Saturday, September 22, 2018

Italy Traventures : Top Sightseeing Places in Exploring the Beauty of Florence


The capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and also the most populous city there. People there are called Florentines or known as Florentino in Italian. The name comes from Latin word which gives a meaning of flower, in the sense of a flower blossoming. This is another city of Romance after Paris that is recommended by a lot of people to come with your partner.

After exploring Rome and coming over to Florence with more knowledge of the Roman history, we were pretty excited to travel around Florence. We heard great things about it and it’s actually a lot of my friends favourite city in Italy. We stayed at the city centre so it was easy to get around.  Our hotel reception was super friendly and gave us tips on how to get around with the main neighbourhood. We visited almost all the neighbor and these are the best places I picked that I really like and the highlights of my trip. Also, here's a 2 Days in Florence itinerary that you can look up on in helping you plan your trip there! 

Mercato di San Lorenzo



First stop was the market because we were super hungry. The famous bustling indoor and outdoor market where they sell all kind of stuff which include local arts, food, leather goods and also all kind of local food. If you are a fan of truffle, this market is filled with it. We had our meal at Nerbone which is located on the ground floor and it was super delicious. The best meal we had in Florence actually. We started the trip off on a good note and was already looking forward to the entire day.



There was two floors in the market and we were told the food court is not as good as the local stalls. The local introduced Nerbone to us and we went up to the food court as well. Although the food court look much more fancier but sometimes those are just pleasing to the eyes. Definitely suggest to head over the ground floor for more local food.

Basilica di San Lorenzo

Largest church in Florence which is super close by to the market. It is situated in the centre of the main market district. It a landmark Renaissance church and also a burial place of the Medici. All of these churches have really beautiful interior and if you have the time, do go in to stop by.


Galleria dell’ Accademia

Decided to make another visit to the museum where the David Michelangelo sculpture is presented. You must be wondering what’s so famous about this sculpture and what differ it from the others. It is THE masterpiece of Renaissance created in marble. A nude sculpture which is so craved in so much detailed. You can see veins in the hand and legs. The meticulous designed of the sculpture is what makes it so special. Before the final piece, there have been so many failed one and no one has yet manage to replicate such elegant piece.


Do note that we had to wait for about 45 minutes before we got it so to skip the queue please get tickets! J The entrance fees is slightly more expensive and we chose to go for this over the Uffizi Gallery. Partly because we weren’t really art people and thought we just visit the famous sculpture.

 Piazza del Duomo (Basilica Santa Maria del Flore)

The large city square which contains the Basilica of Santa Maria del Flore, the third largest cathedral in the world and the baptistery. The building craving and external interior of this building is really capitivating. A true beauty. If you climb up the Duomo, you’ll get an city view of Florence. I did not do this because not only the queue is long, I have already decided to head onto the lookout at Piazza Michangelo for a sunset view which you can see the cathedral itself. My friend did mention it is two different beauty but if you have the time, just head on to both.


Florence Baptistery

Baptistry of Saint John is another name for it. A religious building and has a status of a minor basilica. It is right beside the Florence cathedral so you don’t have to travel far. One of the most ancient and religious building in Florence. The Gate of Paradise right outside the baptistery is really stunning. Just another beauty of architecture right next to the cathedral.


Museo Galileo

History of science museum and Galileo was someone that I learned about back in high school about his inventions. If you are not interested you can definitely skip this but this has gave me a lot of insights about all the science invention and how it has come about. This is not a super big museum but just nice to spend 1.5 hours in it. The whole museum portray how has science help in building instrument and improvising it over time. It also showcase astronomer instruments as well which is quite interesting. There is an area which is interactive which makes you wonder. Its amazing what science can tell us.


Palazzo Vecchio

This is the town hall of Florence with a replica of the David Michangelo status. A castle like building accompany by a 311 foot high bell tower. Another museum in Florence. We did not went in for this but briefly pass by. We were heading over to Piazza Michangelo so we had to pass by the town hall but definitely suggest you to head there since I saw a really long queue. Feels like there must be something interesting there but I was chasing the sunset so I had my priorities.


Ponte Vecchio

A medieval stone segmental arch bridge over the Arno River overlooking the view by the river of the city. This was a really unique bridge as there were stores along the bridge but the main highlight for me was the design of the stores were really medieval. They had big brands store there but it brings you back to a different era as though there was much changes. It was indeed a good walk for us and admiring the beauty of the city from the river.




Piazza Michangelo

The HIGHLIGHT of my trip definitely! Climbing up was the toughest part for to head over to the lookout to witness the sunset and beauty of Florence from above. It was all worth it. The view was breathtaking and the best part is that this is FREE! Although a quick tip for you guys, please make sure you get there early if you want a space to witness the sunset in a comfortable area. Otherwise, you will cramming with everyone else and with taller people in front of you, it’ll block the view.




You can grab a beer and some small food and sit down to wait for the sunset. I did not have enough of the view. I stayed there for about 2 hours just to see the day turn night and get the view for both. Despite the hardship of climbing up a steep hill and steps, I felt like it was all worth it the moment I got hold of the view.

This pretty much sum up my highlight and recommendation in Florence where you really get to explore its beauty. If you wish to follow all my Italy traventure, I wrote up on my trip to RomePisa and Milan as well.



16 comments:

  1. Love your post! We visited Rome a few years ago and while I really wanted to visit Florence, we just never had time. I loved your description of Michaelangelo's David. The views really are beautiful! Great job!

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  2. Florence is totally on my bucket list! I love Italy but have only been to Rome and Turin so far. Both amazing cities. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  3. The local markets look great! We always love to explore local markets in new places, it's so often one of the most authentic experience. And Florence looks gorgeous. Great article!

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  4. I couldn't stay away from the market.I loved it and ate a couple of truffle-based meals upstairs. One day I grabbed a snack at Nerbone as well. Did you try the lampredotto?

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  5. I LOVE Florence. I ate and drank my way through the city and the rural areas 10 years ago. Such a beautiful place you can just enjoy strolling through with no plans at all. You did a great job capturing all the highlights.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Italy has been on our list for a while and we have heard Florence is a lovely place. Your post just validated what we had heard. Would love to have the experience that you shared at Piazza Michangelo and see the lovely view! Thanks for the tip to reach early and for this guide.

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  7. Loved Florence, one of my fav places in Italy to visit, great post! The pictures are beautiful btw :)

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  8. Basilica di San Lorenzo looks stunning and what a bonus being near the market, great mix of shopping and culture. I’m a big art fan so the Galleria dell’ Accademia would be super interesting for me. I’d love to go to Florence!

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  9. Great post about Italy. It's surprising how I come to know about new places to visit in Italy even after reading so many blogs about it.

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  10. Thanks for the great article! I have been to Florence, and like you, decided not to go up the Duomo. I haven't regretted it though - the trip was fantastic even without it; Florence is an incredible city, full of history, art and beauty!

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  11. The birthplace of renaissance is one of the most beautiful places in the old continent and one of my favorite cities overall. This was a great read that brought back a lot of memories. Thank you for sharing

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  12. Florence has been on my bucketlist for a while. Your pictures make me want to plan a trip sooner!

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  13. Florence is definitely on my bucket list. After reading your informative post and looking at the beautiful pictures can't wait to visit this stunning city.

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  14. Love the way you captured the city. Florence has been in my bucket list for some time but I'm still planning my Europe backpacking trip now. Bookmarked the page, thanks for sharing!

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  15. I have been to Florence so many times and completely agree with your list! Mercato di San Lorenzo is one of my favourites and so many tourists don't know about it!

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  16. Wow! Beautiful list of places and things to do in Florence. I would love to visit the largest church.

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