Florence (The 51st State?)

I have been blessed to visit many amazing cities in Europe, but few if any are as impressive as Florence.  Wendy for years has been telling me how we should visit there so we can walk around the artistic works on display, see the magnificent pieces of architecture, and see where the Renaissance began.  I'm not sure what I expected, but I was shocked at how much I enjoyed our time there.  First let me say, if you are uncomfortable traveling in Europe because of the language barrier then you should try Florence.  Throughout our trip in Italy most of the waiters and shop owners spoke English, but you mainly heard Italian in the streets.  In Florence, I felt like the United States had annexed a portion of Italy there were so many Americans and British people speaking English it was hard to believe you were in a foreign nation. 

There is no way to cover Florence and all of the sites that are available to view in just a few paragraphs so I will not try.  Everyone there is going to go to the to Il Duomo, or the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Flower, and you should because it is impressive.  The scenes on the interior of the dome, which depict sinners being tortured by demons is unlike any church I've ever seen.  Everyone should also go to the Uffizi Gallery, the epic art gallery that could take an entire day to cover well and includes famous works such as any of the literally thousand depictions of the Adoration of the Magi, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and multiple da Vinci's.  Other amazing sites to visit include the Accademia (home to Michaelangelo's David), the Ponte Vecchio (an ancient stone bridge crossing the Arno River), and Piazza della Signoria (the ancient town square that is home of the Loggia dei Lanzi sculpture exhibit).  What I would like to do is spend just a couple of paragraphs telling you about places we stumbled upon that are both unexpectedly amazing, and a lot less crowded than many of these sites.
 

The Bascilica of Santa Maria Novella, which is going to be immediately to your right when you come out of the Florence train station, is just as impressive as any of the main cathedral's you will see throughout Italy, but since it does not lie immediately in the town square less people visit it.  Built in the 13th Century, this church is so old it has paintings and frescoes that predate the Renaissance still on display.  Inside there are paintings from Bottecilli, Brunelleschi, Vasari, and many other Renaissance masters.  Be sure to walk the grounds of the cloister.  The Spanish Chapel is the former meeting house of the monastery, and contains frescoes that show the original design of the city.

Another great place to visit is the Palazzo Vecchio museum located in the Piazza della Signoria.  The former city hall built by the Medici family who personally financed the Renaissance, this museum was nearly completely empty when we toured.  Inside you will find the Hall of the Five Hundred, once the largest room in the world.  The walls were painted with murals of famous Italian battles by Michaelangelo and Da Vinci, but many of those were lost when the room was expanded by Vasari. There are numerous grand "apartments" which were the living quarters either dedicated to the ruling Medici family member of the time, or to one of the four popes that came from the Medici family.  Another interesting site is the death mask of Dante Alighieri, the famous poet of the 13th Century.  You will soon find the city is completely obsessed with him, and perhaps for good reason.

Here are a few thoughts if you are visiting Florence.  First, it is well worth the price to buy the Firenze Card, the city's pass to all of the museums and exhibits.  The card may seem expensive, but it lasts for 72 hours after the first use and you will quickly make your money back after just several visits.  Also, the card gives you instant access to the sites which can save you hours each day from standing in line with the thousands of other visitors that are waiting their turn to enter.  I can't tell you how much time this will save you if you go somewhere like the Uffizi or the top of Il Duomo.  A second tip, while climbing to the top of Il Duomo is fun, it is not worth standing in line for hours to do.  Thankfully our pass allowed us to walk up and go up immediately, but others were waiting for hours to walk up.  The walk to the top is a winding route of constantly shrinking openings that lead to a magnificent view of the city, but that same view is available from the top of the Palazzo Vecchio, and you may be the only person up there so you can get amazing shots of Florence with Il Duomo in it, as you can see above.  Finally, take some back alleys to get places.  We were amazed how many beautiful parks or squares just opened up in front of us by turning down a random road.  Also many of the restaurants on the main streets charge you the main street price, where you can get just as good a meal for several euros cheaper by just being adventurous.