November 6, 2024 3:45-6:45PM…read more We initially didn't plan to visit but was told this is a must do in Florence. I'm glad we did. I love art museums and thought this was more religious artifacts but glad to see some of my new favorite paintings in person. Silly me! Upon entering the museum, there a lot of stairs to climb. Get your exercise in for sure! I did see a very tiny elevator a little bit hidden to the side, so they definitely can accommodate those needing accessibility but plan accordingly as the elevator was tiny, probably one stroller/wheelchair at a time. The Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring are both so amazing to see in person. The works of Caravaggio were very powerfully presented. The da Vinci, the Michelangelo, the Raphael... so many great artist and their works are housed here. Lots of Sweet Baby Jesus and the Madonna, various Adam and Eve paintings.. My favorite besides Botticelli's, was from Pietro Perugino's a Portrait of a young man.. the eyes, the emotions, almost the sadness... what a great painting. The various views from the Uffizi Galleries of Florence was also pretty amazing, from Ponte Vecchio, along the Arno River and the view of the city... so glad we went during sunset as I caught some pretty great shots with just my iPhone. I definitely think this is worth the stop and glad to have this as an impromptu visit. Got in pretty quickly without a reservation either, we were very lucky.

The Uffizi Gallery is an absolutely extraordinary museum. It's famous for good reason, the most…read morevisited art gallery in all of Italy, a country not lacking in priceless, important art. The place was built by the Medicis and houses much of the art they collected, all of it given to the city of Florence as the family died off. It's been open to select visitors since the 16th century and to the public since 1769, making it one of the world's first modern museums. We went with a small group tour (provided by Things To Do In, which dealt with the ticketing), and this was 100% worth the added expense. The Uffizi is huge and full of treasures, and our guide's expertise felt pretty essential. We met in the courtyard, which was bustling with tourists at 10AM on a cold, off-season Thursday. The courtyard is notable in its own right, beautiful and historic, with a view of the Arno River. Sculptures of famous artists fill the niches between the columns. Our meeting point was underneath Nicola Pisano. We made our way from there into the Uffizi's grand hallways, works of art in themselves, and lined with statuary. Our tour was an hour and a half long and took us through just a few highlights of the museum, which contains an astonishing collection of Italian Renaissance works. We admired a display of three Italian Madonnas, masterpieces of the 13th and 14th centuries by Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto (our guide's mini lecture on the Giotto will stay with me for a long time). We saw Simone Martini's Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus, with its wtf-no-thank-you Virgin Mary, the Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano, embellished with gold and textiles. I'm ignorant and didn't know what we'd be seeing at the Uffizi and was genuinely surprised to walk into a room and see Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus. Incredible paintings, and a privilege to see in person. We hit the ninja turtles next: Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation and unfinished Adoration of the Magi; Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, his only surviving finished panel painting; and Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch. Our tour ended there, but we had much more to see, and our guide helpfully told us a few paintings to look out for. The Medici portraits by Agnolo Bronzino, especially the Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni. Titian's Venus of Urbino, a historically significant nude. And three works by Caravaggio: Bacchus, Sacrifice of Isaac, and Medusa, all of them amazing. I also enjoyed the extensive gallery of self-portraits and the temporary exhibition on Florence and Europe in the 18th century. This included some great paintings and sculpture, but without a guide to put them in context, I have to admit the giant stone lion dick made the most lasting impression. We hit the gift shop on our way out, hoping to find a postcard of Florence we could send to our kids. Unfortunately for us, all the postcards were of the gallery's artworks, and we didn't think our three- and five-year-old would get much out of religious paintings or Medusa's decapitated head. I left the Uffizi with a new appreciation for Italian art, and honestly, a sharpened interest in art in general. This was an enriching visit, full of marvels, maybe the best thing we did on our trip to Florence.

From the Middle Ages to the present day, Piazza della Signoria, between Piazza del Duomo and the…read moreArno River, is the beating heart of the historic center of Florence with its distinctive L-shape, which my partner, our friends, family member, and I visited in mid-September. Palazzo Vecchio, the traditional seat of the Florentine government, with its distinctive tower, is yet another symbol of the city. In front stands a copy of Michelangelo's David (the original can be seen at the Accademia Gallery). One of the most impressive squares we've ever seen! The piazza looks like an outdoor museum, full of iconic statues and history in every corner. One can't miss the Fountain of Neptune that was commissioned to celebrate a Medici marriage. It is a colossal statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea and the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon. The atmosphere is vibrant and lively with both tourists and locals, perfect to enjoy both during the day and at night. Definitely a must-see in Florence!

Nice gathering place next to Ponte Vecchio. There's a beautiful fountain here and plenty of places…read moreto gather and dine. I love these Italian palazzos!

A piece of history! Worthwhile to take a stop nearby the main square in Bologna and admire these…read morefeats of medieval architecture. As of end Dec 2023 both towers are closed for maintenance as the base and building materials have deteriorated and are no longer safe for tours. Prior to closing stairway access to the top via 498 steps (according to their website) was available for €5 to the taller tower Asinelli, with shorter tower Garisenda already under repair. There is a public website commune.bologna.it where anyone can donate to the restoration campaign.

Between the 12th and the 13th century, Bologna was a city full of towers. Almost all the towers…read morewere tall defensive stone towers. Besides the towers, there are still some fortified porticos that correspond to the gates of the 12th-century city. The richest families used these towers for offensive/defensive purposes during the period of the Investiture Controversy. In the 13th century, many towers were demolished or collapsed. Many towers have been used as a prison, city tower, shop or residential building. The 2 towers remained a famous sight of Bologna throughout the later periods; even Dante mentioned some of the towers in his Inferno.

November 9, 2024 1:30PM…read more What a beautiful church. This wasn't on our must see list while in Florence but so glad we made a pit stop here while looking for the leather school. Very short line to get in, I believe it was about 8 euros per person for a visit. We ended up spending about an hour ish browsing around. There were a lot of famous folks buried here... Right before our honeymoon we had lost my beloved kitty on the operating table for a dental procedure, she was 3.5 yo... on the same day we lost my mother in law to her battle with MS. It had been a rough couple of weeks before our trip. For some reason while sitting in this church I had an overwhelming feeling of sadness and relief at the same time. Which made this place so memorable for me. Known as the "Pantheon of Florence," it's the largest Franciscan church and serves as the burial site for famous Italians like Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. Its history involves significant artistic decoration, including Giotto's frescoes, and later additions like the Neo-Gothic facade. Such a beautiful historic site with so much to look at. Definitely recommend to check them out if you ever visit Florence.

Located about 2,600 feet southeast of the Duomo, my partner, our friends, family members, and I…read morearrived at the Piazza di Santa Croce and the Basilica of Santa Croce (Italian for Basilica of the Holy Cross) St. Francis visited Florence at the beginning of the 13th century, and a few years later some friars of his congregation decided to stop in the city and build a church with a convent and an adjacent library. Thus was born this church. Today Santa Croce is a museum complex that brings together the Basilica, the chapels, the monastery, the bell tower, and the part dedicated exclusively to exhibitions, such as the former refectory, where we came last Tuesday. The €10 entry fee was well worth it. One has to wear appropriate outfits to gain entry. Basically, just make sure one has long shorts below the knees and arms are covered. Once inside this ornate Florentine gothic style, our attention is immediately drawn to the east end, where the tall narrow stained glass windows pierce the walls. The center nave is wide and well-lit. What is significant about Santa Croce is it became the resting place of so many great Italians, such as the great historian and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, sculptor and painter Michelangelo Buonarroti, astronomer Galileo Galilei, and composer Gioachino Rossini. There were probably more than a thousand art pieces on display here, including works of Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Giotto. One can easily spend half a day here--there is that much to see and explore!

Out of all the Big 3 cities in Italy I collectively walked the most steps in Florence. Not only is…read morethe city pedestrian-friendly (small city plus a huge car-free zone around the Duomo), some of the best views are rewarded if you work hard for it. I was very fortunate to be able to do the main 3 climbs of the city: the cupola (dome) climb, Giotto's Campanile (bell tower) climb and the Arnolfo tower climb. Spread out over the course of the entire Florence leg of my trip this is how I justified eating whatever I wanted. The Arnolfo Tower is 95 meters high and is erected atop the Palazzo Vecchio. It is named after the architect of the palace, Arnolfo di Cambio. During construction he decided to incorporate an ancient tower formerly located at the site - hence why the tower itself is off-center. The purpose of the tower was for defense of the city. - The clock built into the tower serves as the city's first public clock. Only one hand tells the hour while increments in the hours themselves denote the minute by 15-minute increments. - There's a "alberghetto" inside the tower, which in reality is a small prison. Famous inhabitants included Cosimo the Elder (first member of the Medici family dynasty) and Savonarola (a devout Dominican monk) before their exile and executions, respectively. The tower can be accessed via its own separate admission fee (€10) or as part of a combo-ticket with the Palazzo Vecchio (€14) and the archaeological site (€18). It also keeps separate hours from Palazzo Vecchio itself; check the website for exact hours as they differ depending on the season. Remember that last entry is an hour to close. Difficulty: in the middle between the harder Cupola climb and the easier Campanile climb. While 418 is the official step count, the actual number of steps of the tower climb itself is a bit over 200. This is because you have to climb some steps in order to reach the starting point of the Palazzo Vecchio rooms open to the public, which is the same floor as the entrance to the tower. On busy days there is also a waiting period to climb the tower as only 20ish people can access the tower at any given period with a maximum time of 30 minutes per group. This provides ample opportunity to "rest" halfway, though on actual tower climb itself there are fewer opportunities to rest than the Campanile. The tower climb shows its reward when you reach the top. It is the single best view inside the city of the entire Duomo cathedral, including Giotto's Campanile. You can photograph the entire cathedral within one frame. The best view is specifically marked as such and highly encourages people to take the best view/selfie shots. I enjoyed this view as it did give me the best shot of the Duomo. I was not able to go to Piazzale Michelangelo for my chance to take a picture of "the best shot of Florence". PS: In retrospect I'm glad that I paid for the separate €10 admission. Had I done the combo-ticket on the same day I visited Palazzo Vecchio it would've been a challenge to tackle *both* the cupola and this climb several hours after.

Literally towering over Florence is the Tower of Palazzo Vecchio. It stands 311 feet tall and is…read morethe city's most recognizable symbol and focal point. The oldest parts of the building were built between 1299 and the early 14th century, possibly to a design by Arnolfo di Cambio, as the seat of the city's government. For a fee, (€ 6.50 for the tour or € 10 for the tour and museum), you can climb the tower. We are from Baltimore where we have The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, which was modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio. It has been a Baltimore landmark since its construction in 1911. So we have always felt a connection to this tower.

This was probably the best of the 3 hotels we stayed at in Italy through Contiki. It was also the…read morecleanest and most modern. It didn't have a safe for valuables but I was really impressed with the number of lights in the place. The lights were modern and bright. There was even a cool modern mural that decorated our wall. The beds were just ok. The bathroom was nice complete with bidet. What's with Italy and bidets? Every hotel we stayed in had one. The heat worked fine in this room and again it smelled of smoke in our non-smoking room. Come on, does the staff smoke while working? We had to leave the window open to air out the room. In the room there was a nice flat-screen TV, and I really liked that the doors were coded keyless locks. There could have been more outlets but at least I brought a travel mini outlet power strip that accommodated our electronic devices. The breakfast in the morning was limited even more so than the previous hotel. What gives with the chopped up hot dogs with scrambled eggs? If you're going to serve hot dogs, please provide some ketchup. Most places have bacon or sausage, which is more appropriate for breakfast. I did enjoy the cappuccino machine, Philadelphia cream cheese and Nutella packets. Breakfast was included with our tour but for the normal guests, it is 6 euro per day. The wifi is free in the lobby but not in the room. They also had a computer downstairs for guest use. The best part of the hotel was that it was close to the city center so we could walk everywhere without needing a cab, train, or bus. Actually Florence is built on old ruins so they can't put in a metro. If they dug, they'd find more ruins and all work would have to stop. So it's nice that the entire city is walkable.

We visited the Boboli Gardens and the Palazzo Pitti on our first afternoon in Florence, and what…read morewith the Duomo views and the Medici glamor, it was a nice introduction to the city. The palace was originally commissioned in 1458 by a Florentine banker named Pitti. The Medicis picked it up in 1549, and it remained a ruling class residence until 1919, when it was gifted to the nation and turned into a museum. It's a giant place, literally palatial, with a kind of forbidding, fortress-like aesthetic. Seems like a weird place to live, but what do I know. We walked in on a Wednesday afternoon, and neither the gardens nor the museum were crowded. We started with the Boboli Gardens, which were quite attractive, even in mid-November with nothing in bloom. It felt like a large, inclined park, pleasant to walk, with impressive fountains and tremendous views. There was an empty amphitheater and an ancient Egyptian obelisk. Tons of old statues, including a fenced-off 17th century work called "The Abundance," where we saw a weird lady sneak in to molest the base. We wandered up the garden's main axis and reached the Giardino del Cavaliere, an intricately landscaped walled garden with truly fantastic views. We spent about an hour in the gardens and another hour in the Palatine Gallery, Palazzo Pitti's primary museum space. The gallery contains over 500 paintings, most of them from the Renaissance, a collection that once belonged to the Medicis and their successors. I'm sure we would've gotten more out of the visit had we taken a guided tour, but we did pretty well walking through those endless rooms on our own. We had a good time at the Palazzo Pitti and would recommend it to anyone visiting Florence. Less mandatory than the Uffizi or the Accademia, but a great place to absorb the lavish splendor of the Medicis.

From the front, it doesn't look like much - a standard U shaped brick palace. But what you don't…read morerealize is the majestic, jaw-dropping botanical maze that follows. This place is HUGE, with views beyond what the eye can meet - spanning from Tuscany country side on one end and the city's architecture on the other. After landing at the airport, dropping our bags, we headed straight here and did not regret a minute of the exploration.

You cannot visit Florence without visiting Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David…read more Though I had a tour guide, I felt like the pace was too slow. It's a great museum, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather beat the crowds to see David, and then take my time strolling through all the other works of art. Seeing 17' of David in person is unreal-- a human made this out of rejected marble. The magnitude of David's height and attention to detail is incredible and the lighting under a skylight highlights every vein and definition of muscle even more so. If you're looking for a deep dive art history lesson, I'd recommend using AI. Note: try to book skip-the-line tickets in advance. If you're unable to, you can try to book through a third party booking system such as Viator, but you'll be paying more.

Over a million people visit the Galleria dell'Accademia every year, and they all go to see one…read morething: Michelangelo's David, arguably the most famous statue in the world. The David was sculpted between 1501 and 1504, then unveiled in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, where it stood for almost 400 years. It was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in 1873, and has been the museum's lifeblood ever since. €20 a ticket and more for merch, plus lawsuits for unauthorized use of the David. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. We only had about two days in Florence, one of them set aside for a Tuscan wine tour, but we weren't leaving without seeing the David. Our concierge booked us same-day tickets when we checked into our hotel, and we went at the appointed entry time, at 5:00. The museum was plenty busy, even on a Tuesday during low season, but I believe we visited under ideal conditions. We entered the museum and bam, there was the David, standing majestically in the heart of the Accademia. He was in his own domed alcove lined on one side with bench seating, where people could sit and look up at his giant marble ass. Like everyone else, I'd seen images of the David all throughout my life. But seeing it in person was a revelatory experience. I know size isn't everything, but when it comes to iconic statues chiseled from single blocks of marble, size certainly matters. The David is 17 feet tall and completely breathtaking. A beautiful colossus, every inch of his famously nude body sculpted in wondrous detail. We took advantage of the thin crowd and spent quite some time circling the statue, while also reading about it on Wikipedia from the comfort of the benches. An extraordinary, educational pleasure. The rest of the museum was nice, too, if entirely secondary to the David. There were several other statues and old religious paintings, as well as the Hall of the Prisoners, featuring four unfinished Michelangelo sculptures. These cut a path to the David and were fascinating in their incompletion. Michelangelo apparently saw the work of a sculptor as freeing the forms lying inside each block of stone. This sounds like something an artist would tell a reporter, but looking at those unfinished sculptures, I could see the figures trying to make their way out. The Galleria dell'Accademia is small, and we were in and out in about 40 minutes. If you're a tourist in Florence and have €20 and 40 minutes, I can't imagine a better way to spend them than at David's enormous feet.

Personally I prefer independent solo travel but there are situations where I would prefer a guided…read moretour. One such situation is if I'm in a building of historical significance and said building is one of the city's main tourist attractions. In the case of any historical building in Europe I never took a formal European history class and I never paid much attention to any history class in high school, so much of European history I learn through my travels. What a guided tour does is present the relevant information in a way that can be explained in layman's terms so I don't have to be guessing at what I'm looking nor do I have to read through lots of placards, which can lead to museum fatigue. Post-trip the guided tours can point me in the right direction for more detailed research later. When researching my Italy trip I looked at TripAdvisor for the major tourist attractions. For Palazzo Vecchio many reviews pointed out how much they enjoyed the "Secret Passages" guided tour that guides visitors in secret areas not accessible to the public. For €4 extra you get a 75-minute tour that also delves into the history of the building, both as the the political center of the Florentine Republic as well as the personal space of the Medicis. Keep in mind that this isn't the tour that focuses on Dan Brown's "Inferno", though that tour is also offered as the book prominently features Palazzo Vecchio. This tour is provided by the curators of the Palazzo Vecchio, though there are lots of third-party vendors that try to sell you the same tour. Book your spot here: http://ticketsmuseums.comune.fi.it/10_secret-passages/. Tickets can be purchased around 60 days prior. I took a tour in the evening and I was supposed to be in a group of about 10 but since that group didn't show up I essentially got a private tour for €4. The guide was super knowledgable and using the secret parts of the palace told the story of the building in chronological order. (Spoiler alert: tour contents ahead). - The Duke of Athens secret spiral staircase predates the Medicis rule. While navigating through the thick walls my guide narrated how Palazzo Vecchio served as the headquarters for a democratically ruled Florentine Republic. For those that visited the Doge's Palace back in Venice the government and building functions are very similar to each other in that the heads of the merchant guilds are democratically elected to a council for short periods of time and are required to be isolated from public view to avoid possible corruption. - Much of the tour is focused on the rooms occupied by the Medicis, specifically the hidden rooms made for the grand dukes Cosimo I (not to be confused with Cosimo the Elder, founder of the Medici dynasty) and his son Francesco. Turns out that Francesco saw himself as a scientist and was interested in alchemy rather than the political affairs of the state. He created a "studiolo" so he can go about his studies in peace while also allowing him to store unusual and rare objects in the secret cupboards, which are hidden by paintings that depict the four elements in various forms. Another painting hid an entrance to the Tesoretto, Cosimo's secret study. - The final part of the tour takes you above the apartments into the attic. Here you will see the set of trusses built by Vasari that support the ceiling of the Salone dei Cinquecento. After Brunelleschi's dome I consider this the second-most architectural wonder in Florence as its construction predates modern building-making techniques. - The tour ends at the Salone dei Cinquecento where you are free to explore Palazzo Vecchio as much as you like. The next step is to explore the various private apartments on the first and second floors. I highly recommend this tour if you're ever in Florence. Along with the two major art galleries, the Duomo complex and Palazzo Pitti a visit to Palazzo Vecchio is essential in understanding the history and culture of the city. For €4 extra (about the cost of a moderately priced drink or cheap sandwich) a guide can help you digest the history of the building in a way that can enhance your visit.