Florence Italy

In Florence all seems to breathe freedom and peace and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.

They throw spinach in EVERYTHING!

Florence has the best gelato.

Say hello to Cosmo.

Amazing, especially in the autumn. It’s hot AF in the summer, though. Agree with r3 about the gelato. Also, the best paninis.

For me, Florence is all about the doorknobs.

A Firenze tutti respiriamo pace e libertà.

Translate r7?

R8 Lazy ass.

I don’t speak I-talisman and even I can translate that.

"In Florence we all breathe peace and freedom."

as per Google.

It ranks between Florence Ballard and Florence LaRue Gordon

What about Florence Foster Jenkins?

Florence is one of those places that lives up to the hype. It should be awful, with the crowds of selfie-seeking tourists, unlicensed street hawkers and pickpockets, but its beauty more than makes up for all that.

I visited only briefly, as part of an organised tour, and just broke away to wander by myself for a while. I didn’t even have a guidebook, but wandered up from the river to Santa Croce and the traditional leather workshops. I felt a bit guilty for not buying anything there, as the tour of the workshop was free and business was slow.

After that, I walked on a little more, got lost and eventually escaped from a maze of narrow streets into the square next to the Palazzo Vecchio, where the replica statue of David stands in the original place of the genuine statue. This while place was fairly empty of tourists, and I sat around watching the student artists who were painting the surrounding buildings and statues.

I then rounded off my visit with a late lunch, where I was served by a beautiful young man who also happened to be the most furious person I’ve ever seen in an apron. His sighs and pouting were more expressive than his English, but I eventually understood that my crime was that I sat down at an outdoor table before being instructed to do so. I tried to console him by leaving a large gratuity.

I really loved it there, even though my aversion to crowds meant I didn’t even try to see everything. I actually want to go back, post-pandemic, for a much longer visit.

It's wonderful if you visit during off-season.

If you visit during high season, it's like being in a Disneyland for elderly educated Brits and Americans.

The Uffizi art gallery was absolutely gorgeous.

Crossing the Arno river over to The ponte Vecchio by walking was lovely.

And of the wine tours in Tuscany are bar none.

[quote] And of the wine tours in Tuscany are bar none.

That phrase... I do not think it means what you think it means.

No I meant

Of course the wine tours in Tuscany are bar none.:-)

Really, stay away in the summer. The crowds are just too much. September, October are probably the best months to visit.

The town went through a bad patch about 10 to 15 years ago with a horrible mayor. He was Florence's Bill DeBlasio.

Graffitti everywhere, lots of abusive immigrant sellers selling stuff on the sidewalks, aggressive panhandlers. Most of that has been cleaned up.

The center of the city is now mostly closed to traffic and so the pollution problem is gone. And that's nice.

Lots of luxury shops have moved in giving the city a very luxurious feel. Unfortunately less characteristic small quirky shops.

Less people live in Florence now. Everything is rented out to tourists.

But I still love the place.

Fewer!

R20 Oops, sorry about that.

How’s the food?

The Uffizi was okay. On the second floor, there's a huge window facing the river with an awesome view of the river and the Ponte Vecchio. Thought the art was better across the river in the Pitti Palace. Walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo for a jaw-dropping view of the Arno and Florence.

There's a big expat community there, but because there is little work, they are not very diverse. The older ones are retired and the younger ones all teach English, are "creatives," or work as tour guides. Unfortunately, there are also 8000 American students, not necessarily studying anything related to Italy or Italian culture, who behave as if this Renaissance city is just like their campus in Flyoverstan.

A good thing about Florence is that it is compact, so that you can walk or bike anywhere with no need to take public transport. I prefer Milan or Rome for the very diverse and interesting people you meet, but they are large cities, and you are on the Metro or bus a lot.

Someone years ago on here recommended a restaurant and it was fantastic. I wish I could remember the name. I’ll try to think of it.

If you go, stay at the Hotel Spadai. It’s in the heart of things and quite nice.