Florence Day Trip

Our first day trip from Bologna was a 40 minute train ride to Florence.  Wow...we hit Florence on possibly the busiest day of the year...it was the 150th anniversary of the Republic of Italy.  It was hard to find an Italian in the city...the tourists took over and were from all over the world.

Entrance to the Duomo

Our first stop was to the Duomo which is the 3rd largest Catholic church in the world.  Pretty impressive.  We waited  In a 45 min line to hike to the top of the dome.  It was about 475 steps straight up through narrow medieval stone spiraling staircases.  People were definitely struggling by the time they reached the top and it is not a trip for those who are claustrophobic.  The ceiling of the dome had a massive mural painted on it that had super creepy images of the devil and demons eating humans from the Rapture.  The views from the top were amazing and well worth the wait.  Panoramic views of the entire city.  Florence is what I imagined an old historic Italian city to be with all of the original buildings well preserved.

View from top of the Duomo

Next we checked out a few plazas, one of which had an exact replica of the statue of David.  From there we walked along the river across the Ponte Vecchio which is a very famous old bridge crossing the river with outrageously expensive jewelers hawking gold on the street.  Seemed like the epitome of a tourist trap.  Later we went across the river to the famous gardens on a hill overlooking the entire city.  The gardens themselves were pretty weak, totally unkempt, but the views back on the Duomo and the city were incredible.

After wandering the streets for awhile longer it was time for a frosty beverage.  My parents knew of one of the only rooftop bars in the city where we took down a few drinks and watched the sunset.  Overall, one of the most beautiful and authentic European cities I have ever seen but it is literally impossible to get away from all of the tourists.  Definitely check it out if you haven't already done so but be prepared for the lines.

View from the bar