Florence, Italy: a few new tips.
Written: Jan 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great: food, wine, history, art, architecture, festivals...etc!
Cons: Most try to pack too much into too little time.
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| vickie's Full Review: Florence |
Epinions contains some great info for travelers to Florence. In particular, reviews by coldsteel7 and VeeZee are very useful and similar to my own experience. However, I have a few tips and comments that I think are worth mentioning:
Florence is divided by the Arno river. Most of the historic heart of the city is on the north or "right" side of the river, but don't limit yourself to this side of the river! The left side has some wonderful attractions and incredible views of the city. Read my review of the Pitti Palace and Boboli Garden located in the Epinions section "Pitti Palace."
Florence is a great walking city. You can see virtually everything on foot, but you will walk A LOT! This is great because you can eat and drink anything you want and not gain a pound. Seriously! But wear comfortable shoes-walking or running shoes if possible. On a hot day, buy a bottle of water when you get a chance and carry it with you. You will be walking on a lot of small, narrow side streets and you WILL get thirsty-usually when you can't find a concession nearby!
Finding an address is a real challenge in Florence! There are 2 different systems for street numbers, red for businesses like shops and restaurants and black for private homes, apartments and hotels. I never did find a couple of restaurants Get a map-early in your trip! You're best off using landmarks and cross streets as a guide.
DON'T MISS: Walking to the top of the Duomo. Miss this only if you have claustrophobia or are in really bad physical condition--in either of these cases this is NOT the activity for you! From the top of the Duomo you get breathtaking views of Florence from every angle possible. It is also a great place to rest since there is always a breeze and there are a few benches to vie for.
DON'T MISS: Going to the Galleria dell' Academia to see Michelangelo's David (1504). There are plenty of copies of this sculpture throughout the city and you may be tempted to forgo the walk to this museum but don't! It is not possible to describe the effect that David has upon you in the lighting of this gallery. It's also fun to watch groups of young boys (from around the world) walk up and pose like David so that others can capture their picture! The museum contains other GREAT paintings and sculpture including Michelangelo's unfinished quartet of slaves and the Palestrina pieta.
IF YOU CAN VISIT FLORENCE IN JUNE: You will get to participate in the Festa Di San Giovanni, a massive festival for the city's patron saint that is held June 24. I love this festival-it's tons of fun! There are colorful, Medieval-dress parades, HUGE floral arrangements all over the Piazza della Signoria and fireworks over the Arno. During the weekends leading up to the festival, teams representing different neighborhoods in Florence play a tournament of medieval soccer matches in a competition called Calcio Storico Fiorentino. The finals are played on June 24 and I think that they are great fun! Some people are critical because they say that the games are nothing more than aging businessmen and journeymen dressing up to play games. I say: "GREAT!" If you can arrange a visit to coincide with this festival, I highly recommend it. The crowds are large but safe. There is plenty of police assistance and good crowd control.
If you travel into Florence by train, watch out for the traffic around the Stazione S.M. Novelle (central train station). Traffic is wicked bad and pedestrians spill over into the street in the tourist-filled summer months. Make a point of keeping your eyes on where you are going until you get out of this neighborhood!
Watch out for motor scooters (the "Vespa" type). They travel in swarms throughout the city-worst I think around the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza San Marco. These swarms are definitely intimidating-kind of remind you of the helicopters in the movie the Deer Hunter! The only place that I have seen more of them is in Taipei, Taiwan!!
If you are thinking of driving into the city from the countryside-don't despair! My husband avoids public transportation at all costs and has had a relatively easy time finding reasonably priced parking on the south side of the city (the right bank of the Arno). If you are driving in from Tuscany, just cross over the Arno and drive along one of the riverside avenues looking for lots, or ask at one of the gas stations (yes, they really exist!). Parking garages (many are underground) are marked with posted blue signs that have a big letter "P".
I could go on for a LONG time. The best advice about Florence is "go see it for yourself!"
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
vickie
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Location: Waltham, MA
Reviews written: 75
Trusted by: 113 members
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