A reasonably stress free trip from Rome to Florence by train. Stress free is relative isn’t it ? I have on tap porters helping me with my very heavy bag, thanks Steve, David and Charlie. One day I’ll be a minimalist. One day 😂.

Our little group has reduced from seven to six as we sadly said farewell to Isaac today. He was headed back to work in London. I am so pleased that we will see him in another couple of weeks.

The accommodation has continued to be great. We have another excellent apartment here in Florence. It is very close to the famous Ponte Vecchio. We have the whole second floor of this apartment building. Despite its age, there is thankfully a small lift to help deliver our bags and weary bodies. It is so central that you aren’t far from restaurants and many of Florence’s top attractions.

The first thing on the agenda is food. We have been surrounded by the wonderful smells of Florence as we made our way to the hotel. We popped into the first restaurant we see, the Il Ricettario. The food was really lovely and despite it being after 11.00am our waiter agreed (with some coaxing and smiles) to make me a cappuccino. It was great and just what I needed.

After lunch we decided to take a quick re-orientation walk. In between visits you forget how easy Florence is to get around and how vibrant everything about it is. Within a few minutes we are walking across Ponte Vecchio. We are on our way to scope out Palazzo Pitti, which we are visiting tomorrow.

It is believed that the Ponte Vecchio was built before 966. This is when the first documentation about it has been discovered. It was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence until 1218. Famously, it was the only bridge to survive the fleeing German armies during World War II.

There are some exceptional jewellery shops lined across the bridge. We did lots of gazing into these shops with several pairs of earrings in scope for a potential purchase. We watched lots of excited transactions happen in these shops. In addition to the more conventional shops, there are also lots of hawkers. They sell paintings, jewellery, and all sorts of gadgets.

Like Rome, you walk around corners to discover something new. There are lots of statues each with interesting stories to tell. The Fontana Di Nettuno or Fountain of Neptune took my fancy. It was commissioned by the Medici’s in 1559. It was created to celebrate the marriage of Francesco de Medici and the Grand Duchess Joanna of Austria.

And what about the Duomo , it does not have a bad angle! We have all visited the Duomo on previous visits so won’t this time. It is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. If it’s your first visit, you need to make sure you do the full tour, including up into the dome. In a previous Florence post, I have included more information about the Duomo.

Lots of wandering today as we are visiting a number of the wonderful buildings here in Florence tomorrow.

Another wonderful dinner at a local restaurant and then a little wander through Piazza della Repubblica by night. The merry go round is lovely by day but lit up at night gives it a real charm. The beautiful merry go round that first opened in 1871. We didn’t go for a ride on this really sweet little carousel but it was lovely to watch.

Then onto Piazza del Mercato Nuevo to visit with the very famous Il Porcellino. This boar has been patted for centuries with visitors hoping that positive vibes will come rushing back their way. The original boar was created by Pietro Tacca in 1633. This one is a copy. Many copies can be found around the world, even in Sydney opposite the hospital.

Florence it is so wonderful to be back 🇮🇹