We started our vacation in Florence-we flew into Pisa Friday morning and, after taking a bus (which drove on the CORRECT side of the street!), arrived in Florence around 2 pm. We checked into our really cool hostel, the Archi Rossi. The hostel was right by the train station, which was a great location for our further travels. When we walked inside, we were greeted by the staff and in awe of the amateur paintings on the walls of famous Italian art. There were 7 of us in an 8 person dorm, which worked out really well. Definitely bunk bed-hostelly but felt very comfortable. We wandered around and found a cafe and great gelato place before heading back to the hostel for naps and showers. During our wandering, we found the iconic Santa Maria del Fiore (the church with the huge dome)! It's so incredibly big and ornate in person. I was totally blown away.
Replica of Ghiberti's bronze doors on the Baptistery
The Campanile (bell tower)
We were really fortunate to have Kate and Fiona's friends to tell us where to go/take us to for meals in Florence. Friday night, we went to Gusta Pizza, where I had probably the best pizza I've ever had.
This is from Tuesday afternoon, but I got the same thing both times!
After Gusta Pizza, Kate's friend took us to a great gelato place where I got cookies and cream and nutella! It was relatively late, so we decided to go to this American bar called Uncle Jimmy's. We got there at 9:30 and it was EMPTY. It was so strange to us, because everything gets crowded early in London. We were welcomed by the bartender and we ordered drinks which he made SUPER strong. A bunch of other people from the JMU Florence program met up with us, and everyone hung out at the bar until about 12:30, when people left to go to the club 21. On Fridays there's no cover charge, so most of us went! It was pretty fun, but totally dead when we were there; it didn't pick up until we were leaving at 1:30 am. We decided to go home "early" because we were getting up to go to Venice the next morning.
On Saturday, we left at 8am for Venice! We were just spending the day there, and had great suggestions of things to do from Kara's mom, who had studied abroad there. The train ride was pretty short and the train was really nice with very comfy seats! We got to Venice around 10:30 and bought a map of the city and a transportation pass. The only way to get around Venice is by boat, so we hopped on the number 1 river bus and set off in the direction of St. Mark's square. On the way, we got a great view of the city of Venice. I knew it was on the water, but it was still really cool to see buildings just...there. It was a little chilly and windy, but a beautifully clear and sunny day.
The Grand Canal
The Rialto Bridge
After about 30 minutes, we arrived at St. Mark's Square. We wandered around, hungry but knowing that everything here would be very expensive. We took some pictures in front of St. Mark's Basilica and then set off for lunch. We decided to just turn down streets and get lost-apparently this is the best way to see Venice because it's so complicated. We definitely got lost! The little streets were really cool though. We ended up at a place that had a lunch deal-salad, pasta, and wine for 14 Euro. It was pretty good pasta!
St. Mark's Square
Fiona and I outside St. Mark's Basilica
Cute side streets (canals)
Lunch!
After lunch we just wandered around shops and stands. I got some earrings and we all got eye masks for 3 Euro! Masks are huge in Venice, so we had all had to get one. We got back on the vaparetto and went to a cool neighborhood called Accademia, where we stopped and sat on the edge of the canal for a while. It was such a beautiful day; it's one of the few times I've been warm in the sun in the past 2 months. We were all so content to just spend time in the sun.
The vaparetto just makes its way back to the train station, so after a little while at Accademia, we started making our way back and stopped at the Rialto Bridge. It was very touristy, but the sun was starting to set, so it was really beautiful.
We killed some time before our train left and got some dinner at a stand, and then boarded our train. We slept a little bit, and arrived back in Florence at 9pm!
Everyone got ready, and then we headed back to Uncle Jimmys at 11 (I can't believe how late they go out in Italy!) We spent a while there with JMU Florence people, which was really fun. We obviously wanted the Italian experience, but being at an American bar was so nice and familiar. After a couple hours, we headed to the club Space. We had heard it was creepy but fun, so we had to try it out. Fiona summed it up very well: it was like a petting zoo and I was the goat. Italian men are very handsy and it was definitely an experience. Wouldn't want to do it again, but I think all of us were glad we experienced it! We got back really late and all slept until about 10 am!
On Sunday we took our time getting ready and went to a cafe for lunch before heading to the Uffizi gallery. There were tons of famous paintings there, but my favorite was "Birth of Venus." It's just always so neat to see such famous pieces in real life. We got done during the late afternoon, so we hung out at the Ponte Vecchio, which was nearby. We got gelato and then sat on the railings near the bridge. It was another beautiful day, so we were content to just hang out. We headed back to the hostel and took a little nap before going to dinner. We went to a place recommended to Kelsey by a friend, Trattoria Pallatino, which ended up being GREAT. I got eggplant Parm which was fantastic.
The Ponte Vecchio
Meagan and I chillin
On Monday we had planned on going to a wine tasting at 11 am at the Tuscan Wine School. Pretty much everything in Florence is closed on Mondays, so this "Italian Mondays" sounded like a great idea. We got there at 11, but they asked us to come back at 1:30 (and to eat a big lunch because it was a lot of wine...). We decided to go to another restaurant recommendation which was probably the best dining experience I've had. We were able to sit outside, and the bruschetta I got was definitely the best food I had in Italy. I've become completely obsessed with olive oil. It was such a great day-65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky!
Outside with no jacket!!
THE bruschetta
Our lunch successfully filled up the time before the wine tasting, so we walked back to Tuscan Wine School. It was just the 7 of us, and it was AWESOME! It was so legit with a placemat with information about wine and the "teacher" had a powerpoint. Since it was just us, she was able to tailor it to what we knew about wine (which is nothing). I actually learned a lot about wine and, while I can't afford any of the good wine I tasted, I know what makes good and bad wine. We tried a prosecco (which was my favorite), a white blend, a red blend, 2 other reds, and 2 dessert wines. We felt so old and classy doing the tasting! I even got a diploma!
So proud!
Our wine tasting was done around 3:30, and we were on the same side of the river as the Piazzale Michelangelo, which we had been told to visit. It was a bit of a hike to get there, but SO WORTH IT. It was probably my favorite part of Florence, and Italy in general. From the piazza, we got a fantastic view of the city of Florence.
Such a great day
On Tuesday morning, we had to check out of our hostel at 10, so we got up, checked out, and headed to climb the Duomo. Yes, you can climb the 463 stairs to the top of that iconic red dome. We were optimistic and paid the 8 Euro. About half way through, we were feeling it, but we persevered! It was so worth it! We could see all of Florence and the surrounding area.
After climbing so many stairs, we obviously deserved another whole pizza from Gusta Pizza. It was starting to get cloudy and gross, so we ate our pizza, then got some gelato and hung out in the shop for a little while. 3 of the girls were leaving for London at 2:45, and my train to Rome was at 4, so we just went back to the hostel and hung out until our train! I LOVED Florence, and was really sad to leave! I would definitely go back in a heartbeat.
I am so happy for you! It seems you had a great vacation, full of tasty food and fun. Congrats!
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