Florence is without a doubt my favorite city in Italy, and it is arguably my favorite city in the world (I feel like I’m more qualified to say that now). I knew when we were planning trips at the beginning of the semester that this city was going to be a must-visit once again, so I am so glad we got to do it.
Unfortunately, we didn’t plan enough in advance to get tickets to museums or to climb the Duomo (1 regret from the semester) but wandering around Florence is somehow still very fulfilling. A city so full of history and art and beauty such as Florence is so rare, so I was perfectly content wandering around throughout the day, and eating tons of pasta and gelato of course.
The Duomo
I never get over this cathedral and its grandeur. I’m really bummed I didn’t get to climb to the top again, but this time, the cathedral was actually open to the public, so I got to go in and see it fully restored, something I couldn’t see last time I visited Europe (as it was being restores).
Ponte Vecchio
Watching the sun set over Ponte Vecchio was on my bucket list last time I came to Europe, and I didn’t get to do it then, so I’m sure you can imagine just how stoked I was to get to see it this time around!! There’s just something about a Florentine sunset I can’t get over.
Piazzale Michelangelo
Another thing I didn’t get to see last time around was Piazzale Michelangelo, so this time we made the short trek across the river and climbed all the steps (after 2 days of Cinque Terre hiking) so take in a view of this beautiful city and it’s picturesque landscape.
Gucci Museum
We ended our trip with a visit to the Gucci Museum, and fittingly (as it was Halloween), it seemed almost like a creepy haunted house, with all the mannequins and the fact that it was completely empty. We all had so much fun together going through the museum, that something that could have been an average thing ended up being so much fun and made for an amazing memory.
Thus ends my series of blog posts from this year’s trip to Italy. I feel like I could spend weeks and weeks there, and I would never be able to fully uncover all the treasures throughout the country. I feel so lucky to have got to visit again, and to have gone with all these people. I won’t recount too deeply the fact that we slept in a subway station, took the night train from hell, and spent 25 hours traveling the next day…. Because I’d rather remember all this as fondly as I currently do. 😉
Until next time,
Ashley
Ashley Whitwell 