Florence has actually been quite a laid back city, much cleaner than Rome and without as many people trying to sell you a selfie stick, a bottle of water or souvenirs.

It’s also been an interesting city to be emotional in, and take my time to grow and sort things out in my head and heart.

So this post will mostly be dedicated to the pictures which will tell the story of Florence.

We also started a bit of a “steps challenge” to walk at least 10k steps per day. With the amount of walking there is to do in Europe, it isn’t that hard to achieve. But over the two days in Florence, we definitely exceeded our quota and walked about 45k!

I can definitely feel my legs getting stronger haha

Day 1

Quick visit to Pisa for the Leaning Tower

We arrived in Florence around 8am, following a quick and smooth ride from Rome via Italo.

We couldn’t check into the room yet, so we made the most of our time by visiting Pisa.

If you are planning to make the trip, it’s about 2h each way by first taking a Trenitalia train from Florence to Pisa Centrale (a ticket is about 8.60€ one way).

Followed by a local bus from Stazione 1 and it comes every 10mins both ways.

It was actually more funny to be there than anything because everyone had raised hands attempting to “touch” the tower in their photos. Everyone genuinely looked like they were “using the force”.

Top views of the city

We bought an 18€ cumulative ticket which granted us access to climb the bell tower and the duomo. With the duomo you also select what time you want to climb it after buying your tickets.

Here is the official website: https://grandemuseodelduomo.waf.it/en/cumulative-ticket-great-museum-of-the-cathedral-of-florence

Giotto’s Bell tower

The view from the bell tower is caged but you get a brilliant view of the Duomo and the rest of the city. Note there are about 414 steps for a return trip! The stairways are also quite narrow, sometimes you just need to give way to others walking back down.

Duomo (Brunelleschi’s Dome)

We did this climb on the second day. You need to book a time to climb the duomo which is included in your purchase of the ticket. Just make sure to book in advance so you don’t miss out!

You can also select the “start date” of your ticket a day before you actually want to do the climb. From the first scan into an attraction, it is valid for 72 hours.

This climb had about 438 stairs both ways. Again very narrow and hot, but the view is worth it.

On the way up, you also get to see the inside of the cathedral. So if you can do the climb, don’t waste your time waiting in line to get into the cathedral. It’s also not very spectacular. Only the roof is probably worth seeing, but you can see that on the way up the dome.

Other inclusions

The crypt, museum, baptistery, cathedral (free)

We didn’t visit the crypt because it was closed when we wanted to visit.

The museum was a great escape from the heat because it had air conditioning haha

The baptistery has no line so if you have the all inclusive ticket, you might as well go in, but it’s probably only with a 10min visit.

The great thing about the ticket was that it saved us time climbing the dome and bell tower. Otherwise, it’s still just as spectacular to see the city from below and admire the architecture.

Florence was probably the only city where the church was more beautiful on the outside than the inside!

Day 2

Ponte Vecchio

I visited this place on my own in the morning and it was hot! It was a peaceful walk however. There were a lot of expensive jewellery stores along the bridge as well and so many people. If you are into those types of luxury goods, pay this place a visit!

Accademia Gallery to see David

The artwork

The artwork was mostly based on Catholicism which is probably why it resonated so much with me.

The descriptions were also so easy to read, it felt like a proper story. The first time I actually encountered descriptions I could enjoy in any European museum.

Note though that the gallery is hot! There seems to be a lack of air conditioning – take a fan or something to wave against yourself.

Palazzo Vecchio

Has some replicas of the marble statues in Accademia Gallery. It’s obviously not as grand, but it’s something you can pass by to get to Pizzale Michaelangelo.

Pizzale Michaelangelo for the view

This one is for any tourist visiting a busy tourist spot – WATCH YOUR BAGS!!!!!! I got my wallet pick-pocketed here because I was too busy taking photos. I did not take care of my belongings because I let my small handbag hang off my shoulder instead of across my body. So please don’t make the same mistake as me.

I am grateful though that I only had 50aud, 50€, my drivers license and ING card in there. I still have ID in the form of my passport and it wasn’t that much cash. I also quickly cancelled my ING card, so it’s not a major loss. But holy moly very annoying.I will definitely be more vigilant with my belongings.

Probably the only good thing that came from it was buying a new wallet – Gucci to be exact hahaha

I told my mum and she said “haha what a good excuse”. Her exact words.

So I may not have lost much but I ended up spending way more on a high end wallet. But it’s so beautiful. Am I a winner or loser here haha

The best carbonara!!

If you are ever in Florence, I highly recommend Ristorante Pizzeria Maso for their carbonara pasta. It was amazing! So creamy and delicious, we went back twice haha