Solo Trip to Florence, Day 1 (Oct 2024)
Side trip for me prior to meeting the family in Vienna for fall break
I visited Florence (Firenze), Italy, in mid-October this year (2024).
Remember how fraud was detected on my ATM card at the end of our time in Denmark in August? Well, the solution to getting a new card ended up being through a California friend, Laurie, who was heading to Italy in October. I asked if she’d be willing to bring my new ATM card with her and she said yes. So I had the bank send it to my parents, my parents drive it to her (relatively close by, fortunately), and her fly it to Italy, along with a few other things. Then I hopped a flight to Italy to meet her!
Yes, for real. All because it’s difficult to have things sent to Albania. But also: Who wouldn’t say yes to a side trip to Italy?
I decided to meet Laurie in the middle of her trip, in Florence, because I hadn’t been there yet. While there are many direct flights from Tirana to locations all over Italy, Florence isn’t one of them. So I flew into Pisa (~2 hours) and took the train to Florence (~1 hour).* It wasn’t sure what to expect. I know many people love Florence but some don’t, so I went with an open mind and few expectations.
Well, I loved it. It helped that it was shoulder season so it wasn’t oppressively hot nor was it crowded like in the summer. That said, there were a remarkable number of tourists still there. But I didn’t care; the city was magical. It’s like walking through a painting. And walk I did.
First, from the train station to my accommodation.
Then, after dropping my bags off, I headed across the river to Boboli Gardens, stopping for a huge gelato on the way (pricey but super tasty). I got a good chuckle as I headed out from my accommodation because it was just around the corner from high-end retailers like Tiffany, Gucci, Fendi, and more, and here I was traipsing around in my athleisure wear, including running shoes. Oh well! [I compiled a video short here.]
I went to the gardens on the recommendation of a worldschooling friend and it was a lovely way to spend some time outdoors, especially before the rain came. I’m sure the gardens are even more magnificent when they’re in bloom in the spring, but they were still lovely, and the views of the city from the northeast section were great. I happened upon the garden outside the Lemon House towards the end and was delighted to see all the flowers in bloom there.
I headed back to my accommodation to put my things in my room (I had arrived prior to check in and had left them in the living room) and then met up with Laurie and her son. I first made sure to take care of some of the administrative things she had helped me coordinate** and then we headed out walking, this time toward the Piazza del Duomo and the Florence Cathedral, which I knew nothing about. Wooooow. I’ve seen a lot of churches around the world (despite not especially seeking them out) and the exterior of the Florence Cathedral was stunning. It was definitely one of the most unique exteriors I’ve seen so far and, despite trying to capture it with my iPhone, I just couldn’t do it justice. The detail and the colors (red/pink, white, and green) are exquisite. (You can see a nicer collection of photos here.)
Built during the Italian Renaissance, the Florence Cathedral is a blend of Gothic and Renaissance architectural elements. But what really defines the church is its massive brick dome (actually two domes—an inner one and an outer one), which was the largest in the world when it was built (and is still one of the largest). It was also the first in the world to be constructed without wooden scaffolding, which was controversial at the time. To achieve this, architect Filippo Brunelleschi used a herringbone brick pattern plus an internal chain system encircling the outer dome to distribute and support the weight (kind of like the rings on a barrel). It was an incredible feat of engineering and architecture.
I wish I could’ve seen the inside, as well, but that required tickets and they were sold out. Perhaps on a future trip. Laurie and I parted ways until dinner and I wandered around some more. The architecture in Florence is amazing. Everywhere I turned there was something fabulous to look at.
We met back up for a late dinner together. I dressed up for the occasion, LOL, putting on a new dress I had ordered off Amazon that Laurie had brought to me (to replace a similar one I had left behind in the US in February). Of course, all I had were my running shoes to pair with it, as I didn’t bring my Birkenstocks on the trip. Oh, the life of a traveler with limited space. ;)
Considering I had arrived with no specific plans or even ideas of what to see, I’d say my first half day in Florence far exceeded expectations. I couldn’t wait to explore more the next day!
*The process was super easy. There’s an automated train (the Pisa people mover) that connects the airport to the main train station); you can buy a one-way ticket from a machine outside the airport. Then at the train station in Pisa you can buy a one-way ticket to Florence from a machine. However, if you do this, make sure you validate your ticket before boarding the train! Regional tickets are good for any one-way ride; validating it in the machine on the train platform indicates that you have “cashed it in” so to speak and can’t reuse it. (Validation isn’t necessary for high-speed trains.) The train agents will come around checking that your ticket has been validated and, if it hasn’t, they will fine you. I got lucky, as there were about six foreigners sitting together and none of us had validated our tickets. We didn’t know we needed to, as the tickets and signage are in Italian. The agents had a moment of mercy and validated our tickets for us, but this isn’t typical from what I hear. So don’t make this mistake!
**In addition to getting my ATM card, there was some paperwork I needed to sign related to my car. That’s a separate post that perhaps I will write one day.