Far Far Away Land

This past weekend we decided to go to Florence on a whim. We booked our train the day before and left early Saturday morning. 34euros and 2.5 hours later, we arrived to the amazing city of Firenze. Florence looks and feels like Far Far Away land from Shrek (hence all the references). Walking down the streets of Florence felt like walking down a page of a story book. It is absolutely picturesque and glamorous in every way possible. Closely similar to Rodeo Drive minus the smog and cars.

Upon arrival, we checked into our hotel and got right to sight seeing. Firenze is incredibly small compared to Roma. The entirety of Florence is probably close to the size of my entire neighborhood in Rome. Well, this definitely made things a little easier for us. We got to see Florence (one side of the bridge) in practically just a matter of hours. Every street in this beautiful city flaunts a beautiful store, monument, museum or restaurant.

One of the most rewarding activities we did was climbing 500 steps up to the top of the Duomo. The work out was as intense as Stair Master 3000. The view at the top of the Duomo was absolutely breathtaking (literally).

Florence is quite expensive. Living here would be difficult for me because I would be tempted by all the amazing shopping and overpriced delicious food. We ate at a restaurant called Osteria Belle Donne. My pasta was @_@mazing. But as you can see, there were about 7 pieces of noodles and a teaspoon of pomegranates. After leaving this osteria, we went next door to a pizzeria and ordered 2 whole pizzas lol. 

One of my favorite parts of the trip was going to the Uffizi Museum in Florence that houses some of the most famous pieces of art in Italy. I am not a huge fan of Renaissance art, but stood in awe before the works of some of the greatest Renaissance painters like Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Botticelli.

The Birth of Venus

Spring

Corridors of the Uffizi Gallery

Julio-Claudian Emperors. History nerd, this got me a little excited.

Outside of the Uffizi, every 2 minute walk in Florence leads you to an incredible destination. Every other block you'll see a new piazza with something new to look at. Not to mention amazing stores in every corner.

Huge piazza in the middle of Florence. I unfortunately have no idea where I am.

The doors of Il Duomo - Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Entering the leather market, aka temptation island.

Street painters, everywhere. 

The famous bridge in Florence. Ponte Vecchio is one of Florence's oldest bridges from the medieval days which now hosts a bunch of local boutiques and shops. Here I am sitting on a ridge along the Arno River.

I didn't spend much time experiencing the nightlife, but I think the trip was well worth the cultural experience. Florence is definitely a destination for those studying art history and who enjoy the small town. There's no way anybody could not love this city. Ciao Firenze.