Buongiorno! Early this morning (at about 1:30 a.m.) I returned from an 8-day trip to Italy. Having been there once before with my family, I knew a little bit of what to expect, but I was excited to visit new cities. Florence and Venice were both absolutely incredible. Instead of doing a day-by-day account of everything I did, I figured I would pull some highlights to share with you. Of course, there will also be plenty of pictures. Enjoy!
FLORENCE
Eric and I arrived in Florence last Friday afternoon after a long journey from London. We took an hour-long bus from Liverpool Street Station to the London Stansted Airport, then arrived by plane into Pisa, Italy after a 2-hour flight. From there, we took another hour-long bus to the Florence city center. It was a lot of travel, but luckily I was able to sleep through most of it due to leaving so early in the morning!
We arrived at the hostel we had booked, Locanda Rocco, and were informed that they were overbooked and could not accomodate us. They brought us across the street to another hostel, called Hotel Toscana, and arranged for us to stay there. Hotel Toscana was more expensive, but fortunately, Locanda Rocco covered the difference since they were the ones who had made a mistake. We shared a room with two other travelers, both from Korea.
The owners of Hotel Toscana were probably one of my favorite parts of our visit to Florence. They were a married couple who opened up the hostel because they love meeting new people from around the world. They were very welcoming, and Leonardo (the husband - classic Italian name) even cooked dinner for us one night! We had a great pasta meal and sat in conversation with them, a couple from Naples, and our roommate, Hugh, for nearly 3 hours. It was an interesting cultural experience as well, as talked about everything from American tourists in Italy, to gun control in the United States.
The Duomo
Without question, my favorite spot in Florence was the Duomo. It was barely 10 minutes from our hostel, and not only is the exterior absolutely stunning, but the interior is gorgeous as well.
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| Complete shot of the front of the Duomo |
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| My favorite spot! |
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| Interior of the Duomo |
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| So massive! |
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| Offerings inside the Duomo |
On Saturday, our first full day in Italy, Eric and I, along with Eric's good friend from high school, Chris, who is spending his semester abroad in Florence, climbed to the top of the Duomo. That's right, all 463 STEPS. I have to admit, I was pretty terrified the entire time we were making our way to the top of the dome. You have to climb up seemingly endless stairs, with no windows to show you your progress, in extremely small corridors. When you get to the very top, you essentially climb a ladder to the opening of the dome. Though I was anxious the entire way up (and back down), the view from the top of the dome was beyond worth it.
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| Incredible view from the top of the Duomo |
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| Can't believe I made it all the way up there! |
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| Still exhausted, but loving the view! |
Santa Croce
After climbing to the top of the Duomo, we went inside Santa Croce, the burial place for numerous significant Italian figures, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.
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| Stopping by Santa Croce on the first night |
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| View in the daytime! |
Ponte Vecchio
Another one of my favorite spots in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio, which I distinctly remember loving when I visited Florence with my family. It means "Old Bridge" in Italian, and is full of shops on both sides. It also provides a stunning view of the Arno River, which runs through the middle of Florence.
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| In front of the Ponte Vecchio |
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| Standing on the Ponte Vecchio |
Piazzale Michelangelo
It was an absolutely gorgeous day on Sunday, so Eric and I visited Piazzale Michelangelo, which is up on a hill in Florence, and provides a spectacular view of the entire city. We also ventured even further up the hill to the Church of San Miniato, as per recommendation from my wonderful friend from Boston College, Katie, who spent her entire semester last fall in Florence. Boy, was she right - the view was even better!
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| View from Piazalle Michelangelo: Duomo and Ponte Vecchio |
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| Incredible view! |
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| Michelangelo |
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| Stunning view of the Ponte Vecchio |
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| View from San Miniato |
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| Church of San Miniato |
Other Highlights in Florence
Though I loved visiting the major historical and cultural attractions in Florence, I also loved just wandering around to see what we could find. The food was absolutely spectacular, as was the coffee! Here are some final pictures from my time in Florence:
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| Just look at that pizza! |
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| Typical lunch: caffe latte & panini |
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| 2 minute walk from our hostel! |
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| Street Art |
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| Chocolate festival going on in the piazza near our hostel |
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| Painter at San Lorenzo |
VENICE
I had never been to Venice before, and upon arriving, the first thing I realized was that the city was unlike anywhere I had ever been. There are no cars; only canals with boats and narrow streets for pedestrians. Eric and I took a train from Florence on Tuesday evening, and arrived in Venice around 8pm. Tuesday was also the final day of Carnivale (Mardi Gras), which is a huge deal in Venice. Needless to say, my introduction to Venice was not exactly what I had expected! There was barely anyone on the streets because they were all inside at parties, or in Piazza San Marco for a big finale concert. The people we did see on the streets were dressed up in strange costumes, wearing incredible masks. I have to admit, I was pretty confused, and even scared.
Eric and I finally made it to our hostel, Hotel Astoria, and were able to settle in before getting a bite to eat at a local restaurant, which was delicious. We did a lot in Venice, but half the fun was just walking around to explore!
Piazza San Marco
Our hostel was in a fabulous location, less than 2 minutes from Piazza San Marco, the principle public square in Venice. It is home to the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace), the Bell Tower, and St. Mark's Basilica.
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| St. Mark's Basilica |
Palazzo Ducale
The Palazzo Ducale, or the Doge's Palace, used to be one of the most important government buildings in all of Italy. One of the most famous landmarks in Italy, the
Bridge of Sighs, connects the prison to the interrogation rooms in the palace.
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| Exterior of the Palazzo Ducale |
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| Inside the palace! |
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| Bridge of Sighs |
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| View from the inside of the Bridge of Sighs! |
Bell Tower
After visiting the Palazzo Ducale, Eric and I made our way next door to the top of the Bell Tower. Unlike the Duomo, the Bell Tower in Venice had an elevator; a nice touch, if you ask me. Also unlike the Duomo, however, the Bell Tower was enclosed by gates, which made it a lot more difficult to appreciate the full view of Venice. It was still a cool experience, though!
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| Venice! |
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| Palazzo Ducale in the background |
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| St. Mark's Basilica and the Palazzo Ducale |
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| Stunning coast |
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| View of Santa Maria della Salute |
Gondola
Because we were in Venice on
Valentine's Day, Eric treated me to a
Gondola Ride, which was easily one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip. You see it in movies all the time, and it looks like a lot of fun, but I always wondered if it really would be that cool. Well,
it was!
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| My view! |
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| Happy Valentine's Day! |
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| You really do get to see a completely other perspective of Venice! |
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| So many gondolas! |
Rialto
Another famous landmark in Venice is the Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge that crosses the Grand Canal. It actually reminded me a lot of Ponte Vecchio, because there are also shops and little restaurants all along the bridge. It is absolutely stunning, no matter how many times in a day you see it!
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| Rialto Bridge |
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| Standing on the Rialto Bridge |
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| Rialto at night! |
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| Standing on Rialto Bridge |
Island Hopping: Murano and Burano
For our last full day in Venice, Eric and I decided to visit some of the other islands off the coast of the main island: Murano and Burano. We were able to get a 12-hour tourist travel pass so that we could use Venetian public transportation (boats), which, although confusing at times, was a great way to see some of Italy!
Our first stop was Murano, which is home to the glass-making factories that provide some of the most famous glass in the entire world. You can buy it all over Venice, in nearly every shop, and every piece is simply stunning. In Murano we were even able to see a glass-demonstration in which the "glass-master" made a vase and a horse, each in less than 3 minutes!
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| Arriving at Murano |
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| Glass-master and his assistant! |
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| Vase |
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| Horse! |
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| Walking through Murano |
Our next stop was Burano, a smaller island known for its lacework and brightly-colored houses. I did not expect much heading to Burano, but it ended up being one of my favorite places I've ever visited in Italy. The homes were stunning, in all different colors from red, to purple, to yellow, and more.
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| The most beautiful alley I've ever seen! |
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| Look at all those colors! |
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| Stunning |
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| My favorite house |
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Eric and I stopped for lunch at this cute little place, and were able to eat
seafood outside, with a great view of the beautiful Burano homes! |
Other Highlights in Venice
As in Florence, some of the most fun we had in Venice was when we wandered off the beaten path, to less touristy areas. Some of the most beautiful spots on the island were random bridges overlooking smaller canals. We enjoyed wonderful food, and even better gelato!
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| Walking through Venice |
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| Smaller canal with gondolas galore! |
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| Gondola-parking only |
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| View from a bridge |
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| Taking public transportation in Venice: boats! |
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| Incredible chocolate gelato |
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| Rialto Markets, an enormous farmer's market |
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| Stumbled upon a Vivaldi museum! |
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| Outside the Vivaldi Museum |
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Standing on the wooden bridge, with Santa Maria della Salute
in the background |
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| The famous wooden bridge in Venice |
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| Enjoying a final lunch along the water! |
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| Arrivederci, Venice! |
I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend a week in Italy, which in school, no less! For my first time leaving the UK since arriving for my semester abroad more than a month ago, this was the perfect trip to start things off. I can't wait to travel more, and to see the world, one city at a time!
