The Magic of Florence

Lena
May 20, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Jul 9, 2020

During our time in Italy, we spent a couple of days in the city known for it’s narrow streets, orange buildings and that ”Tuscan charm“. How would I describe this city and why, all of the sudden, did I feel like dressing like Stevie Nicks? This was my encounter with this city.

Introduction

The first afternoon we arrived in Florence - after we checked into the hotel - we went down to the river, sat down by the window of a small cafe and ordered Aperol Spritz. We watched the sun set over this magnificent city. After the hustle and bustle of Rome the intimacy of Florence was a very welcome change. Compared to the pastel streets of Rome, Florence is gently painted in watercolour. We watched the sunset - it looked like an artist was adding more and more colour - making the image more vivid until it eventually went dark.

First Impressions - the Light

The next morning we woke up to the glorious morning Tuscan light - it is unlike anything I‘ve ever seen. No wonder artists have been trying to capture it for hundreds of years! If you have a set of paints or a decent camera capturing the fog covering the hills surrounding the city, the sunsets that bring out the full spectre of colours or the moody greys reflecting off the orange colored buildings on a rainy day is such a joy.

Getting to Know the City - the Flavour

We had pistachio flavoured cannoli from a small hole-in-the-wall bakery for my second breakfast (the first one was obviously a croissant with excellent black coffee). The little Italian man running this place was incredibly proud of the fact that they have 5 star average rating on TripAdvisor. I can personally vouch for that rating being completely accurate - a cannoli was grand.

The small pizza shop next door to out hotel that served the tastiest giant 2 Euro pizza slices incredibly popular with both tourist and locals made the most perfect lunch. I don’t think I went a single day without pizza for lunch while I was in Italy, so there might be a relationship between how much I fell in love with this country and and the amount of carbs I consumed.

Real Deal - the Liveliness

Once I got my lunch pizza slice I quickly found a spot to sit down and eat - the steps of a nearby museum. This is the perfect opportunity to street watch - Italians really use their streets - people walking dogs, friends hanging out, groups of kids out at lunch. That is also when I noticed the confetti.

I swear, it’s everywhere - apparently Italians love celebrations and they love confetti. One can only wonder the occasion. Oh, and there are always the street sweeper around attempting to clean up the confetti. The photo below is from a city square that seemed to be in the epicentre of the confetti celebrations. Freshly cleaned with street drains still clogged with glitter.

Final Touch - the Culture

There are too many things I could mention here - each will find their own idea of “culture” in Florence. For me it was the Uffizi Art Gallery - one of those places where the art if as beautiful, as the building and the surrounds themselves - you can get lost looking at the art or you can get distracted looking up at the incredible ceilings, hallways and views out the window.

It‘s also amazing to know that small independent boutiques still exist in this city– a very stylish woman will welcome you inside and make recommendations on the fit of the locally made quality wooled coats. I hope they will continue to do so.