Florence Architecture & the David

09

Oct

You can view all posts from my trip to Italy here.Β 

If you’ve been keeping up with my Italy posts, you’ll know that I absolutely fell in love with Florence and Tuscany! We got to Florence after a disappointing day in Verona and saw the Duomo and a gorgeous sunset over the city (it was worth the misadventures we had to see it!). On our second day, we took a tour of Tuscany for half a day and got to see some quaint Medieval villages and a vineyard. After our tour, we got dropped back off in Florence and continued exploring.

Florence Architecture & the David

My friend Mariah had been to Florence before and enjoyed going to Leonardo Leather and Gold, so we stopped by for some souvenirs. It wasn’t busy at all, which was surprising seeing how popular leather is in Florence. Everything in the store was really nice and well made. I got a wallet for myself, and even after months of not-so-gentle use, it still looks brand new!Β Vincenzo was a very helpful (and hilarious) employee, and he gave us some restaurant recommendations and told us about Massimo Ravinale, a shop to get Italian silk ties, which we went to next.Β 

Leonardo's leather

Leonardo's leather

Florence silk ties

After we were done shopping, we took a leisurely stroll through Florence. The day before, we had been sprinting trying to get to the spot to take sunset photos, so we saw a lot of the city but didn’t have time to stop and take pictures. I would definitely recommend taking your time to walk around the city because the Florence architecture is so beautiful and impressive!

Florence cathedral

Piazza Santa Croce

Florence cathedral

Florence statues

Piazza della Signoria has some amazing statues

Florence statues

Florence statues

Florence statues

Florence architecture

Florence architecture

Florence architecture

Florence Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio is Florence’s famous bridge, and it was built in the 1300s. It has lots of little shops built into the bridge, and the top part is a corridor built by the Medici family so they could cross between the neighborhoods privately

Florence Ponte Vecchio

Florence Ponte Vecchio

Florence Ponte Vecchio Β Florence Ponte Vecchio

After exploring Florence for a few hours, it was getting dark and we were getting hungry. We had my favorite meal in Italy the night before, but we couldn’t leave Florence without trying a Florentine steak. We got dinner atΒ Trattoria dei 13 Gobbi and split a Florentine steak (it was huge!) and some sides. It was delicious and worth the hype!Β 

Florentine steak

The next morning, we only had a few hours left in Florence before our train to the Amalfi Coast. Florence is known for two art museums: theΒ Accademia Gallery and theΒ Uffizi Gallery. We didn’t have enough time to do both, so we decided to go to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David. I’m definitely planning on going back to Florence, so I’ll make sure I go to the Uffizi Gallery then! On our way to the Accademia Gallery, we stopped for breakfast atΒ La Menagere, and it was the cutest cafΓ© and store!

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

La Menagere Florence

After a delicious breakfast, we headed over to the Accademia Gallery. We got there early and had bought tickets ahead of time, which I suggest doing so you can skip the long line. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there wasn’t nearly as big a crowd to see the David as there was when I saw the Mona Lisa. But you should still get there as early as possible!

The museum was smaller than I expected, so there really isn’t much to see other than the David. They do have a room of molds that artists used to create statues to get the proportions correct, so it was pretty interesting to learn about that (I honestly thought that artists just created statues based on drawings or something!).

The David

The David

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

Accademia Gallery

After we got our fill of artwork, we had some time to wander around Florence some more before our train. We decided to head back towards the Duomo since we had more time to spend there than the day before. On our way there, we happened upon theΒ Palazzo Medici Riccardi, and we got to walk around the courtyard for a bit. The next time I’m in Florence, I definitely want to see more of the Medici buildings and homes!

Palazzo Medici Riccardo

Palazzo Medici Riccardo

Palazzo Medici Riccardo

Palazzo Medici Riccardo

Duomo Florence

Aren’t the details and the colors of the Duomo amazing? I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful Florence architecture!

Duomo Florence

Duomo Florence

Duomo Florence

Duomo belltower Florence

Duomo Florence

Florence artwork

I’m a big Federer fan, so I loved his caricature!

We went to Mercato Centrale for an early lunch, and Vicenzo had recommended some restaurants in there. Mercato Centrale was like a fancier, modern Reading Terminal Market, and I loved the skylights and all the plants! They had a wide variety of restaurants and markets, so it’s a great place to be able to taste a lot of different foods.

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

That’s a giant truffle and it’s worth a ton of money!

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

I’m not the biggest fan of fried foods, but Morgan got a rice ball that I tried and I loved it so much I went and got my own! There are lots of different fillings to choose from, and I highly recommend getting one (or a few) from Mercato Centrale

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Mercato Centrale Florence

Florence leather

There are a lot of street vendors that sell leather goods, and they aren’t as high quality as a place like Leonardo’s but they are a lot cheaper if you’re on a budget. Mariah and I haggled for some bags, and mine is still in great shape!

We only had about two days in Florence and Tuscany, but I would recommend going for a longer visit because there’s so much to do there! I loved Florence so much more than Venice and Verona, and I don’t think I have a single complaint about my experience there. If you’ve been to Florence, did you love it as much as I did? πŸ™‚

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Blog, Europe, Italy, Photography, Travel

  1. Kelly says:

    Beautiful photos. Seeing the David was a life-long dream of mine. It’s so amazing in person.

  2. Lena says:

    I can’t read your blog anymore, it leaves me craving Italy too badly! Haha. Gorgeous photos as ALWAYS!!

  3. Cherene says:

    Florence is so beautiful!!! I was there a long time ago and your post makes me want to go back!

  4. Love Firenze! Spent a week here last summer. Roma is still my favourite, but this place definitely found a place in my heart too. Why does Italy have all the best places???

  5. It is such a gorgeous city! I can’t wait to go back sometime.

  6. krista says:

    Florence was one of the first cities I ever saw when I traveled abroad for the first time and this brings back so many wonderful memories! And your photos are just gorgeous!

  7. Liza says:

    Ah, gorgeous Florence! This photo made me miss the city so much πŸ™‚ I spent a year there as an exchange student and have such beautiful memories from the place. Need to get back asap!

  8. Sherri says:

    This sure brings back memories of my visit to Florence. I need to go back again and explore even more. Love your post!

  9. Bejal says:

    I absolutely love Florence and Tuscany! I literally just got back a couple of weeks ago and was reminiscing looking at your pics. Your photographs just remind me of the beauty of the place. We had a week in the region but were based in Florence so I agree you definitely need more than 2 days to take things in. Great post and I really can’t wait to write my experiences up after reading this.

  10. Cristina says:

    Florence is my hometown! So so happy yiu had a good experience here! Gosh it’s strange to see the places where i go to every day in your post!
    La Menagere is my favorite food sposts in the city and I usually sit outside at the place where you see the guy with the blue jacket on lol

  11. Michelle says:

    Beautiful photos! I just adore Italy, there is beauty at every turn. It looks like you had an awesome trip!

  12. Ana says:

    Great timing for your post! I am planning a Tuscany getaway, with Florence as the main “event”. How much time would it be ideal to spend there?

  13. Lexi says:

    Was just here this weekend and it was absolutely fab! Love the pictures, Florence is so easy to photograph, I love it.

  14. Michelle says:

    I just love the photos and words you shared! Such a beautiful place to see!

  15. Shayne says:

    Wow! What a beautiful city. Everything from the Ponte Vecchio bridge to the buildings, flowers, food and shopping. I can see why you loved it so much!

  16. Such great pictures!! I love this post! I’m following you on all social media right now so I can keep up with your travels πŸ™‚

  17. Ann says:

    That steak has me thinking about dinner tonight! I love the visual tours your travel photos take me on each time I read a blog post!

  18. Heidi says:

    The food looks amazing!

  19. Your photos really showed off the beauty of Florence. I loved the variety of art, food, architecture, and shops.

  20. Amy says:

    The city is beautiful! Who is the woman in the caricature? ?

  21. Tonya says:

    I love reading your blogs about Italy. Thank you for sharing with us.

  22. Eric says:

    I think I see my tie in that picture! πŸ™‚

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