills and the ride there is fabulous. The outlets also have a pretty good restaurant so I enjoyed my lunch even if I didn’t end up finding anything good shopping-wise.
By the time I got back to Florence, it was almost dinner time. I did a little more window shopping and then headed to dinner at another restaurant recommended by my guidebook called Mangiafoco. I had been wanting to try Florentine steak for awhile and this place did not disappoint. They are pretty small and tucked away in a narrow corridor so if you are in a group, you probably should make a reservation. But once again being a solo traveler worked out in my favor. Not only was the steak delicious, you also get cute little hors d’ oeuvres. 10/10 I would highly recommend checking this place out.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel and packed. It was my last night in Florence. I have to say, Florence was probably my favorite stop. I felt safe walking around and it was so easy to stumble onto somewhere cool. Also, it’s just a really beautiful city. This is a place I have to return to and spend more time there one day soon. Florence is also a good place to start if you want to head to the coast and check out Cinque Terre. I think that’s what I’ll do when I come back to Italy. Notice I said when and not if!
Day 8: Heading to Venice
As I always do on travel days, I woke up early on day 8 to get packed and checked out of the hotel. I got to the train station probably around an hour early, which is probably preposterous given that my hotel was basically across the street. But hey, I’m my mother’s daughter so getting there early is just in my DNA at this point. The silver lining is that the train station has some good shopping, including Desigual, Caudalie, Sephora and Mac. It’s actually in your best shopping interests to get there early!
My train was on time and this time I knew how to store my giant suitcase. Next stop, Venice!