Florence, a miracle of art

Florence needs no introduction, it's the quintessential city of art. We stayed 2 days at the Hotel Columbus, chosen on booking.com but then booked by phone, 70 euro a night for a double with excellent breakfast. It's about a 30-minute walk from the historic centre, on the lungarno, very convenient for a relaxing stroll. The bus stop is also nearby. We then always went to eat at the "osteria de'Peccatori", in piazza Santa Firenze, near the courthouse and close to piazza della Signoria, excellent and quick service, low prices, fabulous local dishes.

In 2 days of sun and warmth despite the season we managed to see, calmly and including the interiors: the church of Santa Croce (the picturesque Austrian stalls in the square in front, smells of wurstel and strudel), the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Campanile (400 steps but worth it), the church of Santa Maria Novella, the church of San Lorenzo, the Ponte Vecchio (very busy), Palazzo Pitti (with all its exhibitions), the Boboli garden (a splendid green lung behind Palazzo Pitti), the nearby Bardini garden, the Palazzo Vecchio (you get searched at the entrance.... and then you leave your backpacks in the cloakroom!) and the church of San Miniato al Monte (here we arrived early in the morning; in the church below the friars were singing in Latin, a music that created a mystical atmosphere). We didn't go into Brunelleschi's Dome instead, while the Baptistery was closed.

We skipped the Uffizi Gallery because time would have been a tyrant. The only downside: Florence would deserve a bit more cleanliness and less traffic.... And the price of the entrances isn't cheap either, but in this the whole world is the same.