We took Trenitalia from Rome to Florence and back, and I'm kind of baffled by the 2-star Yelp…read moreaverage. I guess we rode the Frecciarossa, the fastest and likely best train in the system, but we had an easy 5-star experience. The Frecciarossa--Italian for "red arrow"--is one of Trenitalia's long-distance high-speed trains, with a maximum speed of 190 miles per hour. It takes about three hours to drive between Rome and Florence. The Frecciarossa covers that ground in an hour and a half. We booked our tickets a couple weeks in advance, buying Super Economy Business tickets for €34.90 apiece (including a €2 charge for seat selection). Super Economy Business sounds like an oxymoron, but Super Economy just means you can't change your plans and get a refund. If you're a tourist who can commit to a schedule, Super Economy is probably the way to go. I don't know what the standard coaches were like, but our seats were quite clean and comfortable. The trains ran on schedule, and the rides were smooth and painless. I think I fell asleep both ways. For all I know, Trenitalia's lesser trains are all garbage, but I can't complain about the sleek red Frecciarossa. If you're traveling around Italy, high-speed rail seems like the way to go.

Depends on what train you get. They are old and outdated, the staff is rude and 1st class was…read moreterrible(I can only imagine what coach was like). The trains are dirty, the bathroom is disgusting, and you see the worst side of Italians on the train.

I was very confused at first on WHY there is no central office for these legal/identification…read morerelated affairs (bad DMV habit, perhaps?) but then I appreciated the way things work around here. There's a tiny little office for errrthing! Which may just involve making you go for a walk around town if you don't speak Italian, don't know what documents to file, have no idea what office you should be going to, or just have no idea about anything including who you are. Fortunately, as an Italian citizen everything has been smooth for me but I know at first it can all be confusing if you're not familiar with what each office within this big round building does: Cubo 1: is for all the demographic services and you can get your Carta D'identita, aka your ID. Here no appointment is necessary and you will get your number no problem but the wait might be long. Cubo 4: is for anagrafe services, change of address, residency, marriage stuff, etc. but it's by appointment only. Call 055 055 to make one. (If you're here on a Permesso di Soggiorno you may have to go to the Immigration office in Pietrapiana and make an appointment thru their system). In another "cubo" on the back you'll also find the city's office of public relations. Within this mini-piazza, on the right, there's also the states employment office. If you need to do electoral (voting) services or get in the AIRE (anagrafe for italian citizens with residency abroad) the cubo 2 office has moved to Viale Guidoni, 174. And some extra info to make you even more confused, in case you don't know what's going on: The immigration office (and ufficio postale) is on Pietrapiana, 53. They don't deal with immigration issues in the Comune. The Questura, where you get your Italian passport or pick up your Permesso di Soggiorno is on Via della Fortezza, 17. My head is exploding just from listing this information. May the force be with you.

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.

So we ended up at this post office after being advised by the car rental company that the post…read moreoffice can process payment for toll fines. Just like an American post office it's a terrible place to be where the workers seem unhappy to be there just as much as the customers. This one was organized similar to a DMV in the United States. Upon entry you take a number and eventually it will be called to the designated desk. The experience took about 45 minutes. They offer WiFi but I was not able to use it because they have to text you a confirmation number and I didn't have phone data. The rental car employee who advised me to pay at the post office also warned me the workers are typically rude and she was right . The post office worker did not disappoint with her condescending tone and smart remark jabs but I just went with the flow. She clearly was tired. Her attitude was indicative that she hated her job and tourists. I just viewed it as part of the Italian experience . Overall , we got it done an and now we can say we have had an authentic Italian experience at the post office.