Trifter

SHOP

On your first day in florence I would recommend taking a large sum of money (nothing short of 300 dollars) and going crazy.  Buy what you want a disregard the prices.  If you’re reading this before your going I would start setting aside for this now.  No matter how much self control you have I dare you not go buy at least one thing and wish you had bought a dozen others.  This way you won’t have to leave Florence wanting and you can go home with presents for somebody (most likely yoursefl).  This will also familiarize yourself with the city.  Some  places were you must go are the San Lorenzo Market, a three block market packed to the bursting point with leather goods.  Also, go to the Ponte Vecchio if looking for gold and silver jewelry, plus it is just about the most beautiful bridge you will ever see.  Aside from those two places there aren’t many must hit places so just walk around because shops line every street with fares from food to more jewelry to suits to souvenirs.

CLIMB THE DUOMO

Florence’s most impressive church has an impressive feature.  A winding claustrophobic path of steep stairs can be taken from the bottom of the church to the very top.  This is an expierence like no other because first of all these passages transport you back to the renessance.  They’re completely stone and in some places spiral and in others they just wind so it gives you the most enbelievably feeling on earth.  Once you’re on top, it’s even better.  You have a birds eye view of the entire city and the clay-redish rooftops is all you can see inside the city limits.  And then you look a little further and you see the hills.  The mountains outside of florence are the most amazing thing ever which hold castles, villas and endless expanses of olive trees.

EXPLORE A ROAD INTO THE HILLS

There are many roads which wind into the endless expanses of the hills outside florence and each one of them is equally stunning.  Ask your hotel concierge or any one like that for a map and a suggestion of a road outside florence to hike, take a cab to the city limits or werever the road starts and start walking.  I garauntee that after a half an hour you will be immersed in little town Italy.  Chances are that after a while you will run into a town, so walk through and explore the town, have lunch or dinner, maybe shop a little if you have any money left from your first day and either keep walking or call a cab service to bring you back (or you can walk back if you wish)

HIKE TO FIESOLE

Fiesole is a scattered little hill town and hour and a half hike from the outside of Florence.  It will be much like what you did when you hiked into the mountains except this time you will have an objective.  Along th way you will pass many olive farms, probably a villa and many nice houses.  You will know you are there from the clock tower which is at the lower portion of the town.  Across from it is a bus stop which will most likely be your escape route.  I would suggest having lunch then walking further into the town to see real Italy.  If you pick the right road you might even find your way to the very top of one of Italy’s many mountains giving you a great view.  Whatever you pick to do I would suggest taking the bus back because more often than not you will be pretty beat by this.

UFFIZI

Unfortuantly I didn’t get to go to the Uffizi during my time in Florence because I only had 3 days so instead I hiked to Fiesole.  What I do know is that many of the renessance’s great works of art are kept here including The David and The Birth of Venus.  Deffiantly a must see if you ever go to Florence.