After our amazing visit to Venice, we boarded another train for our last destination in Italy: Florence. We didn't know much about this city but had heard it was a favorite stop for the beauty and culture of the city. By this point in our trip, Jeff and I were exhausted from our nonstop travels and tours, and my feet were blistered and sore from the miles of walking we had been doing from city to city. We checked in to another fabulous hotel, Westin Excelsior, right in the heart of Florence and walking distance to some of the more popular tourist spots. We dropped our bags in our room and then set off on foot to grab some lunch and explore. We ended up walking near the Piazza della Signoria where we saw a replica of the David and the fountain of Neptune, along with other beautiful sculptures and historical museums. It was another beautiful day to experience the beauty and history of such an amazing city, including some selfies of us in front of the famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. My favorite part of our exploration were the street vendors selling their wares, including nice leather goods and beautiful local artistry. Florence was quite charming and we walked until we couldn't walk anymore. To end the day, we went up to our rooftop hotel for some drinks and a gorgeous view of the city. What a fun, exhausting day!
We only had only booked a single night's stay in Florence, but we were excited for another full day ahead to venture out before catching a final train back to Rome for our flight the following morning. After another amazing breakfast in our hotel, I was convinced the croissants were all a person really needed to eat in life. Ha! Before setting out for the day, it was time for our new daily ritual of bandaging my screaming feet. The hours of daily walking was really catching up to me, and my toes were covered in blisters. Thank goodness Jeff had packed an entire box of band-aids; by the end of our trip, that box was completely empty!
Sufficiently bandaged, we set out on a beautiful morning and discovered what appeared to be a vintage car show of sorts in the square right outside our hotel. Upon closer look, many of the old cars were classic Fiats - reminding me of the old red Fiat convertible that my Dad drove way back in the day. We had fun exploring the cars and then walked for miles along the quiet streets, just taking in the sights. I loved seeing the old architecture, especially the ornate doorways, that seemed to line the streets and every old building we walked past. We made our way toward the Piazza di Santa Croce, stopping at a beautiful street cafe to enjoy some lunch and relax.
By the time we arrived in Florence, Jeff and I had decided that we were "toured out" and really didn't want to attend any more museum or building tours. That meant we would miss some of the more popular tourist spots in Florence, but we decided to book a different type of tour instead - a city tour by golf cart. Now that was comforting news for my screaming feet, ha! In the afternoon of our 2nd day in Florence, we met up with a tour guide and he drove us in the golf cart all around the city of Florence. It was exactly what we needed for our final day of touring, and it was such a relaxing way to take in the sights on this beautiful day. He drove us up to the Piazzale Michelangelo for the most stunning view of the city, and it was the perfect way to conclude our adventures in Florence.
Sadly, after the golf cart tour we had to catch a train back to Rome for our flight the following morning. It had been a whirlwind Italian adventure, and we were so thankful to have been able to pack in such incredible experiences for this bucket list trip of a lifetime. Arrivederci, Italia! Eri Bellissima!
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