This Girl is in Fire(nze)

Kasey Murphy
Nov 13, 2017
3 min read

DAY TRIP!! After our week of long traveling, Maddy and I decided to take a long day trip to switch things up, and save some $$$ on lack of accommodation prices. We took our day trip to....FLORENCE! So we woke up at 6:00am, yes that's right 6:00 am on a Saturday and hopped on the bus, which was about a 3 hour bus trip. (that we passed out on and got the rest of our sleep on) We arrived in the Tuscan city around 10, with a list full of activities to complete and sites to see. Luckily, we had a friend that had studied abroad in Florence that was able to confirm what was worth seeing in our short visit.

We started off making our way to the San Lorenzo Market, or Mercato Centrale, which we knew coming in we wanted to go to. Bargaining, genuine leather, handmade goods- it was calling our name. So, we headed to the market which was ENORMOUS, slightly overwhelming, but meeting all expectations. I would tell you exactly what I got, but I got some Christmas presents for the family- so that must be kept a secret. But, around the market in general there were handbags, jewelry, scarves, sweaters, etc. Then, once we went inside it was more of a food market, which was full of unique goods including a lot of raw meats and fish- giving a ~funky~ but authentic smell. It was a beautiful Tuscan experience- all located in this market, and this was just the start to our day!

After leaving the market, we made our way to the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower, or the Florence Cathedral. *Sidenote* I think we have made it a mission to see every Cathedral in every city- which is incredible because they are all so different in the minor details. This one was detailed beautifully in it's exterior design- not the material like some of the other buildings we have seen- but in the actual design on the building. It was as if it was painted on the building in an almost aztec design. It was very different but very beautiful to see.

After this we explored down to the river, Arno, to cross to the other side of Florence, and cross over Ponte Vecchio. I had researched Ponte Vecchio before we went to Florence, as it is a very original bridge to Florence. It is an arch bridge with shops all along it. So, from the outside it looks nothing like a bridge, it looks like buildings on top of the river. (Please look at my pictures to get an image to match this description!)

We then went for some lunch, finding this cute little shop where they had some lunch deals- something that seemed very common in Florence.

Then, it was time to head to the Boboli Gardens- which were full of beautiful trees, statues, and small window views of the surrounding mountains. After this, we went for the Piazzale Micheleangelo. This is where you go to get the beautiful views of the city as a whole, and you already know it was some flights up. I had looked up that there was a windy road that took us there that was a beautiful walk- so I convinced Maddy it was this one road...it was not. We ended up spending about an hour walking around Florence and ended up in a residential area- but it was honestly one of the best ways to feel like we were experiencing every aspect of the city. We walked around for a while and ended up at Piazzale Michelangelo close to sunset- seeing the city from up above was breathtaking, and not just because we had walked up a million stairs.

After this we made our way down to the river again to sit for a drink before dinner. We had looked up good places to go for dinner as we were a) starving and b) needing food before our train ride back! We went to this wonderful place where we got meatballs for the first time since being in Italy (?!) and they were AMAZING.

Feeling like we were professional travelers, conquering Florence in one day, and with full stomachs- we headed to the train station to take us back to ~Milano~.

When you hear from me next it will be about my Mother coming to visit!!