I tested out this theory on my road trip through Tuscany over an extended weekend. Admittedly I have been to Florence before but it still works. I planned my stops , as well as where to dine. Great thing about my sightseeing adventure is , that it costs next to nothing apart from the bus ticket and eating and drinking. So come along!

I found perfect accomodations outside of the Historic city centre with a car park and took the bus into the centre. From there, it was a short pleasant stroll where I must admit I was sidetracked by an accessory shop which was on sale.

 

Piazza del Duomo

I started where most of the action is, at the Piazza del Duomo , one of the most well-known squares of Italy. Besides the grand sights of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore which has a free entrance , you can be bedazzled by the people from all walks of life at the square. Meaning also to take care of your belongings!

 

Piazza della Signoria

No less impressive is the Piazza Signoria where stands the Palazzo Vecchio – which got major attention in the Dan Brown’s book Inferno.  I did not hunt for hidden doors this time around though.  At the entrance is a replica of David.

At the square , is also the Loggia dei Lanzi – a magnificent display of finely sculptured statues in this open air gallery.

The Fountain of Neptune is yet another impressive feature of the Piazza , at the time I was there , it was under renovation unfortunately but I have seen it before in a previous trip.

There are many other interesting views along the way as I timed to catch the sunset at Ponte Vecchio. I passed plenty of small shops offering the staple Italian Pizza and Paninis. So much life going on with tourists milling around the shops – Plenty of gelato shops too.

 

Ponte Vecchio

This is an interesting bridge which houses small jewellery shops typically selling gold in Florence. I arrived just before sunset and waited patiently in the middle of the bridge – there was a pretty good musician there at the time contributing to the jovial atmosphere.  As the first rays shone onto the bridge , I think I caught a pretty good picture!

Other views of the Bridge:

Along the river Arno , there are pretty views as I made my way to the next stop.

 

Church of Santa Croce

What is special about yet another Church in Italy ? – This one houses tombs of famous people from Galileo to Michaelangelo. It costs a fee to go in – I was outside because it was already closed but the outside facade still look impressive.

I wandered around and found the Vietnamese restaurant I was looking for and tucked into a meal of Stir-fried Pho , the first (and probably) last time I try it because I love the soup version way more.

 

 

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-The End-