See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries.
On June 7, 2018, I was in Florence, Italy.
We had arrived in Italy a week ago, and were basing ourselves in the national capital. We spent our first few days in and around Rome, going on a food tour through the bohemian neighbourhood of Trastevere; visiting the Pantheon and the Colosseum; taking a day trip to Pompei; and exploring the Vatican.
On the sixth day of our Italian vacation, we planned an excursion to Florence, the heart of Tuscany. Via the high speed Trenitalia train, it was about a two hour journey from Rome to Florence.
We had originally intended to attend a food tour upon our arrival in the morning, but due to a shortage of participants, our tour was rebooked for the evening. This opened up our schedule and allowed us to fit in some extra stops that we had not planned to make.
A short walk from the train station brought us to the Florence Cathedral, formally known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. The complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, encompasses the cathedral, the Baptistery, and Giotto’s Campanile. These three buildings are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence.
We had booked tickets to go up to the Duomo of the cathedral, but missed our reserved time so ended up doing the alternate trip up the bell tower within the campanile. After a dizzying flight up 414 narrow steps, we were able to observe sweeping views overlooking the city.
Following our morning at the cathedral, we stopped at All’Antico Vinaio for sandwiches, and then went on to Uffizi Gallery. This prominent art museum features a vast collection of works particularly from the Italian Renaissance.
Next up was a quick stop to see perhaps the most iconic masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo’s David is found at Galleria dell’Accademia, a small but popular gallery — the second most visited in Italy after the Uffizi. There is also a selection of unfinished Michelangelo pieces here.
After a day of culture and art, we capped off our trip with our highly anticipated sunset food tour with Eating Europe. Starting with a Negroni and finishing with a massive bistecca alla Fiorentina, we ended our day in Florence with full stomachs and tired legs. Then it was back to Rome for a couple more days of adventures.
So many wonderful photos, Jess 🙂 I’ve never been to Florence, but would love to visit one day. Even among such an illustrious collection of palaces, churches, museums, and landmarks, some stand head and shoulders above the rest like the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Piazza Duomo. I don’t think I could ever get tired of see it in through other traveller photos. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day. Aiva 🙂
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Florence is a wonderful city, at least based on my single day experience there. So much history, beautiful architecture and art.
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What a day! Florence is such a great city, your narration makes it fit into a single day that lives on long after.
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Always fun to look back on travel memories. I’d like to return to Italy and spend more time in Florence and the rest of Tuscany.
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I last went to Florence in 2006, but judging from the crowds then to those during your visit, I see that the sheer number of visitors remained unchanged! Florence is truly a walking painting, each building incredibly detailed and vibrant to the eye. It’s a shame that I didn’t return even during my four-year stint in Europe, and I’ll definitely have to return someday to check it out again. Thanks for sharing your adventures; my post on Florence will actually be up later this summer!
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It was very crowded everywhere we went in Italy. Feels odd to look back at photos of all those crowds after 1.5 years of social distancing!
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Thank you for taking us to Florence. Great report 😊! Visiting Florence on a day trip was really ambitious …
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It was quite ambitious but we got a lot done. I suppose I’m a “fast traveller”. I think Florence is worth spending much more time exploring… maybe for the next trip!
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What a place! Oh to be there again 🙂
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It’s bittersweet to look back at how much travelling I did in 2018!
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Stunning pictures! Florence is on the top of my list of places I want to see
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Next time I’m in Italy, I’d like to base myself in Florence. Lovely city based on my single day there and I’m sure there’s lots more to explore.
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Florence is one of my favourite European cities. The architecture is stunning and I love how the city is so walkable. We visited nearly a decade ago. I’m hoping to return next year for a friend’s wedding.
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It is definitely a very walkable city and I think that is how we managed to pack in so much in one day. I hope you blog about your trip back next year; it will be interesting to read about how you think it has changed since you were there a decade ago!
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I love Florence, when I saw the table in front of the Baptistery, it reminded me when sat eating Lindt ice cream back in 2018.
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Yum, your mention of ice cream brings back memories of all the gelato I ate that week 😛
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I haven’t been to Florence, you’re picture are great and make me want to see it for myself. I espcially love your rooftop shots.
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Yes, Florence is a wonderful city. I would like to spend more time there if I’m ever back in Italy!
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it looks sensational! the weather looks brilliant!
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It was a great day for touring around!
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Hey Jess I was wondering if you have some disappearing comments in here.
This was quite a trip, nice photographs and seems like one good collection from your archives!
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My comments are moderated so sometimes there is a delay before they get posted. Occasionally a few comments get filtered into spam but I haven’t seen anything there lately. Thanks for reading!
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Yes that happens to new visitors on mine too, guess all of yours get moderated. Have a good day Jess!
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I feel like I need to give Florence a second chance. I liked it, but didn’t love it the way everyone else seems to. Then again, there are so many other places that I’d like to see in Italy that a Florence redo might have to retreat to the back of the line. Pretty pictures and great memories. We took the same train from Rome to Florence. It’s so nice going to countries that are smaller than the US and Canada. Everything seems so much closer together.
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I agree. Lots of great places to still see in Italy but perhaps next time I will base myself in Florence. I love the ease of train travel in Europe…it’s impossible to do that in North America.
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Florence is an art haven! I’ve been a couple of times when I was living in Europe – so many museums and romantic architecture. Thanks for taking me back there.
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I still have lots more to see there. Thanks for reading!
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Thanks for sharing, Jess. We were in Florence for a stopover and missed out on a lot. Climbing the belltower and going to the Uffizi will definitely be in my list on our next proper visit.
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I’d like to go back and stay in Florence for an extended trip the next time I’m in Italy. Lots more to see that I missed!
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