Florence, Italy

♪ - Beirut 'Postcards From Italy'
On Tuesday I was lucky enough to go to Florence in Italy for a few days with a friend of mine, Bee. We were both excited about this adventure and I have to say that neither of us were disappointed. After four days I really didn’t want to leave.

We flew to Pisa and got a bus transfer to Florence. Although neither Bee or I have a very good sense of direction, and struggle to read maps at the best of times, we managed to navigate ourselves (and suitcases) through the beautiful city. We stayed at the four-star Athenaeum Hotel, which is relatively small (60 rooms), and is within walking distance to shops and tourist sights. This hotel is reasonably priced although the service was nothing to rave about. Our room was rather small, although we did have access to an outside area which was lovely to go out on with a bottle of wine in the evenings.

Everyone we met in Florence was friendly and welcoming and although my Italian is limited, this was not a problem as everyone we came across knew some English.

We visited the Duomo, which is a magnificent building in the centre of Florence and is easy to spot by its eye catching exterior and domed roof. It is free to enter, although if you want to climb the stairs to the top there is a small charge. On Wednesday we went to the Uffizi gallery which houses numerous statues and works of art - a must see for any art enthusiasts. Thursday we decided to go and see Michaelangelo’s David at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze.

The Duomo

The Ponte Vecchio

Before going to Florence I was a big lover of Italian food, however my love grew to be an obsession within four days. I never really understood the appeal of ice-cream as I wasn’t a great lover of it - that is until now! I ate ice-cream every single day I was in Italy, my favourite flavour being pistachio. YUM! I have since struggled to find ice-cream that tastes quite the same in the UK.
Whilst in Florence we did a little bit of shopping. The markets were fantastic with a great atmosphere. I also particularly fell in love with the Ponte Vecchio, which is a bridge full of jewellery shops. My inner magpie was in complete heaven surrounded by so much sparkle!

Bee was keen to find a snow globe during our trip as she had seen the film ‘While You Were Sleeping’ in which Sandra Bullock has a snow globe of the city of Florence. After looking at many snow globes we both bought one as a keepsake.

I was so sad to leave Italy, it was such a lovely country and Florence was a beautiful city that I MUST return to one day soon, if only to fulfill my new found ice-cream appetite.

Have you been to Florence? What did you enjoy? I’d love to hear some of your experiences and recommendations to prepare for my next visit.
Thanks for reading lovelies.

Lala

  x