Florence, April 2016

Our second stop in the inter-rail tour was Florence. If you're like me, I had heard some amazing things about Florence but hadn't really had much information on what made it so great! True to form I think Florence was a favourite for both of us, and we left on the next train feeling as though we could have spent more time there. On our first day, we visited the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio which were incredible, really awe-inspiring buildings. The artwork on the inside of the dome (see below) was incredible and really makes you think of the amazing talents some people possess.



In the evening we booked an evening dinner tour, which was a three-course meal with wine tasting in a Tuscan villa in Chianti wine region. Only around 30 minutes from the centre of Florence and suddenly you're amongst fields and vineyards, and the views of the sunset were pretty breathtaking. This way a nice way to spend a romantic evening together, and an unlimited amount of Chianti wine tasting definitely relaxes the evening and adds a nice atmosphere chatting with other couples at the table.



We spent our second day on a day trip to Pisa as it is only around an hour and a half away from Florence. I do wish we had been able to spend a bit more time here as I can imagine there is plenty more to do than just the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The information centre is great and the staff there will give you a map along with a route showing you all the key sights. I dare say they would be able to give you a few other ideas if you did find yourself there with more than a day on your hands. The tower was smaller than imagined and absolutely packed, even in April – It must be heaving in the middle of summer but nevertheless, it's great to see in real life. Walking up the tower was surreal due to how much it's leaning, it's kind of like that feeling you get when you walk up an escalator that's not moving!



On our last day we, of course, visited the Academia Gallery to visit David, unfortunately, photos don't really do him any justice and the statue itself is much bigger than I thought it would be. I’d advise if you're travelling in a peak summer period to book tickets beforehand as there was already a relatively long queue when we were there. The museum is relatively small and only really gets busy in the room where David is, and I must admit the rest of the items somewhat pale in comparison. In the afternoon we wandered onto the other side of the Arno to visit the Rose Garden and the Boboli Gardens. I would definitely give yourselves more than just an afternoon to cover these as the ground for the garden are really extensive. I personally think it's beautiful to see nature within a short distance from the centre itself, and the Rose Garden although quite small didn't disappoint (lots of lizards and butterflies were spotted!) and you can walk through it on the way to the Piazzale Michelangelo which offers awesome views of Florence.



Other points of interest in Florence would probably be some of the other day trips we saw being offered around, either into the mountains or if food is more up your street they offered a lot of Italian cooking courses which looked fun. I would also recommend spending more time on the other side of the Arno as it seemed slightly less touristy, and seemed to offer some nice looking restaurants catering for vegetarians. I could definitely spend more time here, as the city itself really was beautiful. And before you go, a walk along the Pontene Vecchio bridge can't be missed either!