Today I'm leaving Rome. On to my next destination - beautiful Florence! After a nice breakfast at the hotel I checked out and asked to order a taxi to get to the train station. The train station is not too far away, probably about 15 minutes walk, but Rome is not the most pedestrian - friendly city. Sidewalks are virtually non-existent and cobble-stoned streets while beautiful, do not accomodate rolling suitcase well. At the Termini station I looked to around to find the ticket office but it was not quite obvious right away. Then, I spotted the automated ticket machines. After a few minutes of trying to figure out how they work, I found an option to see the instructions in English. Unfortunately, I was not able to pay with the credit card since it doesn't have PIN. Luckily, I had enough cash (the cost of the ticket Rome - Florence was 43 Euro). I picked the train that was leaving in about 20 minutes, figuring that it should give me ample time to find my train. Not quite so! When I looked at the electronic table prominently displayed in the middle of the station not a single destination there read "Firenze". I started getting a bit worried that I won't make it to my train and started looking for some sort of Information booth. Luckily, I spotted one nearby but there was a line and it was moving very slowly. Finally, it was my turn. It turns out that Florence is almost never a final stop for the trains, hence it didn't show up on the schedule. I found out which platform my train leaves from and rushed there with only few minutes to spare. I made it to the train! In about one hour and forty minutes I arrived to Florence. I used the time on the train to write my blog entry for the previous day and looked at the beautiful scenery from the window.
Upon arrival, I got a taxi that took me to my hotel. I was very excited to stay in Davanzati hotel, which we loved so much during our 2011 trip. It is truly an amazing hotel located in the heart of Florence right next door to Palazzo Davanzati. It is a unique and truly wonderful family-run place. Tomaso, Fabrizio and the rest of the family are very hospitable hosts. They welcome you with the open arms, remember your name and alway ready to share information about their beautiful city and give recommendation where to eat, what to see and do. The room is extremely comfortable, the bathroom is roomy and well organized (not very common occurence in Italy!), Ipads and laptops are provided, there are hundreds of movies to watch in the room (no extra charge). I really enjoyed the happy hour held daily in the candle-lit room with chianti, prosecco and some nibbles. It was nice to meet other travelers and be sociable (especially important when you travel alone!).
After a quick rest and little unpacking I was ready to explore Florence. I had a very delicious lunch at the nearby restaurant "La Grotta Guelfa", recommended by Tomaso - tagliatelle pasta with truffles and mushrooms), my plan was to visit Palazzo Pitti - a beautiful Renaissance palace with lavishly decorated Royal apartments and famous Palatine Gallery containing over 500 Renaissance paintings with works by Raphael, Titian, Perugino and Correggio. It was a short and pleasant 10 minutes walk through the famous Ponte Vecchio or "Golden Bridge". I enjoyed looking in the windows of the Gold shops and seeing beautiful jewelry. I started my tour of the palace with a stroll through the magnificent Boboli gardens. The gardens are extensive and filled with sculptures, fountains and shady alleys. It was a pleasure to walk there. After about an hour and a half it was time to see the palace. My first stop was the Costume Gallery, which displays garments worn between 18th century and present day. I delighted in tracing the history of the exquisite Italian fashions. Next I saw the Palatine gallery, where I especially liked Raphael's "Woman with the veil" and Titian's "Mary Magdalene". The last part of my visit was seeing the Royal Apartments formerly used by Medici family and lived in by their successors.
When I came out of the Palace, it started raining. I didn't have my umbrella with me (the rain was unexpected), so I dropped in the nearby caffe for a cappuccino and some dessert and then walked back to my hotel. I was tired but happy with how I spent my first day in Florence! I capped this great day by eating a super-delicious dinner at the charming non-touristy restaurant "Natalino". I had salad with artichokes and pecorino cheese, eggplant parmigana and an amazing cheesecake. Perfect ending to a wonderful day.
No comments:
Post a Comment