Two Days in Florence

April 22, 2009

After a surprisingly comfortable train ride, we arrive in Florence at 6:15 a.m.

On the night train from Munich to Florence: we were fortunate to be alone in the compartment which accomodates six

It's grey, it's chilly, and we can't check in to our hotel until 4 p.m. In my planning it was supposed to be warm and sunny and therefore no problem to hang around all day. We slowly walk our bikes to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, then Piazza della Repubblica, to the Mercato Nuovo and Piazza della Signoria. Empty at this early hour. No tourists, just people on their way to work and street cleaners.

Piazza della Signoria in the early morning

After the long awaited cappuccino, we cycle past the Uffizzi. That's where all the tourists are, at least the ones who are up. There is a considerable line and a two-hour wait to reserve tickets, then there is another wait to pick up the ticket and finally a line to be admitted! Are there so many more art lovers these days than there were 20 years ago? You used to be able to buy a ticket and walk in.

The Ponte Vecchio is just beginning to stir and the shop keepers are taking the heavy wooden shutters down from the show windows. No crowds. We finally head for a little park on the Arno to sit and pass the time.

In the park: Writing journals and waiting to get into our room

After lunch and a visit to the tourist information office, it's finally time to check in. Our B&B is located a few kilometers east of the center, two blocks from the banks of the Arno. There are few bike paths in Florence, the cobblestone roads are bumpy, the traffic is loud but manageable. Fortunately we can follow a bike path along the river to the Bellariva B&B where we are staying.

We are paying 45€ including breakfast, the room is clean, quiet and big enough for us to bring our bikes in at night - a good deal. The B&B has no reception or storage space for our bikes. It's very handy to have folders!

The next morning it turns out that the breakfast is more symbolic than filling. Instant coffee and tea bags, zwieback, packaged croissants and little packets of jam, but it's enough to get us going.

On our second day, after a good night's sleep, we visit Florence's Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, both impressively large and a good start into my little project of becoming acquainted with Medici villas and renaissance gardens around Florence.

Here a very small portion of the Boboli Gardens, which continue on with terraces and stairs, paths and hedges, grottos and fountains, statues and a limonaia (hothouse where the lemon trees are kept in the winter)

A popular feature of Italian renaissance gardens were grottos

We find a quiet little ristorante for our lunch, then retreat to our room when we see black clouds gathering. Rain, thunder and lightning soon follow but we're back in our room. They provide a nice background for a little nap.

Later on in the afternoon we shop at the local Co-op and have a picnic in our room in the evening. I love Italian cheeses, ham and salami, not to forget the good wine!

Our plans to camp and cook were abandoned in the very last minute before we left Munich, actually just two hours before we took the train. We realized the Tuscans hills were going to be enough of a challenge without extra weight. What a good idea it was to dump the extra gear. It never got warm enough during our whole stay that we would have felt comfortable sitting outside in the evening.

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