Florence solo

First day

At the beginning of December Alessandra and I decide to go and visit Florence… we book the hotel and the train, and the day before departure she falls ill… high fever and sore throat… What to do, give up?.... I'd say definitely not… and so I decide to leave on my own. We found this hotel by browsing online… it's called Hotel Lombardi. The price for this period is €80 per room including breakfast and I'd say that's not bad, considering the fact that it's very close to the railway station. I went by train with the 9.00 Eurostar from Milano Centrale station, arriving right on time at 11.44; total for the ticket, purchased online, €72.50. The hotel isn't bad, it's right near the station and is located in a building on the first floor with a lift. The rooms have everything you need, bathroom, TV and minibar included.

In the hall there's also a PC with the possibility of accessing the internet. There are 15 rooms, each named after a painter; I had Titian's room. The staff are kind; as soon as I arrived I said straight away that I was alone and they gave me a discount, and for the last night they asked me if I wanted the single room that was becoming free…. I accepted and in the end for three nights with breakfast I paid €190. I arrive at the hotel, take care of the formalities and get ready to go out. Again via the internet I booked the ticket for the Galleria dell'Accademia: the number to call is 055. 2654321 or, by credit card on the website, they'll let you choose the day and time. The full ticket price is €6.50 and the booking costs €3. I recommend booking because there are really a lot of tourists, especially on Saturdays and Sundays.

Luckily I didn't find any queues, and if I had I would have skipped them, but not because I'm rude, but because I had booked… I liked the Galleria dell'Accademia very much.. especially because of him… the king of the museum: Michelangelo's David. Guys, it's marvellous… a statue perfect in every detail… it dominates the whole room and as soon as you see it, you no longer see anything else, which is a shame because there are other valuable works too… My guide is right (naturally Lonely Planet) when it writes "… later moved in 1882 to the Galleria dell'Accademia to be placed in a specially built niche, which nevertheless does not do this masterpiece the justice it deserves." In this room everything is silent… only he speaks: the David. Having left the Galleria satisfied, I continue my itinerary towards the Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore.

Majestic and imposing, with the wonderful dome by Brunelleschi… It's 5 pm but I manage to get in; the immensity of the naves is almost frightening… and as you get closer to the dome you're left open-mouthed… it's marvellous; I wonder what kind of geniuses lived before us… The Last Judgement is depicted. In the church there's also the possibility of seeing the crypt and climbing up to the dome, but by now it's late and I put everything off to tomorrow. I leave the church, take several photographs and head towards Piazza della Signoria, not far away. The square isn't very big but it's full of people buying souvenirs, taking photos… and looking around curiously.

I approach the Loggia della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, take photos of the copy of the David of course, since I can't take them of the original… You carry on and arrive at the Uffizi… a beautiful U-shaped building; the visit here is booked for tomorrow. I reach the riverside embankment and see several bridges, and I'm intrigued by the Ponte Vecchio… can I say it's nothing special? I thought I'd find goodness knows what, and instead… I think the only interesting thing about the bridge is the Vasari Corridor. So I go back to the hotel to plan the next day's itinerary.

Second Day

I wake up fairly early, have breakfast and set off to visit the city; we start with S. Maria Novella, which however is under renovation, a shame. I want to visit the Bargello Museum, where the other famous David is kept, Donatello's. Here I haven't booked and luckily I don't find any queues, also because it's early.. I go in, the ticket costs €4. It has two floors and there are early works by Michelangelo. On the first floor there's the hall of the General Council, where Donatello's two works depicting David are kept, one, the less famous one, in marble while the second is in bronze; unfortunately you can't see it well because it's under restoration. But you can admire it anyway, since a restoration area has been set up right in the hall. There's also a screen where you can see the restorers at work live. It's very curious and fascinating.

However, I have to make a negative remark about this museum: the staff… there was a rather insistent and rude man who kept asking me questions that I didn't want to answer, and I would move away… but he kept insisting until he said something to me: "Miss, if you want to take photos, you can do it here, there's no one around and I'll allow it." Can you believe it?!?!.. Naturally I didn't listen to him and left… I actually walked out of the museum… Everything is done to preserve our art and then there are these characters who ruin it, incredible. Anyway, having left there I went to the Uffizi because I had a booking for 12.00. Those who have booked tickets must go to an entrance on the opposite side from the actual entrance; here you're given the ticket and then you can go in.

I paid €10 for the ticket because there's a temporary exhibition on Neapolitan painting, in addition of course to the €3 booking fee. One thing I haven't mentioned is that in every museum there's a metal detector check, so if you have keys, a mobile phone or anything else, remember to leave them in the tray before going through the door. The Uffizi are truly beautiful; I went through them all, room by room, work by work… From Leonardo to Botticelli, from Caravaggio (an artist who took his name from my home town; some say he was born here, others in Milan… we'll never know) to Rubens… and many many other fabulous artists. One piece of advice: don't just look at the paintings or the statues… look at the ceilings too. I won't list the works because otherwise I'll become even more boring than I already am..

After enjoying the spectacle of the Uffizi, I head to the Cathedral to climb the Dome. There's a dedicated entrance on the left side of the Cathedral; the entrance costs €6 and be very careful, there are 464 steps to climb; I thought I wouldn't make it but I did really well… it takes 10/15 minutes, then it depends on each person's level of fitness… I'd say mine is very poor… During the climb you also pass inside the dome and you can admire up close the marvellous fresco of the Last Judgement… when you get to the top the view is truly breathtaking, as they say; you can see all of Florence and luckily it was a beautiful sunny day… I know you can also climb the Campanile, again for €6, but in my opinion the Dome is better… because it's higher and the view is wider.

After taking all the ritual photos, I go down and enter the church again; I want to see the crypt, which is immediately on the right as you enter. The ticket costs €3 and you see the remains found of the 5th-century church of Santa Reparata. Brunelleschi's tomb is there too. Having left the Cathedral I head towards another important church: Santa Croce, not far away. The ticket costs €5; you go in and in the church you can admire several tombs of famous figures such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Foscolo. Besides the church you can visit the Cloister and a Museum where some frescoes by Giotto are kept. I go back to the hotel exhausted, after doing some shopping…

Third day

Today too we get up early; today's destination: Palazzo Pitti. Here I haven't booked; you get there on foot, crossing the Ponte Vecchio. You find yourself in front of an enormous building. The ticket office is on the right. Looking at the prices I think carefully before going in… There are two types of tickets, one for the Palace itself and one for the Boboli Gardens. So the first ticket includes: the Palatine Gallery, the royal rooms and the Gallery of Modern Art, plus a temporary exhibition of Filippo Napoletano. The cost is €12.00. The second ticket includes: the silver museum, the Boboli Garden, the costume gallery, the porcelain museum and a temporary exhibition of Francesco Furini. Ticket price: €10. For a total of €22.00.

If they asked me to go back I'd say no… but not because of the ticket price, but because I didn't find it interesting; the only beautiful rooms are those of the Palatine Gallery (where a painting by Caravaggio is kept, but it's on display in Forlì) and the royal rooms. The Boboli Gardens aren't that great… yes, they're beautiful, but not as I imagined them, though then again everything is a matter of personal taste. Advice: just get the ticket for the palace. This is the Florence I saw; unfortunately I didn't visit San Miniato because my legs wouldn't allow it…

Return

The train leaves early and there's no time for another visit. I'd gladly come back to see the Uffizi and the David

Until the next trip