Here we are in Italy with a sun hat and a dictionary, from “Lonesome for a place I know” by Everything But The Girl. This is my current earworm. I used Duolingo rather than a dictionary but I did buy a rather nice sun hat from Accessorize for £4,50.
My husband and I celebrated thirty years of marriage last week. Time really does seem to speed up as you get older, when I look in the mirror I am always shocked to see my fifty something self looking back at me. Anyway, I really wanted to go to Venice but my friends warned me against it in August. It will smell, they said and be impossibly crowded. So, instead I booked four nights in Florence through Expedia. A friend gave me an official website to book tickets to various museums, gardens and churches, all very reasonably priced I thought. Three outings for two people cost less than £100. Picking up the tickets when we arrived at each location was very simple and I would definitely recommend pre-planning any sightseeing.
Before we talk about Florence can I just give the dump that is Gatwick airport a special mention. We arrived a little early and sat in a cafe where a roaring trade in stolen mobile phones was clearly going on. I do not blame the cafe workers at all for not intervening but it didn’t make for a very pleasant atmosphere. A woman in fluffy sliders and a “Juicy” tracksuit kept coming over and handing off more phones to three lurking men. We were flying with Vueling, the assistant helping people with the self-check-in was incredibly impatient and made a poor job of putting the bar code sticker onto my case, it went around the corner. There are no actual human beings to put your case onto the conveyor belt and weigh it, you do it yourself. Predictably, the machine could not read the bar code on my sticker and it was rejected. I was sent to the “ground services” desk where half the world’s population appeared to be queuing. It was impossible to see whether there were several queues or one big, smelly huddle and I began to feel a bit stressed. My husband suggested we try the automated conveyor belt one more time and, thank God, my case was accepted.
I only wanted to buy some Estee Lauder lip gloss in duty free but, according the the Sales Assistant, Estee Lauder don’t make lip gloss, so I gave up and bought two books from WH Smith, both thrillers that I chose in a hurry. One, The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas, was a real page-turner and I will write a little review soon.
The flight was two and a half hours and then we arrived at Florence airport where, thankfully, my suitcase was waiting for me. We got a taxi to the city centre where we were staying which cost around £35. We stayed at the Hotel Calimala which is brilliantly located. The staff were very welcoming and our room was lovely, particularly the marble bathroom. The hotel has a stunning rooftop bar which is featured in a number of guide books. We went out for a walk around the city and were immediately struck by the evening heat and the beauty of the place. There is a lovely atmosphere with street musicians and performers and endless places to stop and have a drink or bite to eat. Everybody is a little dressed up which is a refreshing change.
Like many tourist destinations, Florence has a problem with aggressive street hawkers who slip a bracelet on your wrist and then tell you to pay an extortionate amount for it. I had heard Heather McDonald, a podcaster, talking about this exact scam just before we left. She had been to Rome and been scammed by people selling fake tickets at The Colosseum. Unfortunately my husband encountered one of these people when he popped out on his own and the man was extremely hostile when my husband politely declined to buy. I gave a woman who came up to us, begging, some coins and she screamed obscenities and threw them back at me. During one meal a man randomly bumped into our table and the restaurant manager came up and explained that he was a thief trying to steal my husband’s backpack. I would advise not walking around with more money or cards than you need for the day and leave your passport in a safe somewhere if you can.
On our first morning we visited Boboli Gardens. Fortunately I had booked to go in when they opened at 10am. There are a great many steps and it would have been too hot any later in the day. The views are spectacular. Afterwards we had brunch at a little café where the waitress brazenly stole ten euros from us. It was a shame because the food was delicious but we wouldn’t return after that.
There must be a million handbags for sale in Florence. The leather market was a two minute walk from our hotel and there are countless shops all selling much the same thing. Then, of course, there are the luxury stores, Chanel, Prada, a huge Gucci, Celine and branch of YSL where the staff literally stand and sneer at the passers by. I am not much of a shopper, I had a look around the market but there were too many people and I really do not need another handbag. The quality of most of the goods seem to be excellent and they were all reasonably priced. There are also numerous jewellers and inexpensive clothes shops such as H&M and Zara.
The next day we visited the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo’s statue of David is displayed. The statue is quite breathtaking and much larger than I’d realised. The gallery is very impressive and air conditioned! There is a room with hundreds of marble busts, everywhere you look eyes seem to be watching. Of course, most of the artwork has a very religious theme and so much of it is stunningly beautiful, so much gold leaf. Despite being August, entry is managed so that there aren’t too many people in the gallery at any one time.
On our last day we visited Santa Croce The tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli are inside this magnificent church. If you plan on visiting remember that it is a place of worship and dress accordingly. If you wear a vest top and shorts they won’t admit you. Knees and shoulders have to be covered. Although I usually enjoy looking around churches, it was so stuffy and hot inside that I am afraid we did not stay very long.
We were not overly impressed with the food in Florence. It was nice but nothing special, we probably just went to the wrong restaurants. We went for a pizza one evening, my husband I chose different dishes but they were both too salty to eat. I had a lasagne another evening that could have come from Marks and Spencer. We went to a cute little café one morning but the waitress told us, at 9am, that we were too late for breakfast. I had a dry croissant, or cornetto, instead. I got the impression that some of the hospitability staff aren’t overly fond of the tourists.
One thing to mention is that, if you tire easily, Florence may not be the best city for you to visit, especially during the height of summer. Unless you are eating /drinking at a bar or café there is absolutely nowhere to sit and rest. There ae no benches where you can take a breather and enjoy a gelato. The best you can hope for is to perch on a low wall or even a doorstep.
Florence is a stunningly beautiful city packed full of gorgeous architecture and history. If you enjoy shopping you will not be disappointed. I hope to visit again, maybe in June or September next time when it will be a little cooler. It would be a great location for a girls trip. Everything is within walking distance and I loved the lively, bustling atmosphere.
Grazie per aver letto
Samantha
Silver & Blonde 