Florence, Italy

If I could describe my experience of Florence to you in one word, it would be this: lukewarm. When I visited, it was so rainy that I spent more of my day watching Netflix in my hostel. My hostel was pretty good, though. I was in Hostel Santa Monica. I payed 20 Euros for a night in a dorm. 

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

This is a UNESCO world heritage sight with Gothic style Architecture and is located within the historic city center of Florence. Let me just say, this was a magnificent building. The size of it and the magnitude of its reach was almost impossible to grasp all at once. It takes up a huge chunk of space in Piazza del duomo which is essentially the main plaza for visitors.

 

Santa Maria Novella

This church is very close to the main station. The style is extremely similar to the prior church. Seems that there is a specific brand or style of churches in Florence!

Arno River

I had to walk past a bridge to go to the city center from my hostel.  Each time, this walk was just as fun because it was over this amazing river. I could see the lengths of the city from the bridge. One could spend an entire day just observing the changes in the lights, the birds and the sounds from the bridge.

Republic square

This used to be the entrance of the city during roman times.  It has many shops and a lot of buzz. 

Piazza della Santissima 

Piazza della Signoria is considered the political heart of Florence, as it has been the center of the city's government for centuries. A replica of Michelangelo's famous statue of David stands in the square. The square is often referred to as an "outdoor sculpture gallery" because it is adorned with several remarkable sculptures, including "Rape of the Sabine Women" and "Perseus with the Head of Medusa." It's really cool, all the different statues and all the "art students" coming to evaluate them.

Aditi's recommendations

• Take a hostel in the city centre with a kitchen, food is expensive
• Spend as much time as you can learning about the history of the statues before visiting them, it enriches the experience.
• Use Flixbus to get here from Rome or Venice. It is the cheapest!

That's it. That's all the places that I visited in this magnificent city! If you enjoyed this, please leave an encouraging comment! Until next time!